I have often thought of our theological beliefs as a boat. That boat can be anchored to a dock or adrift in a sea of ideas. As a child, we went to the lake many summer days. We would ride the tube for hours. When it was lunchtime, we would find a good spot to stop and put the anchor out. Sometimes the water was too deep, the anchor didn’t keep us in place, and we drifted. The one place we would never drift away from was the dock. At the end of the day, we would tie off to the dock, knowing the boat was firmly fixed. Waves would come in, and the boat would rock back and forth, but it would never move from the dock.
Theological belief works much in the same way. When we are tethered to something we cannot be moved; however, when we are not, we will drift. Our theological beliefs will change depending on which way we are drifting, which current has us in its grip. The challenge for Christians is to stay anchored to the dock. What is the dock, you ask? It is the Holy Scriptures. Followers of Jesus must hold fast to God’s Word always.
The winds of culture will change, but Christians are always called to biblical fidelity. Paul makes a point of helping Timothy to understand this in 2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
In this text, Paul makes it plain to Timothy that he must stay true to the teaching he learned from childhood. He must continue in these beliefs if he hopes to be faithful to the Lord. The reason is that many things will vie for his attention, many ideas that could trick him into doubting. However, if he stays true to the scriptures, he will see God work in his life in a mighty way. The key to all of this is the Word of God. Paul tells us how valuable the scriptures are. He says they are God’s eternal words breathed out to disciple us in the faith so we can be mature believers ready for any challenge. This means they are special and should be revered by all believers.
The problem in our modern age, and in the time of Timothy, it seems, is that there is a temptation to drift away from God's Word. Many doctrines in the Bible are out of step with modern cultural sensibilities. An easy example is the exclusivity of salvation. The scriptures are clear that one must believe the gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved; Jesus is the only way! This doctrine is controversial because it means any other proposed way to salvation, including other religions, is false. This theological point upsets many people in our culture and has caused many Christians to drift from biblical teaching. This is just one way the world can affect our beliefs if we are not tied to the Holy Scriptures.
Christians must be steadfast in their commitment to God's Word. This will not always be easy. It is much easier to believe the lies of the world and certainly more popular, but our mission should not be to please the world. The Word will also challenge our beliefs, but the right thing to do for Christians is, in faith, to trust the scriptures and adjust our beliefs accordingly. God’s Word never changes! The culture will shift many times in your life. The only constant truth is the Word of God, so make sure your life is anchored to that truth.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8
