The New Law
Early on we were taught that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross satisfied the demands of the Law, thus releasing us from the obligation of religion and ritual. Prior to this were certain steps, certain ceremonial acts that the people of God had to accomplish in order for their sins to be forgiven. The problem is that this became a form of oppression towards many at the time. The ceremonies took priority over people and there developed the infamous in-out mentality: we’re in and you’re out.
Again, early on–very early on–we learned that Jesus came to set us free from this oppression. His sacrifice fulfilled all the requirements of the Law thus making a way for each and every one of us to come to God through him. Done deal, right?
Or is it?
For many believers, Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is simply not enough for salvation. Of course, they would never say it this way, but if you really examine the way they talk about some things, this is true for them. And I’ve noticed it in one particular area: right belief. Correct, sound doctrine. Right belief has become the new law by which we must abide … or else. It leads to that ever popular mentality of one group of people being in, and all the rest being out. And, most conveniently, it is incredibly easy to measure. If all I have to do is evaluate your response to a series of theological questions, I can easily tell whether you’re in (saved) or whether you’re out (damned).
The problem is not right belief, in and of itself, the problem is that for many Christians if you do not believe correctly on the issues that they decide are important enough, you cannot be a Christian. The issues range from a literal six-day creation to the method of baptism to the Trinity to women in ministry to speaking in tongues to the rapture to which sins are an abomination to which political party is more “Christian” and so on and so forth. Intellectual assent, as opposed to relationship with Christ, has become for many Christians the true path to salvation and the door is narrow indeed. Too narrow.
“But Jesse,” you say, “isn’t right belief important?” Absolutely! Read that again: absolutely. It is important. It affects our lives in more ways than we know. But … it cannot be required for salvation. If it is right belief that saves us, then we are all in danger of being damned. The Bible is not a book on systematic theology or a list of items to be believed in or agreed with, despite the fact that it is often treated as such. Primarily, the Bible is the history of a specific people group; a history that documents their interactions with God. It is full of stories, and poetry, and songs, and practical wisdom, and parables, and prophecy, and more stories. So while it is correct to say that the Bible contains and is even full of truth, we need to recognize that we are not the primary audience, though we certainly benefit from reading and studying it as a third party.
Consequently, we must always hold our convictions with humility, realizing that amidst all the resources we have, there is always the possibility that we may, in fact, be missing out on something that could illuminate the meaning of the text. If it is right belief that our salvation is contingent upon, then we might as well believe that salvation is a matter of chance since we cannot be sure that we understand the entirety of what we’re reading!
I want to dispel a thought that I know you’re having at this point. No, I’m not saying that we can’t know anything. I’m not saying that we might as well give up our quest for truth. I’m not saying that you should be a relativist or never state what you believe. I’m not saying you can’t disagree with others’ beliefs. I am saying that in our quest for truth, we need to hold our beliefs with humility and allow others to disagree with us without demonizing them or questioning their salvation. Our salvation is not dependent upon our theological views, it is dependent upon whether we have come into relationship with Jesus Christ and are being transformed into his likeness. And if that is true for a person, regardless of their theological views, we must embrace them as a brother or sister in Christ.
Jesus is not looking for people who agree with all the right things. He is looking for those who are willing to trust him. One can believe all the right things, but still lack relationship. However, if one has relationship, even those things that they may be incorrect on can be easily fixed.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. No, not even incorrect theology.
Jesse lives in Colorado with his wife, Cassie. He enjoys reading, writing and theology. He earned a degree in Religion from Vanguard University of Southern California and hopes to be in full-time ministry soon. You can find him participating on the message boards at RelevantMagazine.com and NeueMinistry.com and blogging at ConversantLife.com. 
(2 votes, average: 2.5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Right on Jesse, I love the tone of passionate, humble reconciliation in here. Too many brothers and sisters isolate themselves from one another out of some theological line in the sand. I for sure disagree with some (or a lot) of people on all sorts of theological understandings, but I love those people and try to treat them with dignity and respect, all the while searching for where I might be wrong in my thinking and allow them to sharpen me as such. Maybe along the way I can offer a little sharpening to others too, and that’s the beauty of relationship.
Like you said, it’s all about Jesus.
So what role then does theology serve in the life of a believer? If there is no emphasis on right theology according to correct scripture interpretation, then there can be no wrong theology, which leaves scripture open to change in whichever the wind that blows. What does a Christian do when his brother in Christ has just bad theology? Do we sit by and allow them to travel on that dark path? No, we rely on the correct understanding of God’s word and use all scriptures for “teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training” as it edifies and builds up the body of Christ. I agree that a relationship with Christ is paramount, but apart from scripture, how will we ever know what that is?
I don’t think there was any sense that theology is not important. It is absolutely important. I think Jesse was just pointing out that it isn’t always practiced with love, but sometimes is used in a way that seems contrary to the teaching of Jesus in its attitude.
Of course we don’t let a brother or sister dwell in darkness or carry on in clearly Biblical error. We also, whilst living out our convictions, remain open to correction. It’s more about having a soft heart, not a hardened one.
I think what Jesse is trying to say is not to abolish right theology, but to bring others into relationship. If your friend or colleague is having issues understanding true theology, then don’t say “you’re wrong; this is how it’s done!” But instead, with love and compassion, suggest what you know to be true (through Jesus’ word).
Good article Jesse!
