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3.3 Statements of Faith
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In order to guard ourselves from such extremes we must hold onto foundational eternal truths. Discovering which truths affect the outcome of ones eternal existence is of the outmost importance. Secondary would be the truths that affect our intimacy with Jesus, effectiveness as disciples and callings. Keeping these perspectives in mind would aid us from falling into either extreme.
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I think one way to avoid the twin errors is to stay grounded in the Word and to what we are clearly called to as opposed to man-made traditions. Of course, there are certain core, first-order beliefs that we need to adhere to – and not doing so would be wrong – however they do not comprise a very long list. Secondary and tertiary beliefs must be handled with much more grace and arguments should be avoided.
I think of Paul in 2<sup>nd</sup> Timothy 2 saying, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel…” and he goes on to say, “Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.” I think too often, we draw lines in the sand and are unwilling to value relationship and unity over our traditions or small differences in interpretation of scripture.
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We need to recognize that there are some things we all agree on, these are the foundational things (core beliefs) regarding Jesus and salvation. Then we need to recognize that it is ok to disagree with each other on the rest. We need to demonstrate love and respect for one another and let that be the reigning factor. Jesus demonstrated that love needs to be our mandate not only for each other, but also those who do not know the truth yet.
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I think teachings like this would be an answer to these two errors. These errors have been seen in virtually every church I’ve been a part of, and have caused much devision, mostly for no reason as the issues at hand were not of the core category. We need to learn to be clear about what we believe but maintain love and recognize the difference between these categories
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