Subject: Keep the Sabbath Holy? |
Bible Note: Hello again and thanks for the response. Based on your belief that there are "so many different flavors to choose from..." regarding Christian tradition I simply disagree; and see your thinking as perhaps the center of your difficulty. Agreeably, today there are many different denominational “flavors” but the truth of Scripture is, and always will be- unchanging. When I mentioned "traditional Christianity" I assumed, perhaps mistakenly, that you had a background in church history and orthodox Christianity. I apologize for that. Now that I have a better idea of where you are at, I believe I have some feedback that may be helpful. We most of us have the experience of some exposure to church attendance growing up and (to agree with you on some level I think) we all have learned various contradictory things. So when I refer to tradition I am speaking to those truths of Scripture long-held and taught by the church. The teachers of our history whose writings and commentaries have been studied and critiqued and found to be in-line with Scripture, relying on the truth of Scripture alone as their foundation. I might throw out a few names here but that would defeat the purpose of what follows. We have to keep in mind here that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church. When we realize that, we can have confidence that He has stayed true to his word (Isaiah 55:11, John 14:26). There comes a time in every serious bible student’s life when he/she realizes that he/she has a certain amount of beliefs (learned in the home, church, and social environment) that are not in agreement with, or at least are not decisively supported by Scripture. For me it was marked by a period of time that would be best described as faith-shaking and panic. Perhaps that’s where you are now, perhaps not. In any case, I believe the lesson learned, if learned at all, is eventually the same for everyone. Our doctrine does not show the Scriptures to be true, but rather, the Scriptures alone must determine our doctrine. When we study for ourselves we will NOT likely be “…tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; “ The interesting thing is that the more we learn from God's word the easier it is to recognize a teaching that doesn't line up. I hope it's comforting to know that there is not a "which Christian Chruch" issue to be considered. There is only one Christian Chruch, that of which Christ is the head. With that perhaps you will be less interested in the opinions of others. God bless, Jeff |