This reminds me off an incredible story that I heard in Youth Group back in California. It was called “Pizza, Beer and Jesus” AMAZING!
I think the understanding of the gospel you have will determine how you view people. The gospel is a declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord and those who turn to Him in repentance and faith are granted forgiveness of sin and eternal life regardless of the theology they hold at the time — it’s relational. Submission to Jesus as Lord is all that is required to be a Christian. How good was the theology of the thief on the cross at conversion or Paul on the road to Damascus on conversion? I reckon if any of us were to assess the Corinthian church now we’d write it off, but Paul calls it a church of God 1 Cor 1:2 “those sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be holy” — but the people in the church need some serious correction to refocus them on what reality is for those whom Jesus Christ is Lord. Are they not Christians while in confusion about their theology about how to live in Christ (sure some are in danger of loosing their inheritance like the bloke sleeping with his step-mother 1 Cor 5)…Paul seems to take a more positive approach than any of us today would seem to. It’s worth thinking about. Good article Jesse.
“Prior to this were certain steps, certain ceremonial acts that the people of God had to accomplish in order for their sins to be forgiven.”
Such as … what steps?
There is no “new law.” There is a new covenant that is to come, but it is not fully here yet (Jeremiah 31).
Hi oconnor. I wanted to address an interesting question you brought up:
<>
No - how did you come to that conclusion? On the contrary, we should seek to influence them towards good theology based on Scripture, but at no point would this involve questioning their salvation.
That post didn’t work for some reason…the section I quoted was:
“What does a Christian do when his brother in Christ has just bad theology? Do we sit by and allow them to travel on that dark path?”
I might just repost my response, too, to reduce confusion:
No - how did you come to that conclusion? On the contrary, we should seek to influence them towards good theology based on Scripture, but at no point would this involve questioning their salvation.
What the crap is with the formatting?
mikemiller,
You asked: “What steps”
Primarily I was referring to the OT sacrifical system.
You said: “There is no ‘new law.’ There is a new covenant that is to come, but it is not fully here yet (Jeremiah 31).”
Perhaps you misunderstood my article. I wasn’t suggesting that God established a new law for us, I was pointing out how many Christians (myself often included) create a new law by our strong emphasis on right belief - so much so that if someone gets it wrong, we conclude that they cannot be a Christian.
I hope that clears things up, but feel free to ask any additional questions you may have.
Jesse Medina,
The idea that our salvation depends only on having a relationship with Jesus has some problems.
Wouldn’t you agree that it is more accurate to say that it is a “right” relationship with Him that is necessary for salvation?
Satan has a relationship with Jesus too, however, that relationship is not going to save him.
There are all kinds of “relationships” that people might have with Jesus. Some of them are not good. Some of them will not result in salvation.
The problem is that if we say that it is a right relationship that will save us, then we must pursue what is right so that we can have the kind of relationship that will save us. A right relationship.
But now we are back to seeking “right” again.
No, you would say, I am not seeking “right”, I am just seeking a better relationship.
Here’s the thing, to have a right relationship with Jesus does not make seeking right unnecessary, it makes it essential.
You can’t have one without the other. Being right is not enough and having a relationship is not enough.
You need to have them both. A “right relationship”.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not a sin to be right. You should not be ashamed to seek right, or be right, or to stand for the right.
Did Jesus ever teach that being right is wrong? No.
Did Jesus ever teach that being wrong is right? No.
When Jesus separates the sheep and the goats, which side goes to heaven, the right or the left? (see Matt: 25)
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
Hi Steve,
Interesting points you bring up. To begin, “right relationship” is quite vague. And in fact, I think you misunderstand the nature of relationship if you believe that Satan is in relationship with Christ (an idea completely supported by the Bible). The only interaction the two seem to have is that Satan knows who Jesus is (not synonymous with relationship) and is quite afraid of the power that he has.
Nevertheless, it would still be interesting to know how you define “right relationship” - what might this look like? I’ll hold off on commenting on this point further until I hear back.
In regards to this: “Contrary to popular belief, it is not a sin to be right. You should not be ashamed to seek right, or be right, or to stand for the right.
Did Jesus ever teach that being right is wrong? No.
Did Jesus ever teach that being wrong is right? No.
When Jesus separates the sheep and the goats, which side goes to heaven, the right or the left? (see Matt: 25)”
I think you mistake what my blog is about. First let me state that I don’t think anyone should be ashamed of their beliefs. I do, however, think that we should our beliefs with humility. Jesus never taught that being right is wrong, but he frequently taught that those who are convinced of their own rightness are frequently wrong and he also taught that those who were convinced of their wrongness were sometimes right.
As far as Jesus separating the sheep from the goats (wheat from the tares) notice that it is JESUS doing it. In fact, when his followers attempt to take up this role, they are chastised for it and are told that let the tares be, God will sort them out (see also removing the plank from you eye). And this gets at the heart of my blog: we are free to disagree and that’s a good thing. But demonizing or telling someone they are not saved is not our job, but God’s.
Hope that helps clarify my passion. Let me know if you’d like to talk more and maybe we’ll carry this conversation over to the forums where the format is a little more conducive to this type of conversation.
Thanks!
Good post Jesse. My problem with the whole need to have the “right” belief is for exclusionary reasons. Not necessarily to save people. I hope I am wrong.
Leave your response!
More By Jesse Medina
Related Articles
Archives
Most Recent
Most Discussed
Most Viewed