Why Definitions Matter More Than Ever and Why Women Often Despise Them
I was a bit shocked a few weeks ago when I shared something seemingly innocuous about the Trinity on Instagram. I received more than one message challenging the notion that the doctrine of the Trinity was necessary to “be a Christian.”
These are things I thought self-proclaiming Christians understood, but discovered that no - these things do not actually go without saying anymore. It is naive to believe that Christians understand this today because so many churches have ceased to teach the importance of doctrine, have ceased to provide their attendees (for many of them are not actually even members) with scriptural backing for our beliefs and have ceased to provide definitions for many theological words really at all. (That is, if they even use such words from the pulpit, which is sadly less common than I’d like to know.)
The people who were offended that I said YES, you must believe in the trinity to be a Christian were offended because they held conservative VALUES but simply differed on a few key “doctrinal differences.” But those doctrinal differences ultimately mean we are actually speaking of and worshipping and praying to two DIFFERENT gods entirely.
The offense came when I asserted that if you change the definition of who Jesus is - you are in fact NOT praying to or speaking of the same Jesus that I worship, but rather a made-up Jesus of your imagination and your own creation. Members of the LDS church fall into this category as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses and several other cults. But many of them like to be identified as “Christian” if they have similar political or conservative beliefs.
It is tempting as a Christian in the “culture war” space to want to just give ground and say, “Yeah, you’re a Christian!” because they claim they believe in Jesus too. The question is: WHICH JESUS? And who do they say that he is?
In an age when a boy can be a girl, many are asking, “Why does a Christian need to have any firm ‘doctrines’ they hold to?” If you’re online, you’ve probably encountered it. “I share the same values as you, so I’m a Christian too.”
The problem is, being a Christian isn’t primarily about whether you know a boy is not a girl or are in favor of protecting our borders and enforcing just laws or protecting the unborn. Yes, those things should naturally flow OUT OF a biblically informed understanding of the current political conversations, but the pre-requisite for being a Christian is much more than just morals and ethical positions held. The requirement is repentance and belief in Christ. And not just a vague notion of a prophet or a good guy with nice words for humanity. Christ as scripture presents him: the second person of the trinity, the Son of God.
John 3:16 (NIV): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.
Matthew 16:16 (NKJV): “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’”
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1 John 4:15 (NIV): “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God”.
John 1:34 (NIV): “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s chosen One” (or “the Son of God” in some translations).
Luke 1:35 (NIV): “...so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.
Let me illustrate my point:
