Before we go any further I want to say that I am not inerrant. I feel as though I have done the necessary study, covered all the bases, and have learned to communicate my faith. Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone is ready to side with me but I'm o.k. with that. For me this journey has required that I be willing to ask and find answers to the tough questions. I have had to accept the fact that not all my beliefs were accurate, repent, and take on the new understanding. I have had to maintain humility through the process - not easy for people who are trained to believe in having a confident assurance about faith matters. In the end, I hope to see that what has been achieved through this process is a real, relevant, and lasting faith. In other words, that I possess a faith in God that cannot be shaken.
Let's talk...
Throughout this process I have appreciated Paul's admonishing to the Church in Philippi: "I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you" {Philippians 3:15}. What an incredible verse of Scripture. It's especially incredible when you consider that we live in a faith culture that is so concerned about who is right and who is wrong. The majority of this thinking is centered in denominations where learning how to spout rhetoric is important. Paul is assured of God's ability to bring guidance to the Body of Christ AND he is assured of their ability to receive it. There is no doubt (I believe) in the mind of Paul that God can help the believers come into a mutual consensus in their faith.
What a concept! Mutual consensus that is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Mutual consensus among believers! Oh, this gets better and better. The reality of the Christian life is that we can attain this. The priesthood of every believer assures us that we each have access to God, that each of us can hear from God, and that each of us can share in the will of God. Nowhere are we told in Scripture to blindly follow. In fact, we see the necessity of becoming schooled in the Word of God and in our intimacy with the Holy Spirit. We recognize the need to hold to the basic fundamentals of our faith but we also understand that God is able to speak to us about certain practices. This has held true from the New Testament days till now.
Of course asking the hard questions is often as difficult as answering them. It takes courage, faith, and sometimes even a little foolishness to question what has always been. This is not only true as it relates to beliefs but even church practices. Why do we do what we do? Why do we believe what we believe? These questions must and can be answered. But first...they have to be asked. Some will never ask because they are comfortable in what they believe. Some will never ask because they have grown accustomed to their logic or their experience in the faith. Regardless of the reason for not asking, many will never ask the tough questions. The flip side of that is that some will never seek answers either. Churches today are filled with people who may ask a tough question but rarely seek it out to the conclusion. How frustrating is that? I mean...to ask is one thing but to get an answer is quite another.
GET READY, I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING CONTROVERSIAL (shocking I know)...
Have you ever considered the stance that many believers have taken against alcohol? I mean, to talk to many believers you would think that America was still in the days of prohibition. The reality of this controversy still remains in the Church of 2013.
I remember several years ago being challenged in this area. I went to the Bible for answers. I found every verse that referenced wine or strong drink. What I found was shocking to my belief system. I found absolutely no verses that condemned drinking. The only thing that was condemned was drunkenness. What is my point? My point is that so often we are indoctrinated so heavily in certain areas that we don't even use the brain that God gave us. We don't pursue a faith where our questions get answered. We just keep on believing what everyone else believes. When it comes to this particular topic many don't want to believe that Jesus made wine, drank wine, and didn't condemn it. There are even "scholars" who will try to convince you that wine in the Bible isn't actually wine, etc.
It was a part of the culture. God fearing people drank wine & strong drink. It was a part of their feasts and celebrations. I heard a quote that I will share on this topic and we can move on: In the American culture we have removed alcohol from the Lord's table & the family table. Now in America people drink to escape and we have a culture of individual alcoholics.
Winding it down...
There will be plenty of people that will disagree with what I'm trying to share with you today. They see a danger in believers discovering Truth for themselves. However, this is what the Bible encourages us to do. It's exactly what the early church did. They learned to work through the tough questions. They learned to trust the Holy Spirit within them. The discovered the Truth together. I believe it's possible for us as well. We possess the same Holy Spirit. We have the Bible. We have the Author and Finisher of our faith to follow. We have the testimony of the early church. We are not without tough answers if we are willing to ask the tough questions.
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