Does It Really Matter What We Believe If We Just Get To Heaven?
Or, should we embrace a type of "Christian relativism"?
T-T-T-Today Junius?
Franciscus Junius (1545-1602) once said a simple but most important statement when it comes to theology: "Error is very dangerous."1 Was he exaggerating? Was he just attempting to get others to care about what his full-time job was? Does it really matter what we believe so long as we just get to heaven?
Let's test this underlying principle in a different area: Does it matter what kind of liquid I drink as long as it has water in it? After all, isn't it merely water that counts? Imagine using this logic with sea water. But, drinking too much sea water will not only severely dehydrate you but eventually kill you.
There is a strange idea that some Christians have that goes as follows: Should we really get bogged down in discussions about theology when we should just "love God and love people"? Does it really make a difference as to what doctrines we believe? Do things like creeds, confessions, and catechisms matter?
The Intimacy of True Theology
The Christian's relationship with God is pictured as a marriage (Eph. 5:22-33). For the Christian to say that it doesn't really matter what they believe about Christianity so long as they just get to Heaven would be similar to someone saying, "It doesn't really matter if I marry a man or a woman just so long as I marry someone." It is also like some professing Christians saying that it doesn't matter what beliefs their spouse has just as long as they get married. Again, it is also like a husband telling his wife: "It doesn't really matter if I spend time with you, get to know you, or even if I'm faithful to you or not, so long as we get married." As backwards, twisted, and perverted as those examples are, so backwards and twisted is it for Christians to say that doctrine doesn't matter. We should embrace what Junius says, "Error is very dangerous."
The reason why we cannot just "love God and love people" is because it takes theology to do that the right way. First off, what do we mean by "God"? Second, what do we mean by "people"? And, Third, what do we mean by "love"? All of these answers come from our theology. And, yes, erring in these brings catastrophic consequences. After all, don't many Mormon churches adopt this same slogan?
We must remember that there is true theology and false theology. And for the sake of honoring God, being saved, knowing His love, loving others, and spreading the gospel, we ought to make sure we find true theology. To be sure, there are some topics of theology that have historically been debated. We ought to look into why and what the conclusions were. Nevertheless, we ought not to embrace some form of "Christian" or "Evangelical" relativism. If knowing God is our highest end (Jn. 17:3) then knowing God rightly is the way to our highest end.
Trigger Warning: It’s About The Means of Grace
So, what? What should we do moving forward? First, you need to commit yourself above all to dedicatedly attending the full slate of the public means of grace. Yes, I know, I'm talking about the means of grace again. But, this is God's Plan A and He doesn't have a Plan B. We are to devote ourselves to the ministry of the Word, Prayer, and Sacraments in the covenant community (see Acts 2:42-47). No amount of study (whether in podcasts, books, Bible studies, YouTube, or even seminary) will amount to anything if you are not first and foremost upholding your vows to God to support the church in its work and worship to the best of your ability. The primary avenue of learning and the way to experience transformative worship is in corporate worship.
Second, we need to know that we do not have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit. He has been with Christians across the ages, ethnicities, and circumstances. The best Christian summaries of Biblical doctrine have been recorded in the Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms. We ought not to think that only reading modern books will give us a healthy diet. We not only need other Christians in this current age but we also need other Christians from ages past. Nevertheless, if God is the unchanging God (Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17) then the truth of God remains the same regardless of the age, ethnicity, or circumstances. We firmly reject "standpoint epistemology" which says that certain ages, ethnicities, or even genders have their own doctrine of Scripture (i.e. "and others don't"). This is not only greatly mistaken but horribly misguided and detrimental to one's faith. Rather, we trust that God has ministered His inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word across ages, ethnicities, and circumstances through men and women who have passed down theology to us today. Therefore, let us pursue the "old paths". Let us not become distracted with trending theories, ideologies, and teachings that contradict the proven ways. There is life in true theology and it is our duty to do what we can to search it out.
Franciscus Junius, A Treatise on True Theology (Reformation Heritage: Grand Rapids, MI 2014), p. 95.