Over the past 6 years, I’ve talked to SO SO SO many people about their understanding of God and faith and whatnot….
Here is the key. Here is the root of it all.
Scripture.
What you believe about Scripture is the root of everything else you believe. Everything stems from that.
If you believe that the Bible is God’s love letter, then you read verses a certain way. You understand Jesus a certain way. You see church as a certain thing.
But if you think the Bible is a history of God’s interaction with humanity, you’ll treat those same things much, much differently.
If you think the Bible is the COMPREHENSIVE word of God, then you filter EVERYTHING through the lens of Scripture.
If you believe the Bible is merely 1 sources out of many sources of God’s Word, then your interaction with God is going to be massively different.
If you’re trying to understand your own thoughts about God, take some time (maybe a year) and do some digging and figure out what you think the Bible is.
Solid, lames, as usual. Wish I still worked with you man.
dude! work with me! we’re hiring a full-time guy to lead worship in our student ministry. there will be no pay. no benefits. no housing provided. but i think you can handle those things in your free time…..
Great topic…about six years ago I spent an entire year basically researching what you ask in this post and it led me to some profound understandings. It’s a can of worms for me to address in a comment, but I am glad you’re asking the questions.
I think you are exactly right about this. Often, when Christian are arguing theology, they fail to take into account that they are both coming from very different understandings of the nature of the Bible. Without acknowledging this, they are just talking past each other. I’d say most of the big controversies being debated in the church have their basis in different understandings of the the nature of the Bible.