Growth and Change

No one comes into this world knowing every doctrine of scripture.  For someone to grow in grace and knowledge, he will change in his personal belief.  He could go either way, better or worse.  A person won’t remain static.  Growth requires making good changes and avoiding bad ones.

Like anyone else, I have a story of change in personal belief.  I have often told people that I changed on eight to ten biblical doctrines or issues of various significance through the years.  No one should change from something right to something wrong.  I always believed I was moving from wrong to right, but not everyone agreed with that.

Adding and Subtracting

God says, don’t take away from or add to scripture.  Both directions are bad, subtracting and adding.  Furthermore, someone doesn’t do better if he takes every doctrine or issue to the most strict or extreme place that he could.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve said the following in Genesis 3:2-3 to the serpent:

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

God had said the following in Genesis 2:17:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

When you read the two statements, you can see that Eve added to what God said.  God said nothing about touching the fruit of the tree.  Yet, Eve did.  She took an even more extreme position than God, which was wrong.

Almost every change I ever made in belief or practice, I moved in a stronger, more strict or conservative direction.  Certain other Christians opposed some of those changes.  In a most recent change, that developed over a number of years, I loosened in my belief or practice.  I see liberty on something where I once saw regulation.  Those accustomed to my rightward movement saw this as inconsistent.

Precipitating Change

In every instance I changed, some event precipitated the change.  Very often I changed while preaching or teaching a series through a particular book.  Sometimes I was faced with a situation that I had never encountered.  I had to make a decision.

In all my years of pastoring, that I know, I have never believed and practiced in an identical way with any other church.  I know of no Baptist church that is identical to another in its belief and practice.   Beliefs and practices might be close to the same, but with slight variation.

Here at this blog, Thomas Ross and I don’t believe or practice exactly the same.  We have differences.  We’re very close, but not the same.  Some of you readers have read our debates here and elsewhere.  Nonetheless, we still partner on this blog.

Through the years, our church still fellowshipped with other churches even with the differences we had.  It’s usually not easy to clash with another church on doctrinal and practical differences.  Even interpretational differences might bring conflict between believers or churches.  Almost everyone thinks they’re right.

Reasons for Change and Differences

When I change, why believe or practice different than before?  Why do Bible believing and practicing churches still have some differences with each other in doctrine and practice?

Direct Statements, Plain Inferences

Differences in belief and practice start with variated understanding of either direct statements of scripture or of the plain inferences from direct statements in the Bible.  Not every teaching of the Bible comes from a direct statement.  Some comes from a combination of direct statements and plain inferences.  In general I haven’t changed in my adult life on anything in a category of direct statements or plain inferences from scripture.

When I say direct statements and plain inferences, I also say that these proceed from only a grammatical, historical interpretation of scripture.  Direct statements and plain inferences come from the actual meaning of the words of scripture in their context.  I also consider the laws for the usage of those words, their syntax, and their meaning in their textual and historical context.

I take a stronger position on repentance and Lordship than I did forty years ago.  In the past, I never denied that teaching.  However, like every other doctrine and practice proceeding from direct statement and plain inference from direct statements, I grew in my grasp and conviction.

A Series of Overlapping Statements and Inferences

Some doctrines and practices proceed from a series of overlapping statements and inferences in the Bible.  When you read all of the passages combined, you will come to certain conclusions that are also your beliefs and practices.  The nation Israel, one third of its total number of people according to Zechariah, will receive Christ as the Messiah during the seven year tribulation period.  Nations will surround her and at this juncture, Israel will repent with a confession such as Isaiah 53.  God will save Israel.

I get my belief about the event of the salvation of Israel from conclusions arising from a series of overlapping statements and inferences in scripture.  Furthermore, almost every belief and practice, comes from both the interpretation and the application of scripture.  Application almost always depends on the reality of certain self-evident truths, assumed by God.  God expects us to apply what He said.  Man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Separating Differences

Many professing believers take what I call, unscriptural positions.  Differences occur between believers and churches when one or more veer away from the teaching of the Bible.  They might do that for many reasons.  Some of them are just personal.  An individual believer or a church leader may have a personal issue with someone.  People might not like the way someone treated them or others with whom they fellowship.

Differences between churches may not be doctrinal or practical, but personal or political.  They fellowship with others with different doctrine or practice, even with the same differences as someone with whom they won’t.  Their decisions about relationship relate to hurt feelings or bruised egos.  They won’t reconcile, forgive, or seek mediation because of pride.  They wait for the other party to initiate reconciliation, and even if it does, they reject reconciliation or mediation.  True churches separate, but scripture teaches constructive reasons, not personal or political ones.

More to Come