The Bible
I’ve written a new article on “Christian Beliefs” that the Bible Doesn’t Teach. Its purpose is to show that many old, traditional, and common “Christian beliefs” are not actually taught in the Bible, even though many people think they are.
This article will occupy a prominent place here on Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life. It may also be updated from time to time with additional “Christian beliefs” that are not taught in the Bible.
Here’s how it starts:
Q: What do the “Christian beliefs” in the list below have in common?
A: None of them are taught by the Bible.
“Christian beliefs” that the Bible doesn’t teach:
- There is a Trinity of Persons in God
- We are saved by faith alone
- Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins
- The Bible is inerrant
- Only Christians can be saved
All of these beliefs were originated by human beings hundreds or even thousands of years after the Bible was written.
Are they wrong? I think so. But the purpose of this article isn’t to show that they’re wrong. It’s to show that even though millions of Christians believe them, they are not actually taught by the Bible. They are human interpretations.
To read the whole article, please follow this link:
“Christian Beliefs” that the Bible Doesn’t Teach
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Lee Woofenden is an ordained minister, writer, editor, translator, and teacher. He enjoys taking spiritual insights from the Bible and the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and putting them into plain English as guides for everyday life.
Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life 
Happy new year Out with 2013
Hi Andy,
Happy New Year!
How do we tell whether the doctrinal ideas of Swedenborg are in the same category as these beliefs, or not? They are certainly not explicit in the bible.
Hi Ian,
Thanks for stopping by. Great question!
As I say in the main article, there are many valid Christian beliefs that require interpretation of the Bible. I’m not saying we shouldn’t interpret the Bible, nor that anything derived by interpretation is invalid.
However, the beliefs that are fundamental to Christianity, and that are required for salvation, are plainly stated in the Bible. Any “Christian beliefs” that contradict those basics that are plainly stated in the Bible cannot be valid.
Many of Swedenborg’s teachings are not explicit in the Bible, and do require interpretation. As wonderful as enlightening as they are, I think of these as being optional for Christians to believe. Swedenborg himself is very clear that people of all churches and all faiths who love God and the neighbor are saved. You don’t have to read Swedenborg to be saved.
However, the teachings that Swedenborg offers as essential to Christianity and to salvation are explicitly stated in the Bible. These essentials have to do with believing in one God (and for Christians, in Jesus Christ as God), loving God, loving the neighbor, avoiding doing evil things because they are against God’s commandments, and doing good things for the neighbor out of love for God and the neighbor.
For these basics of Christianity and salvation, we don’t actually need Swedenborg. They’re right there in the Bible, plain as day to anyone who isn’t confused by false teachings or blinded by selfishness and greed. For the rest of Swedenborg’s teachings, the key point I would make for now is that even if they are not explicit in the Bible, they do not contradict the essential teachings of true Christianity that are plainly stated in the Bible–as many traditional “Christian beliefs” do.
This would make a great blog post all on its own. So I’ll hold off on a more detailed response for now.
Hi Ian,
I have now written and posted an article that implicitly responds to your question:
Christian Beliefs that the Bible Does Teach
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