Just a quote for Sunday’s Niche..and something I feel like is important to mention as I continue on. I hold to an absolute truth and there are things we must have right in order to be saved, but not as much or as little as some might think or say. These words ring true to me:
“Biblical knowledge and accurate theology are valuable traits. Right thinking leads to right living, just as stinking thinking leads to stinking living. But as valuable as biblical knowledge is, I think it should come with a warning label. The fact is, the more we know, the more we’re tempted to look down on people who don’t know what we know.
This is not to say that doctrine is unimportant. There are genuine heresies out there. They need to be exposed. Some teaching can be so off base that it cuts us off from Christ. Just check out Paul’s letter to the Galatians for an example. Paul doesn’t mince words. He attacks false teaching head-on.
But let’s be honest. Most of the biblical and doctrinal points that we love to argue about (and take such pride in knowing) are not matters of salvation. They may be important, but they’re not essential. They’re not damnable heresies. They’re simply wrongheaded interpretations by well-meaning people who’ve misunderstood a few points in a very big and complex book.”
Larry Osborne, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith
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I strongly agree with this! I have been in groups that were so worried about being “right” that it seemed that the big picture was missing.
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That has been my experience as well. And also a tendency I see in myself that I need to take note of and action against time and again.
It is nice to be right, but we forget how impossible it is for us to be right all the time.
Thanks for reading, Katie! :)
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