The Absolutes of the Faith

There is a conversation that I often have with friends and acquaintances relating to what I do and do not believe about Christ, His church and organized religion. It has to do with what I distinguish as Absolutes, Convictions and Preferences. These three areas are separate, but, I believe, equally essential to having a healthy walk with Christ. In other words, one must understand where he or she stands in these three areas in order to understand where to focus efforts and in what areas to concentrate as far as spiritual growth is concerned. Let me distinguish the three as I see them:

Some things set forth in the Bible are central to who God is and how He relates to man. These things are clear, though they may be debated on their finer points. They are central points in most churches and are shared from one denomination to another. For example, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus was born of a virgin through the work of the Holy Spirit, God sent Jesus to the Earth to make right what was wrong. He lived, He was crucified for our sins and He sits now at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. This is not an exclusive list, but it accents the point. These are things that I consider to be Absolute to our Faith.

Other areas fall into the category of strongly held beliefs. They are central to the faith, but are debated largely and may vary from one believer to another, especially between denominations. These beliefs are based on scripture and are held to strongly enough by believers that they often lead to (sometimes bitter) debates and even parting of ways. For example, some believers will hold to the belief that Jesus descended into Hell following the crucifixion and prior to the resurrection. Others will disagree. A lot of these beliefs are based on how one interprets scripture and how it relates to everyday living. For example, I have a few friends that hold to the Saturday Sabbath. They share a conviction that they should exercise their faith in this way, and they will not compromise. These are a few examples of what I consider to be areas of Conviction.

Still other areas fall into the category of personal feelings and how one chooses to relate personally to God. These areas may be based on family traditions, personal emotions or church teachings. For example, one believer may worship in a church with a contemporary service while another may choose to attend a more traditional congregation. I may practice stewardship over the resources entrusted to me differently than others. The point is that these areas are based on Preference.

I think most problems come when people cannot differentiate between these three areas. I have a very good friend who attends a church of a denomination that I consider to be off the mark in many ways. I am convinced, though, that he knows Jesus, and I know where he stands on the Absolutes. It would be easy for us to get caught up on "I believe this, why can’t you see it?" discussions. If we related this way, we would also miss a lot of blessings and, even worse, present a front to the world that Jesus is divisive even among His own people. I have to remind myself often that what is important is that Jesus is presented to those who need Him as a God of love. I sometimes get in the way of His work with my self-righteous thoughts and uncompromising pride. I wonder if you are ever guilty of the same.

Trading in the Honorable

Honorable: That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specif., in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthiness; in women, purity; chastity.

"Honourable" is a title for which men used to strive. To be called honorable meant something. In the case of entitlement, such as in Britain, the title is either inherited by birth or earned through great acts of service to one's country or fellow men. In democratic society the title is either attached to the position of a government official or used more loosely to describe someone who has shown honorable attributes, again through service to others.

To question a man's honor was an invitation to a duel, sometimes literally. The questioning of his honor caused the great naval hero Stephen Decatur to enter into a duel in 1819 which would lead to his death, though less than a year earlier he had denounced such practice as barbaric. Such a question caused former Union General Fitz-John Porter to fight his claim of dishonorable service for twenty-three years and seven presidencies until it was eventually reversed.

Example after example can be seen throughout history. Such cannot be said today. Men have traded the honorable for things far less. For money, for office, for fleeting sexual pleasure, name the vice and a glaring example of this trade can be pointed out in modern culture with little or no effort. At one time fathering children and then leaving them was seen as dishonorable. Making a commitment "til death" and then welshing would ban one from many social circles. Lying, cheating, stealing were actions that had consequences to a person's daily life and professional future.

Not so anymore. Such actions are often seen as normal by today's standards, especially if the action in question leads to advancement for the actor. If you study history, you can see examples of how we as a society have slowly but surely promoted such behavior, sometimes through action but more often through inaction, allowing dishonorable action to be overlooked and promoting the action as a consequence.

Does it matter? Will it have consequences for us as a people and a nation? Can it be turned around? One thing is certain; we are leaving behind a far weaker example of desirable attributes than our forefathers left us.

Why are you here?

My good friend, Dani, introduced me to this blog site. I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while, so I guess this is as good a time as any. I'm not real sure I have anything to add that would be relevant to anyone or make someone pause and contemplate an issue. I do know that I feel very strongly about a lot of issues. Secular, religious, work-related, political, current events, name it, and I enjoy discussing it. I especially enjoy hearing other people's points of view on things that I probably take for granted as being set and true. I'm pretty consistently a black-and-white person. I don't see many shades of gray when I look around, and I'm, for the most part, surrounded by people who share most of the same views. So, I'm not real sure why you are here, but I'm just here to share some insights and have some insights shared.

I have quite a few old blogs that I posted in other areas, so I'll probably share some of those over the next few weeks. I'm sure with all the things going on in the world as well as in all of our daily lives, none of us will be short on things to share.