Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven
Belief change is necessary when Scripture exposes error, but the process matters as much as the change itself. One can judge the legitimacy or quality of a change by how it is done.
Testing the Change by the Whole Counsel of God
Scripture exposes the right process for belief change. In Part Eleven, I wrote about bringing a proposed change into the light, allowing examination, and submitting it to appropriate accountability in the church. The right process does not hide a change to protect a constituency, avoid criticism, or maintain a united front. It welcomes the examination of truth.
However, transparency by itself does not establish that a change is right. A person or church might explain an unscriptural, bad change. A group of leaders might reach a wrong consensus. Openness, necessary for accountability, does not replace the authority of the Word of God. The premier criterion is not whether the change sounds reasonable, works well, attracts people, or resolves a controversy. It is whether the change is true according to the Bible.
The Example of the Bereans
Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
The Bereans did not reject teaching simply because it was new to them. Neither did they accept it merely because an apostle presented it. They examined the Scriptures to determine whether the teaching was true.
This is an essential part of the right process for belief change. A person must be willing to examine what he believes. He must also be willing to examine what he hears, including teaching from men he respects. Someone might say, “I have believed this all my life.” Someone else might say, “Our church has always taught this.” That statement deserves consideration, but it does not settle the matter either. The ultimate standard is what God has said.
At the same time, someone should not reject a long-established belief merely because he has discovered a different interpretation that appeals to him. He must establish from Scripture that the former position was wrong and that the new one is right. A person or institution should not change simply because they can construct an argument for something different. They should change because Scripture requires it.
The Whole Counsel of God
Participants should not test a proposed change by an isolated verse or a single argument detached from the rest of the Bible. God is One. The Word of God too is one, so it is always consistent with itself. A correct interpretation of one passage will not contradict a true teaching in another. This does not mean that every doctrine depends on every other doctrine in precisely the same way. It means that Scripture speaks with one divine authority and does not contradict itself.
Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” He had not withheld any part of God’s revealed truth that they needed to hear. This principle matters when someone proposes a change in belief. A person must not judge a doctrine by considering only the passages that appear to support it. He must examine the doctrine in light of the whole counsel of God.
Biblical doctrines are interconnected. When someone changes his interpretation of one text, it might affect his understanding of another. It is not merely whether someone can explain a particular passage in a way that supports his new position. It is whether it also agrees with everything else Scripture teaches on the subject. Leaders must test a proposed change against the relevant passages throughout Scripture, including those that may challenge their conclusions.
The Difference Between Explanation and Excuse
2 Timothy 3:16–17 says:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Notice the place of reproof and correction. Scripture does not just confirm what someone already believes. It also exposes error and corrects it. Submission to the Word of God requires willingness to receive its correction.
People might decide what they want to do and then search for an argument to justify it. They may look for a verse that appears to support the decision, disregard passages that challenge it, or appeal to Christian liberty when Scripture does not permit the practice in question. That is not the right process. The right process starts with what God said. Then it allows His Word to determine what must change. The wrong process begins with a desired outcome and tries to make Scripture accommodate it.
Proverbs 14:12 warns:
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Something can seem right without being right. It can feel reasonable, appear compassionate, or seem necessary for practical success. Those impressions do not establish its truth. Biblical change requires a willingness to discover that a preferred outcome is wrong. He must be ready to abandon a change when Scripture opposes it or abandon an established belief when Scripture corrects it.
Do Not Substitute Practical Results for Biblical Truth
One common reason for changing beliefs and practices is the expectation of better results. A church might anticipate greater attendance, fewer disagreements, more financial support, or a better public reputation. An individual might expect greater acceptance among friends or relief from pressure. Those results might occur. But they do not prove that the change is biblical. Instead of asking whether a change produces an apparent personal benefit, he should ask whether it conforms to God’s Word.
Paul writes in Romans 12:2:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Renewing the mind is not conforming to society’s prevailing opinion. It is transformation that enables believers to discern and obey God’s will. A church shouldn’t assume something is right just because it works or wrong because it brings opposition or makes the work harder. Faithfulness to Scripture may bring opposition, while departure from God’s Word may produce immediate advantages.
The Authority of Scripture and the Responsibility of the Church
The Bible is the final authority for faith and practice. The church does not possess authority to contradict God’s Word, but it does have a responsibility to teach, defend, and apply it. 1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” This responsibility makes the church important in the process of belief change. Individuals should study Scripture, but they should not treat their private conclusions as though no one else has a responsibility to examine them. Qualified leaders should consider doctrinal questions, explain their conclusions, and, when appropriate, bring matters before the church.
The church must seek agreement grounded in truth. Agreement alone does not make a position true. Truth provides the only basis of genuine Christian unity. Ephesians 4:3 commands believers to endeavor “To keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The unity of the Spirit is not a demand that everyone remain silent when doctrine is at stake. Nor is every disagreement evidence of apostasy. The church must distinguish between a disagreement that requires further biblical examination and a divisive effort to undermine established truth. The process should be orderly, honest, and governed by Scripture.
The Responsibility to Correct a Wrong Change
What should happen when examination establishes that a change was wrong? Individuals, leaders, and institutions should acknowledge wrong change and correct it. A person should not defend an unscriptural position merely because he has already adopted it. A church should not continue an unscriptural practice merely because it has invested money, time, reputation, or institutional authority in it. Previous decisions do not become right because reversing them would be embarrassing.
Jesus told the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:5:
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.
The church had departed from something that should have characterized it. Christ required recognition, repentance, and correction. The right response was not to conceal the departure or develop an explanation that made it acceptable. Sometimes the right change is a return to what a person or church previously believed and practiced. At other times, Scripture requires a new correction that was not previously understood. In either case, the authority remains the same: God’s Word.
A person who corrects a wrong change should explain what was wrong, what Scripture teaches, and why the correction is necessary. This explanation helps others understand the truth and prevents the same error from continuing under a different name.
Pride will not drive the right process of change. Admitting error is not a defeat when it brings someone into conformity with Scripture. Acknowledging that God’s Word is right and that our understanding needs correction is, in fact, victory.
Overarching Basis for Change
A change is not right because it is new, old, popular, unpopular, practical, or difficult. It is right when it conforms to the truth God has revealed. The same standard applies in both directions. No one should refuse a necessary change because he fears losing what is familiar. No one should embrace a change because he desires what is new. The believer’s responsibility is to submit his beliefs and practices to the Word of God.
Jesus prayed in John 17:17:
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
God sanctifies His people through His truth. Therefore, the process of change must not begin with men’s preferences and end with a search for biblical support. It must begin with the Word of God, submit to its correction, and proceed toward obedience.
More to Come