Theological Fortitude

Highly successful, vital churches make it very clear that they have made a collective and unassailable commitment that the Holy Bible is true and accurate. There are theological and practical implications to that commitment and, within the first few minutes of worship in these churches, it is obvious that this stance has been taken and embraced wholeheartedly.

Pastors of successful, scripturally-infused churches have stated, on several different occasions, that a particular passage is difficult to explain, and that they would rather not need to discuss it. Even so, they do not shy away from teaching its truth to the congregation as it stands in scripture. A powerful and demonstrative conviction to the importance of what the Bible actually states always prevails, often using a variety of translations and related scriptural references. John Wesley certainly agreed that scripture is to be our supreme authority, and only after accepting that primary truth should passages be considered for interpretation as they relate to historical context, reason, and the experience of the Church in relating to such passages throughout the Ages. In this type of church environment, it becomes acceptable to question our own personal understanding of the meaning of the Bible or of a particular translation, but not to challenge the truth that the Bible represents.

Some churches today seem more committed to a general effort to make anyone and everyone feel comfortable and welcome than they do to standing on solid theological precepts, passionately teaching them to the congregations. In churches where scripture is taught as spiritual “meat” rather than diluted spiritual “milk”, however, the impact of the commitment to scriptural truth and understanding motivates the Christian community and its leadership. There remains no doubt what is important and what the people stand for, greatly facilitating and advancing their work and ministry.

This concept is what Paul was speaking of in Hebrews:

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5: 11-14 (NLT)

There are many churches around us, who need to embark on a path of spiritual maturity and stop the ongoing history of life stories, pastoral conversations, and spritual milk. The change probably also needs to reach all the way back to the seminaries, reinforcing with students that preaching spiritual meat is important and essential. It is a redirection worth pursuing, as those churches that are indicating a high level of spiritual maturity are packed with people, continuing to grow in their outreach and impact, with congregations obviously filled with the Holy Spirit.