God changing your life isn't a good reason to be a Christian though. It sure sounds like it sometimes. We fallen humans like things that change us for the better. We're selfish people at our cores. Who doesn't want to have a change for the better? But can't Dr. Phil or Oprah do that for us? There are a lot of self-help programs out there that will improve your life and bring a change for the good.
To be sure, it's good that God changes lives. Don't get me wrong here. But that is not a good reason to be a Christian. Christianity first and foremost is not a self-help program; much less is its key tenet a bunch of do-gooders who make the world a better place by their righteousness.
The reason we ought to give is that we are Christians because Christianity and its claims are true.
This of course leads us down the doctrinal highway. Christianity is a Confession, and I am not talking about the sacrament of Penance here.
What is truth? Truth is Christ. And with Christ come a plethora of doctrines about Christ. It's not enough to say "I just love Jesus." Well, who is Jesus? What has He done for us? How does He come to us in grace? All of these questions are of the utmost importance. Truth is something that both unites as well as divides. How many different religious groups, sects, and cults believe in Christ and say they love Him?
Let's see. There are...Baptists, Calvinists, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, Methodists, Arminians, Presbyterians, Emergents, Pentecostals, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Muslims.
And that list doesn't get us very far. But it does show something very important: What churches teach about Jesus is of utmost importance. What churches teach about how Jesus comes to us is of utmost importance. What churches teach about how man is reconciled to God is of utmost importance.
You see, it's a massive cop out of epic proportions to fall back on "well, none of us have it all figured out." That statement may have some truth to it, but it's a fallacy that gets used in poor ways. That phrase is generally used by doctrinal minimalists such as the theologically liberal Emergent Church conversation. What they more or less mean is: Let's all just love each other, despite our differences. After all, we all love Jesus! This is why some leaders within the Emergent movement even try to glean truth from other religions such as Buddhism.
Doctrine is vital.
It's no secret to many people that I left a baptist church not so long ago. I withdrew my membership and became a full-fledged Confessional LCMS Lutheran. Those who know me well, know that I am not a church hopping type of guy. In fact, I despise church hopping. People who do that treat churches as products. They see churches the same way as they see various brands of food at Wal-Mart.
That's not me, like, at all. So, why did I leave the Baptist church and become a Lutheran? Is it because I think that all the people at the Baptist church are unsaved? Well, no, I don't think that at all. I have many good friends there whom I respect and consider my brothers in Christ.
I'm certainly not going to go into a full fledged break down of all the denominations, churches, and other religions who have a doctrine of Jesus. I believe there are many children of God in many of the churches that I listed; sans Islam, Mormonism, and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
So, why leave a church where I believe there are many truly saved persons? Simply put, because it is clear to me that the doctrines which they teach on very important matters of the Christian faith are in serious error.
Where to begin...
Baptism. It was impossible for me to have my children baptised at the Baptist church. And if Scripture is correct about the things that baptism actually does, then my kids desperately need it. So do yours, by the way. The Lord's Supper. I find the Baptist view of the Lord's Supper to be crass and unbelieving. Yes, I know that is a bold statement and might get me in trouble, but that's how I see it. They deny what it is, just as they deny what baptism is.
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| Finney - Decisional Regeneration's Biggest Name |
Dispensationalism. I'm not even going to go here.
Anyways, those are some reasons as to why I left. Are those good reasons? Is the Pope Catholic?
It's not unloving to call out doctrinal error. It's not unloving to take a stand for truth. It's not unloving to call false teachings what they are. It's actually very loving. Just because a church has some truth and many of the people there are in Christ does not give us a free pass to tolerate false doctrine on core Christian things.
It was very difficult to leave the church I left. I did not do it without tons of thought, prayer, and sleepless nights. It was tough.
Let us end with this: If you don't believe your church to be teaching properly on the person of Christ, the Sacraments, who Christ is, what He has done, and how He comes to us in grace, what the heck are you doing there? These topics are essentials. They're vital.
Christianity is not all about me and my doing stuff for God. It's not about my works. It's not about my decision. It's not about coercing others to make decisions. It's not about me at all.
It's 100% about Jesus Christ. And we had best go where that truth about Him is preached in Word and administered in Sacrament properly. As St. Peter said to Jesus:
St. John 6:68-69: Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
By the way, this statement came on the heels of Jesus saying:
St. John 6:53-56: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Go where the truth is. I firmly believe that historical, objective, Christian truth is found in Lutheranism.
Lord, you have the words of eternal life.
I think if someone were to ask me that question, I'd say, "Because I heard the gospel. and by God's grace, believed it. And this wasn't anything that I did or analyzed...but only because He made a believer out of me."
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