Methodists believe that the Bible is the only acceptable source from which one can take his beliefs, Catholics believe that one’s beliefs can come from the Bible, church fathers, popes, bishops; The Seven Ecumenical Councils; the Trent, the Vatican, and other Catholic councils.
Baptists insist that creeds impair the individual believer’s ability to interpret scripture while Lutherans believe in the Nicene Creed, Apostles’ Creed, Athanasian Creed, Augsburg Confession, and the Formula of Concord.
Episcopalians think that if we are considered good it is only because God worked good through us, and that our salvation depends on Him. Catholics believe we can lose our salvation by mortal sin and regain it through penance.
Wesleyans look forward to Jesus coming again at the end of the world when He will resurrect the dead people who were faithful to Him and then everyone else later. Presbyterians look forward to the end of times when “the cosmos will be renewed, perfected, purged of impurities, and subjected to the rule of God.” Whatever the hell that means.
Now let me tell you what I believe…
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
-I Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
And even more than this…
Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
-I Corinthians 4:1 (NASB)
What is so scary about the admission that we don’t know everything? Why can’t we say that even though we have over 4000 years of perspective on how God works, God is still God. His ways are higher than our ways. We don’t always know what God will say or do in a given situation. We don’t have the answers for all the questions that the Bible chooses not to specifically give. And we do not, no matter how anal retentive we are, have any say as to how He works.
I have listened to thousands of hours of talk from educated ministers and Bible college professors and I have seldom heard the words, “I don’t know.” Why is that? I am dying to find a church where I hear someone ask, “What do you guys believe about predestination?” And they are answered simply with the response, “We’re not really in control of that, plus we don’t know. So why waste time debating what we don’t have the power to decide?”
Because here’s another thing I believe, because I have seen it to be true…
We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
-I Corinthians 8:1b (NIV)
