What is every Christian's responsibility? To conform to the
Word of God? Or to conform to a church constitution or statement of
faith? Every Christian should be living according to "Ecclesia,
semper reformanda secundum verbi Dei." ("The church, always
reforming according to the Word of God.") My only
allegiance is to the Word of God. I have no allegiance to any
church constitution or statement of faith. Where these deviate from
the Word of God, I must conform to Scripture above all else.
If this means I lose friends and I'm rejected by others, then so be
it. To God be the glory! As Don Fortner has said:
Our only rule of faith and practice is the Word of God. We have . . .
no creed to defend,
no denomination to maintain, and
no confession to bind our minds.
"What do the Scriptures teach?" That is and must be our only concern. If the plain teachings of Holy Scripture appear to destroy or contradict our understanding of any doctrine, then let us relinquish the doctrine, or acknowledge the fact that our minds are both depraved and minuscule, and bow to the revelation of God.
If being a member of a local church is supposed to mean that I
pledge my allegiance to their particular constitution or statement
of faith and blindly follow it without question, regardless of
what the Bible has to say, then I will no longer be a member of any
local church; I will merely attend one. I am already a member of the universal
church, the invisible church, and that is all that
matters. Its demand on me is very simple: conform to the Word of
God, grow in the Spirit, and become more like Jesus. In my
personal Bible studies, whatever is revealed through the Word, I
need to wrestle with it and submit to it in order to be in
obedience to it. If that sets me against a particular constitution
or statement of faith, then so be it. I seek to be a God-pleaser—not
a man-pleaser. If all I did was look for churches that hold to the
same convictions as I do in every area, I'd be church-hopping for
the rest of my life.
I am accountable and responsible to God first, and to my family
second, which means that I need to do what I believe is best for
them, regardless of the opinions of others. "Each person must be
fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5). I'm not a follower
and I've never given in to peer pressure. I'm pretty stubborn, so
if I've changed my mind about a position, it's because there's
good reason for my having done so. I don't formulate my beliefs
lightly. Many hours of reading and studying envelope my decisions.
I'm a High
C personality (Cautious, Calculating,
Competent, Conscientious, Contemplative and Careful) for a reason. Very fact and detail oriented.
The current state of the church across all denominations is a sad state, mirroring the Pharisees by clinging to and teaching the traditions of men (and current societal norms) rather than the commandments of God by searching and conforming to the Bible. "I believe everything my church believes." When Christians agree unquestioningly with everything their church constitution or statement of faith has to say, they ought to examine themselves honestly and truthfully ask themselves if they're worshipping God, or if they're worshipping the church. The two are not one and the same. Where does your allegiance lie?
The current state of the church across all denominations is a sad state, mirroring the Pharisees by clinging to and teaching the traditions of men (and current societal norms) rather than the commandments of God by searching and conforming to the Bible. "I believe everything my church believes." When Christians agree unquestioningly with everything their church constitution or statement of faith has to say, they ought to examine themselves honestly and truthfully ask themselves if they're worshipping God, or if they're worshipping the church. The two are not one and the same. Where does your allegiance lie?