Mapping the path
towards
Biblical
Christianity

As an introductory essay, I thought it
useful to follow up the promise and challenge of the home page by
offering a series of antitheses in mapping out the
approach to what I am calling Biblical Christianity. With all due
apologies to Martin Luther, here are seventeen theses, both
exploratory and declaratory in nature, which I am nailing up on
this international Wittenburg door:
- Biblical Christianity concerns itself specifically
with thinking Biblically; it is not
content with foggy concepts of thinking
"Christianly" (cf. Mark 7:8-13).
- Biblical Christianity respects and retains all
that is Biblical in creeds,
confessions, and catechisms; however, it is not
dependent on nor enslaved by them, nor does it
consider such human formulations exempt from the command
to "test all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
- Biblical Christianity can thrive in Bible-honoring
and Bible-teaching denominations; however, it does
not look to denominations for truth (cf. Romans
3:4).
- Biblical Christianity honors and learns from the
great Christian minds of the past two millennia; however,
it is mindful of their human limitations, and is more
concerned with the mind of God as revealed in the Bible
(cf. Psalm 119:99).
- Biblical Christianity values reliable Bible
translations; however, it does not cling to
any one of them instead of the original Hebrew and
Greek manuscripts, as being of paramount authority and
value.
- Biblical Christianity values unity of truth and
attitude among Christians, based on the unity of God and
of His revelation; however, it opposes
false unity imposed by totalitarian, manmade
denominations, sects, or churches (cf. Romans 14:5; 15:5;
Ephesians 4:4-6, 13).
- Biblical Christianity seeks to experience God's
truth as revealed in Scripture; it does not define
truth by experience, nor seek experience as an end
in itself (cf. John 8:31, 32).
- Biblical Christianity recognizes that no book can
be a fully exhaustive revelation of the infinite God; however,
it is does affirm that the Bible is the
fully-adequate revelation of that same God (cf. John
14:21, 23; 20:30, 31).
- Biblical Christianity recognizes that the Bible
does not contain everything which may be known; however,
it does affirm that the Bible reveals everything a
believer needs to know as a Christian, in order to
fear, love, serve, and please God (cf. Psalm 19:7-11; 2
Timothy 3:15-17).
- Biblical Christianity does not worship the Bible; however,
it does recognize that there can be no worship
without the revealed truth of God, and it affirms that
the Bible is the one fully-adequate revelation of
that truth (John 4:23, 24; 17:17)
- Biblical Christianity yearns to hear God speak; however,
it affirms that He speaks today only in Scripture
(cf. Hebrews 1:1, 2; 2:1-4; 3:7).
- Biblical Christianity is interested in
church history; however, it is bound only
by Biblical revelation (1 Corinthians 14:37; 1
Thessalonians 5:21).
- Biblical Christianity values truths rediscovered
in such movements of God as the Reformation; however,
it does not effectively deify the Reformers nor
their descendants, nor does it imagine that they
exhausted the mine of God's truth, nor does it
deny that yet more light may break forth from the Word
(Psalm 119:18; Proverbs 2:1-6).
- Biblical Christianity affirms that fellowship with
the Lord Jesus Christ is the Christian's highest and
greatest good in life; however, it also
recognizes that Christian fellowship with Jesus in this
life is wholly dependent on his learning and application
of Scripture (John 14:21, 23; 1 John 1:1-3).
- Biblical Christianity values meaningful corporate
worship; however, it also recognizes that
the only God-ordained way for this to happen is by our
granting the Word of God its proper central place in our
assemblies (Colossians 3:16).
- Biblical Christianity affirms the God-ordained
instructional office of pastor-teacher (cf. Ephesians
4:11-16; 2 Timothy 4:-15; Hebrews 13:7, 17); at the
same time, it also affirms that the Word of
God was given to Christians at large (Romans 1:7; 1
Corinthians 1:2, etc.), so that the ultimate
responsibility for reading and understanding falls on the
individual Christian (cf. Matthew 24:15; Ephesians 3:4;
Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2
Peter 3:1; Jude 3, 20).
- Biblical Christianity affirms our responsibility
to serve God with an eye to the needs of our culture
(Proverbs 11:10, 11; 29:2, 7, 8, 18; Colossians 4:5),
measured against the backdrop of eternity (2 Timothy
4:1-5).

Copyright
© 1997 by Daniel J. Phillips; All Rights Reserved
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