Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The truth of God is not relative. That is, it doesn't change to adapt and conform to changes in the culture and beliefs of people.
Much is made of the idea of relativism and a post-modern mindset. The concept that what's true for you isn't necessarily true for me, isn't truth.
Personal, philosophical beliefs don't become reality just because they're thought out. The natural laws of the earth and universe illustrate and reflect the unchanging nature of God, its creator, and His truth.
Clichés aren't sufficient
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled, "Got Theology?" The gist of it is that theology can become highly personalized. And yet, the truth of God remains unchanged. It's based on who He is, not opinions or a belief system.
Christian believers need to be clear on why they believe what they believe. The trite saying—God said it, I believe it, that settles it—isn't sufficient, it's a cliché.
Arriving at why we believe what we do—our theology—can be understood by seeing how we arrive at that belief. I won't backtrack through what is shared in the previous post, but I do want to look at a challenge I posed in that post.
The challenge—3 questions
The challenge involved 3 questions that help determine how our personal theology develops. As an example, I'll answer these questions for my own life. I'll do this over the next three weeks.
Hopefully, this will serve as a guide for you. Here are the 3 questions—
Review your own life as a believer in Jesus—What stands out as most important and why?
Who is the most influential spiritual leader in your life, so far? Why?
What’s been most helpful to you in your pursuit to know God?
My learning curve
I'm a visual and kinetic (experiential) learner. I tend to learn best by watching, then doing. I'm also a reader.
My search for truth and faith included the study of various philosophies and eastern religions. I attempted to live these out to a certain extent, as I read about them. Music and hitchhiking were also part of the process.
I also read the Bible each day for at least two years, yet without understanding it. I talk about this in my book, some of it in the first chapter.
My life reflected the times of that search—the mid to late '60s in America. I was immersed in the turbulent counter-culture that marked those years. This carried over to my faith search.
A turning point
I'm a rebel at heart when it comes to learning. I don't just accept things, I question, challenge, then process it all. Of course, this doesn't go over well with authoritarian teacher types. It even got me thrown out of a church when I kept pressing for answers.
In the midst of my search, I came to a turning point in my life. I went up into the mountains, where I lived at the time, and challenged God to reveal Himself to me in some way. I was expecting something like a sign in the sky, a burning bush, or an audible voice, but none of that happened. Discouraged, I headed back to my trailer.
Still wanting to hear from God, I opened my Good News for Modern Man version of the Bible to read. It was then I came across Matthew 7:13-14 and realized I was on the wrong path.
Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it. (Matt 7:13-14 GNT)
I took this as a challenge, but I refused to pray the ("sinners") prayer or write down the date, as the notes in my Bible suggested. Like I said, I don't just accept things without question. I did have an assurance in my heart that my faith search was settled. Jesus and the Bible were central to my faith, the foundation of my theology.
What about you?
So, what about you? Have you had a turning point in your life, come to a crossroads, or another cathartic experience that settled your faith and brought assurance?
This is an important first step in developing a personal theology. It's called a lot of things—coming to faith, conversion, getting saved. Whatever you call it, it needs to happen. It's the starting point of a settled faith, a personal trust relationship with God.
I'd love to hear from you on this—
What stands out as most important in your life as a believer?
Why is this so important to you?
Next week, I plan to continue this series of posts and look at the influential spiritual leaders in my life.