OK, back to the series for at least another post. Incidentally, I don't really know how much longer I plan to do this one. So, if you love it or hate it and want to let me know, feel free.
But in this post, I'm going to look at Matthew 18:3 - "And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Some take this to mean that as Christians, we don't need to worry about learning theology or doctrine and we should be simple-minded. I think this is a misunderstanding of what this passage means. We see elsewhere in the Bible people being condemned for being infants in the faith and told to love the Lord with all our mind (in addition to heart, soul and strength). Now I don't think we should become so into theology (or a certain doctrine) so that we neglect more important things. For example, we shouldn't be more interested in debating pre-destination than we are sharing the gospel. Certainly discussing pre-destination among believers can be a fun and beneficial experience, but sharing the gospel is a more important endeavor.
I think the point of this passage is to tell us to have a childlike trust in God, not to be childish in our understanding. Think of how a small child crosses the street- he holds hands with his dad and looks to his dad to help him get across. He doesn't assume that he can make it across by himself, but puts his faith and trust in his dad. Likewise, we should put our full faith and trust in God, not trying to do things on our own and not pretending like we don't need God.
So, theology does matter. We will be held accountable for what we believe- not what our pastor believes, not what our parents believe, etc. It is up to us to search the Scriptures and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to reach our own conclusions about doctrinal issues.
-JRO
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2 comments:
Jamie you know it's interesting that you chose this topic because I was thinking about it as I did my devotional yesterday. I have no problem believing now. I think I have a very childlike faith in some ways. But I was thinking I don't know that I would have been the same way if I had been around during Jesus' life on earth. I hope that having contact with the living Lord would impact me so much that I would know. However, when I see "wonders" today that obviously aren't of God I am so skeptical and think "okay what technology did they use to do that". Anyway, interesting topic and thanks!
In response to Andrea:
I have not read that book... sounds interesting. Can I borrow one next time I see you?
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