Seek to understand

Do we seek to understand?

When a group of people come together, there is inevitably a broad spectrum of faith. In any crowd, there will be many different beliefs of God. One may be a believer in Jesus and not know the Bible. Some may believe in absolute truth, and some may see truth as situational. There will be different beliefs of the Bible, whether it is relevant to our culture or not, whether it is 100% accurate, whether it is usable for life. Certainly different translations of Bible verses will exist, each with much research, debate, and thought by people smarter than me. Many beliefs will exist.

Enter the scene seeking to understand, not as a clanging cymbal.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭7‬

The Bible calls for unity among believers, the broad church, which we could argue is radically divided. If faith divides the church, imagine how faith divides those not part of the church. Imagine the division when the church is mixed with those not part of the church. And, we naturally, most people at least, run from division. So, the result is the avoidance of any discussion of faith. Who really wants to cause division?

What if faith was a key to unlock unity, love within any group of people? Maybe the group of people is a small class, a business, a Bible study, or even a broad family. When we rightly understand that God controls faith, we can seek to understand, rather than seeking to sway one’s beliefs.

At first glance, when you think of faith, it can be difficult to find common ground. So, we avoid the faith discussion. But, what if you tackle faith head on? Rather than avoiding the subject, maybe you start with faith.

Many may avoid the subject of faith, because they are not grounded in what they truly believe. So, rather than starting with other people, maybe you make it personal and start with your faith.

Deconstruction of your faith.

Deconstruction of faith is a phrase that has become prevalent in our culture today. Maybe it has always been prevalent, and I have just recently noticed it. Transparently, I have fought this phrase, as I have seen some deconstruct their way to a lack of any faith or not knowing truly what they believe.

I believe there are 6 key questions one can ask themselves to rightly deconstruct their faith. I am proposing these questions not to determine a church denomination or a particular religious affiliation, but, rather to be pondered as an individual. These questions get to the foundation of one’s faith, helping one understand their most foundational personal belief system.

• Who is God? Does He control all? Did He make all? Is there even a God? A.W. Tozer once wrote, and I paraphrase, that the most important thing about a person is what comes into his mind when he thinks of God.

• What is the definition of sin? Not a list of sins, but what is a sin? If there is a right or wrong, who is the right or wrong against?

• What is the Bible, is it entirely accurate, and is it relevant to our culture?

• Who is Jesus? Was he a historical figure, a teacher? Was he God? Why did he come?

• Is there a heaven and a hell? Define the difference and why each exists.

• Is Satan real? If so, how does he impact people’s lives?

These 6 questions will deconstruct your faith, not your church, but your individual faith. Can you go deeper? Of course, but, the answer to these questions will no doubt help you understand your personal foundation for life, a foundation to build on, and maybe an Anchor to hold onto during the storm.

Additionally, these questions can be used in many different situations, as a foundation for a marriage, a foundation for a group of people that are meeting together to discuss faith or the Bible, as a couples discussion, and maybe best of all, as a family discussion.

The purpose of the questions is not at all to cause division, because the questions certainly could do just that. The purpose is not division, but understanding. After all, one has no control over another’s core beliefs, and any faith in God is a gift from Him. Enter any discussion around these questions seeking to understand.

It is profitable to put deep thought to these answers. After all, this is the faith wagon you are hooking your horse to on the journey of life. New beliefs, ideas, thoughts will come daily. Security can be found knowing the deep answers to the questions, anchoring your faith.

And remember, seek to understand.

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