11,143
edits
Confessional Orthodoxy: Difference between revisions
→Is confessional orthodoxy all that we need?
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
==Is confessional orthodoxy all that we need?== | ==Is confessional orthodoxy all that we need?== | ||
We understand that faith in God is embodied by works of mercy: true religion | We understand that faith in God is embodied by works of mercy: true religion works itself out practically in our daily actions and life, not simply in what we say we believe (Jas 2:14–26).<ref>Robert W. Wall, “James, Letter Of,” ed. Ralph P. Martin and Peter H. Davids, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 558.</ref> | ||
No amount of confessional orthodoxy is enough to save anyone. Being a dyed-in-the-wool believer of | No amount of confessional orthodoxy is enough to save anyone. Being a dyed-in-the-wool believer of the Bible is not the same thing as trusting in Christ for salvation. We cannot skirt the new covenant reality that the true people of God are meant to live as those who have the Spirit and love God and neighbor from the (new) heart.<ref>Brian Vickers, Justification by Grace through Faith: Finding Freedom from Legalism, Lawlessness, Pride, and Despair, ed. Robert A. Peterson, Explorations in Biblical Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2013), 161–162.</ref> | ||
Jesus and the writers of the New Testament focused on behaviour. Early Christianity was behavioural and not creedal in nature. | Jesus and the writers of the New Testament focused on the inner life of the follower of Jesus which manifests itself in our behaviour. Early Christianity was behavioural and not creedal in nature. | ||
Confessional orthodoxy is simply a way to judge false doctrine or heretical teaching. We hold to God's word, we live by the faith of the Son of God, we adhere to the law of Christ and we stand united with our brothers and sisters on the basis of confessional orthodoxy. We live a life of love based on faith in Jesus Christ. Confessional orthodoxy merely describes the core beliefs of the Christian faith, beliefs that the Christian church has always held. | Confessional orthodoxy is simply a way to judge false doctrine or heretical teaching. We hold to God's word, we live by the faith of the Son of God, we adhere to the law of Christ and we stand united with our brothers and sisters on the basis of confessional orthodoxy. We live a life of love based on faith in Jesus Christ. Confessional orthodoxy merely describes the core beliefs of the Christian faith, beliefs that the Christian church has always held. | ||