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Boundaries of Belief

Last week we discussed how the Bible establishes the foundations for our beliefs. The Bible provides clear information about the fundamentals of our faith and practice. There are things that we, as Christians, can be confident about and sure of in our faith.

However, the Bible does not provide us with all the information that we would sometimes want. It's clear on what matters most, but outside of those things the Bible often presents us with information without necessarily putting it all together for us. After all the Bible states that the purpose of scripture is to teach, rebuke, correct, build up, and equip. (2 Timothy 3:16)

What the Bible does do is establish boundaries for these discussions and topics. The foundations are laid clearly and the Bible then provides boundaries to keep us from straying off the foundation into heresy and error. Within these boundaries, however, there is room for dialogue and even some disagreement.

Let's take one of the fundamentals I looked at last week, the Second Coming of Jesus. It is an integral part of the Christian faith that Jesus is coming back. This is part of our message to the world. Like I said last week, that statement alone is the foundation. The details of when, how, and what comes before are all up for discussion. The Bible does set boundaries for this.

For example, the Bible I think clearly sets the boundary that the Second Coming will not be a secret. The timing is a secret and when it happens is like a thief in the night, but when Jesus returns everyone will know. Another boundary that is set is that the general resurrection will occur at his return, not some later date. The list goes on.

Within those boundaries, upon the foundation clearly laid in scripture, there are different opinions about the end times. There are the three different views on the millennium, dispensational vs covenant theology, and more. We must remember to stand firm on our foundation while being gracious and charitable to those who disagree with us but are still within the boundaries.

This can be a difficult thing to do, but it is essential to our unity. If we cannot love one another enough to recognize that none of us are perfect and may get things wrong from time to time, how can we ever hope to be unified? While our disagreements are important and need to be discussed we should do so charitably and with the best possible outlook on the other person. 

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