Yesterday morning at Sunday school we took time to read through and discuss our denomination’s Doctrinal Statement. It was a great exercise that brought to mind a number of thoughts and questions. I encourage you to consider the following:
- Do I know what I believe about the core issues of my faith such as the nature of God, Jesus, the Gospel, salvation, Scripture, the church, etc.?
- Do I know what the core issues of my faith are?
- If asked, would I be able offer an explanation of my core beliefs?
- Are my core beliefs rooted in Scripture, my own opinion, or the opinions and beliefs of others?
- Is my list of core beliefs too short?
- Is my list of core beliefs too long?
- Do my core beliefs impact the way I think, interact with others, and live my life?
- Are my core beliefs the same as my church’s, my denomination’s? Should they be?
- Over which of my core beliefs, if any, would I consider splitting from other Christian brothers and sisters or my church?
- Which of my core beliefs are worth dying for? Which are not?
- How much time have I spent studying Scripture in order to shape my core Christian beliefs?
I hope to spend the next couple of weeks or months carefully considering many of the above questions and further developing my core beliefs as a Christian.
How much thought or time have you given to your church’s Doctrinal Statement? Your own core beliefs?
