Who Cares if He's "Wrong"?

Have you ever stopped and thought, "What if I'm mistaken? What if the convictions I hold to are just plain wrong?" Or, worse yet, you look at someone who's not doing it the way you are and you know they're wrong?

Have you ever taken Christians and really looked at them? There's an umbrella of truth we all stand under:

-Jesus is the Son of God

-We are all sinners

-A price had to paid for those sins

-God loves us and provided a ransome

-Jesus died and conquered death to pay the price

-Believing in Jesus and who He is and what He did and placing your life in His hands is what saves you (gives eternal life)

But, outside that umbrella? There's a dance going on that's so intricate it'll make your head spin. People all over the planet, with the same bible as a guide, have an incredibly varied faith:

-women should only wear dresses

-it's ok for women to wear pants

-you should be in "full time" ministry

-whatever you do you are in "full time" ministry

-birth control is a sin

-birth control is a gift

-we are all called to home-school

-children need to be in the public school system to be salt and light

-you can lose your salvation

-once saved, always saved

-secular music is sinful

-secular music is ok

-you should only read christian books

-it's ok and even good to read a variety of books by a variety of authors

-women should never cut their hair

-God doesn't care what length a woman's hair is

-speaking in tongues proves you've been saved

-speaking in tongues is a thing of the past

-Christians can be possessed by demons

-Christians can't be possessed by demons

-God is sovereign over our every move

-God plopped us here and the rest is up to us

-we need to go to college in order to provide for our families

-God will provide

-it's ok to have fun

-life is hard and we need to take it seriously

The confusing thing is, in most of those cases, you can find a bible verse to back up what you believe. There are some grey areas in the Christian faith.

Churches split over those things. Families divide. Friends part ways because of them.

Why did God do it this way? Why did He make room for so much confusion? So much potential for hurt? We waste so much time and energy focusing on our beliefs and waggling our finger at people who aren't doing it our way.

We really need to put all that on the back burner. We are people, right? We all have baggage. We were all given life and we will all someday die. We are all just bumbling along, taking it one day at a time. I think it's fun, and even good to discuss those things. To banter over them and examine them. But when we forget to love people over them? Then I think we've lost track of our purpose or our reason for being here.

As the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Ps 86 pretty much sums it up:

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;

no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.

Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.