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Beliefs, convictions, opinions, preferences

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Last year I spoke on the topic of “Love That Endears All Things” at a retreat. One thing I presented was about different kinds of beliefs that can cause conflict. I divided them into these four categories:

  • Core Beliefs
  • Personal Convictions
  • Biblical Opinions
  • Preferences

Core beliefs are the central items to our faith: the existence of God; the belief that Jesus came in the flesh; salvation through Jesus; belief in the death, burial, and resurrection. These are things that we can legitimately expect anyone who calls themselves a Christian to believe. While I know that some people expand this category to include just about everything, most of us recognize that there are central tenets that are basic to Christianity.

Personal convictions are things that are not clearly stated in the Bible, but that we hold to be true. When I presented this, I focused on convictions that affect us personally: the use of alcohol; choices about education; pacifism. If I were presenting this again, I’d include convictions that affect our churches as a whole, like the role of women in the church or a cappella vs instrumental music.

Biblical opinions are opinions about the interpretation of certain texts that, for the most part, don’t directly affect what we do: the identity of the Antichrist; beliefs about the millennium; baptism for the dead.

Preferences are just that, things that merely align with our likes: what Bible version to use, singing during the Lord’s Supper, what to do with children during worship, raising hands while praising or praying.

It’s my belief that we need to know how to differentiate core beliefs from the other things in the list. That should be obvious, yet it’s not. Some of the other things may make it difficult for us to worship together on a regular basis; they should not make it difficult for us to recognize one another as Christians.

What we think we know that we believe

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Photo by Ove Tøpfer; from Stock Xchange

A few thoughts about what we believe:

  1. There is something that we believe which we are in error about. Something that we are fairly convinced of. We’re pretty sure that we’re right, but we’re wrong. No, I don’t know what it is. If I did, I wouldn’t believe it anymore, would I? :-)
  2. There is something that we are right about that godly, sincere men disagree with us on. It’s not because they don’t believe the Bible. It’s not because they are willfully disobeying God. Despite their sincerity and their piety, they are in error. Like us on #1.
  3. Neither of the above statements means that there is no absolute truth. It merely means that we humans aren’t capable of perfection, even in our belief systems.
  4. If we are really studying and growing, there will be something that we now believe that we will no longer hold to ten years from now. If we don’t grow in our understanding of God, His Word and His will, then I don’t see how we can be maturing spiritually.
  5. There is no entrance exam for getting into heaven.

All of this calls for large doses of humility, to be administered on a frequent basis. And if you’re like me, you probably need a double dose. I know I do.