Today was all about what is true and what is false when it comes to theology.  Covering the topic took two separate studies to deal with it.  If only either one of them had been remotely close to being a good study.  How we deal with truth determines much of how we live our faith.  Some who claim to follow Jesus tend to drift into dangerous areas of falsehood.  Others may hold to a set of beliefs that are technically correct but lack any spiritual fervor to make a difference.  Yet there are some who seem to get both of these issues straight which makes one a healthy believer.

One of the first thing Jesus warns His followers about is the fact that false teachers would creep into their midst to distract believers from maturity.  History proves Jesus to be correct.  Several of our epistles tell us that false theology made gains even in the very first century of the church.  It never ceases to amaze me that variations of that falsehood still pop up in our culture.  Humanity has a way of just recycling the same strange teachings over and over.  Simon Peter will tell his readers that man's tendency for the counterfeit does not change over time.  Perhaps we remain the same as people no matter how the years go by.

Seems to me that those who believe in the truth of the gospel should be cautious in how they relate with those who do not.  We tend to be somewhat arrogant in our answers rather than humble in our grace.  It was just last week that a Baptist minister made headlines by denouncing the faith of a presidential candidate.  My problem is not at all that I do not agree with the idea.  What bothers me is how believers tend to come off sounding proud without explaining our stance.  This may be just something that bothers me.  I will never be asked to endorse anyone of any fame.  There is little reason to expect that my comments or even my writings will be well known.  I would like to think that my approach to issues like this would be flavored with some grace that comes from God.  My faith is fairly secure but there is always room for more growth.  Is it enough to be conservative if we sound callous in our pronouncements?

Not every friend of mine share every single detail of my faith.  I may disagree with my Pentecostal friends on the activity of the Holy Spirit but I am grateful for them.  My mainline friends may do things different that I do but my desire is for them to grow in faith.  I even know some Church of Christ folks that mean the world to me but shouldn't there be room for encouragement without dissension?  Truth is a reality no matter how loud we shout of how hard we bang the table.  So much of our discussions seem aimed at proving another person wrong rather than discovering what makes each of us strong.  I know this may sound odd coming from someone who tries to teach scripture for a living but it is where I am.  My heart and mind is weary of all of our attempts to keep the truth in its purest form.  God's truth is pure regardless of our opinions.  It may need less defending and more discovering for our own journey.

Bro. Trey