Consistency

[StJohnCalvin]

Why is it that we, who are Reformed (or any other theological worldview), affirm & confess the creeds of the Reformation, & so many of us tend to become inconsistent in our theology over the years? I want & desire to lead & breathe a consistent worldview. I believe this consistency begins with passionately embracing the inerrancy of the God Breathed Word & zealously defending its exclusive claims. The Scriptures are the sole infallible rule of faith & obedience & life of godliness. We Reformed know this, but often do we consistently & passionately defend & pursue to be unswerving in our convictions & earnestly contend for the Faith “once for all delivered unto the saints.”

Why this post? I read "Scripture Alone" & "The God Who Justifies" by Dr. James R. White again this week, along with a very excellent book by R.C. Sproul, “What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding the Basics”, & I have been reminded to remain consistent & passionate about theology & the defense thereof.

 

[heymikey80]

It's a good question, but ... what does Scripture ultimately say about our consistency when it comes to Spiritual matters?

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written:
“ There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
“ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“ The poison of asps is under their lips”;
“ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
“ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace they have not known.”
“ There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
​

Learning the facts doesn't change the facts, and so we're still an inconsistent lot. In fact Christ tells us to join with an inconsistent lot and not split ourselves apart from that vacillating group just over vacillations. We're unified through our union with Christ, and identified through our common reliance on Christ.

I think Christ Jesus did this intentionally -- to make sure we all humbly realize, none of us has truly "arrived" any more than the other Christian, spiritually speaking. We have weak, we have strong, and yet all stand or fall by our common Lord (Rom 14).

Still the Church is told to test things, to weed out serious error, to allow Christians to look and consider and find the better thinking of their brothers (1 Cor 11:19), and to follow them as they are assessed and found to be better by the Spirit.

It's still a really tough thing to get across in my mind, because there's so much of a desire to have the right answer. But applying that right answer back to you & me, that seems at least as important. Maybe that's the point: a church that's finding the right answer and applying that right answer -- in this case about our being wrong, but God being right -- is likely a very humble, very redemptive kind of church.

 

[artjack]

being inconsistant does not change who you are so long as you know,it is not your fault, it is up to your leaders to explain the reasoning, its a matter of respect and knowing your place if you want to be content.

a flower can have different parts and have different colours but is still a flower, its the sent that is important