When we look at our lives we see that we have no stability and hope in ourselves. Yet we would like to have that stability and hope. We would like to have everything assembled and orderly. This is what the confessions do. They gather the biblical thoughts, the emotions, the desires we have to serve our Lord, and they gather them into a coherent building. My life without a confessional framework is like the pieces of lumber and the nails and screws stored in my garage. It's got a good deal of potential. But it isn't assembled in an orderly way. A view of Christianity that is orderly, confessional, historical, takes those building materials and assembles them into something that makes sense, that will stand the weather, that provides shelter, that will last.
--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
1 comment:
Interesting analogy. I agree with you; however, the Bible remains the primary source of collected doctrine. It is nice to have some external lists and references to help us understand and make sense of biblical truths, but I have had some experiences with people who take that to an extreme, and use the confessions as Bible replacements. They are not, and can never be.
I do like to look at the confessions, to use them to understand biblical truths. But eventually, I have to look back at what the Bible actually says. I believe that one's own conscience, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, should determine where he stands in relation to the confessions. I think we can find the truths we need in the Bible without external aid, but when I don't understand something, it certainly helps to draw upon the writings of wiser and stronger Christians than myself.
Post a Comment