But that brings up an interesting question. Can two Christians hold the very different views and still both be following the same God? Is that possible? What do we do when we disagree on important parts of our Theology?
Well, what to do depends on whom you ask. Now, before I go any further there are some non-negotables in the Christian faith. But some things are not so clear. Nonresistance, church worship, styles of evangelism, views on prophecy and predestination are some of the complex issues great men of faith have viewed in very different ways.
But provided it is not a clear heresy, (e.g. Jesus was just an angel, man can save himself, and a few others) we run into unique problems. What some people do is claim everyone who does not agree with their beliefs is apostate, heretical, or a fraud. Others will accept almost any belief as long as you tolerate their version of Christianity. What is a Christian to do? Where is the proper place to part teaching?
Well, before we answer that, I would like to point out a few things we sometimes forget, or haven't really thought about before. Even though we can learn a great deal about God from reading, Scripture, nature, and most importantly, fellowship with Him, we cannot learn all there is to know about Him. No human will ever succeed in this, nor has any. We cannot know Him in full. We will have errors. Well intended, but errors nonetheless. We must assume that ALL THEOLOGIANS make errors, for that is part of being human. Wether we like it or not, we are not perfect. We will error. These errors often stem from a lack of experience and knowledge. In the end, no human is absolutely right. We cannot be. In order to be totally right in our Theology, we would have to know God completely. That would, by definition, make us all knowing. If we were, we would be God. This is impossible. Therefore, we must all be in error in one place or another.
Now this is not meant to discourage, but to encourage. We may be wrong, but God will guide us if we ask Him. We will not get all of His knowledge at once, (or ever, here on Earth) but He will guide as we are able to follow. That means some people will be further along, or on different paths ordained by God. As such, we will see things differently, because we are at different places. Just like people with a different angle see a ballgame differently, (and come up with different ways to call a play) we all see God differently. That is not because God is different to different people, but because we have a limited view. (Just like the ballgame didn't change because of our point of view)
Knowing this, we need to remember that we cannot clearly call the play that we cannot see. God may give others a different conviction then yours. Maybe they are weaker and haven't reached your level. Maybe they are stronger, and you can't see things the way they can yet. Either way, we are each accountable for our own lives and decisions. We cannot base our lives on the reasoning of others, no matter if they are ahead of us or not. We are to be faithful in what God has given us, not what He has given someone else.
In the end, no one can be totally right. We cannot and will not have absolute accuracy. A.W. Towzer puts it well. He says, "I could forgive almost any error as long as it was in sincere love for God" Will people error? Yes. Will teachers error? Yes. Can we ourselves be in error? Yes. Will God condemn us for this error? Only if we are convicted by Him of it and ignore it. God does not require more of us than we are able. But He does not expect us to ignore what He as given us either. So instead of trying to judge every teacher, let us instead go to God and ask Him to judge the matter in a way that we can understand. God is not going to change; our understanding of Him will. May God bless you as you walk with Him.
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