3.3 Statements of Faith

[Lorna Anne]

We can guard against falling into either of this two errors by studying the word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and understanding of his word.

Talking to our mentors or leaders of the church, encouraging one another, sharpening minds to one another. We are not alone.

Seeks God for the answered. We need to be familiar with the word of God.

[Jaylen Hodges]

The short answer is letting the Holy Spirit influence these moments. I believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority; if it says something directly, there is no room for argument. Yet still, the Holy Spirit is a gift to us with purpose. One of those purposes is to open our eyes and help us discern the things of God. In this context, I believe the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our interpretation of “controversial” parts of scripture. Where things aren’t explicitly taught in the Bible and disagreements cannot be confirmed either right or wrong, the most important thing we need to do in those times is lean into the Holy Spirit to guide us as to what is the wisest, most loving, most upright way to conclude such matters. I believe this is God’s expectation, not a suggestion like “hey you could involve the Spirit, or you could not”. The Spirit was given for a reason, we should not shy away from His guidance.

[Emma Hodges]

Pentecostals can guard against falling into either of these two errors I think by having grace for one another. I think that too often, people get caught up into either arguing that there is no real theological truths, or that all things are of the utmost importance in theology. The reality is though, that there are different levels of of statements as discussed in this video. When having a conversation with someone who may have different beliefs then you, it may be helpful to try and figure out if this is a Dogma belief, denominational belief, personal belief, or personal preference. This can help guide the conversation in a way that understands both sides of the argument and can help Pentecostals to not fall too far into theological liberalism or fundamentalism.