I heard a girl recently say that her beliefs do not align with God’s teachings on a specific subject.. She claims to be a Christian and she also claims that God spoke to her heart. With that, I felt compelled to address this because while many Christians would not come right out and say it, they may also have different beliefs than God’s. And they think it’s okay because of the day in which we live.

Let me remind you that we live in perilous times and “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

Okay, let me begin by saying that God has given us free will. So in relation to the title of this post (Can Christians Pick and Choose What They Believe?), I would say “Yes, Christians can pick and choose what they believe.” But should they? To this, I would say an emphatic “NO.”

From the earliest of times, God demanded that His people serve Him and Him alone. That means that they were NOT to worship the surrounding nations’ false gods, or adopt any of their teachings. The other nation’s teachings did not line up with God’s teachings. 

To understand our topic, let’s examine two important things: God’s Word and God’s people.

God’s Word is…

Absolute Authority!

We read in Proverbs 30:5 that “Every word of God is flawless.” King David declared the authority of God’s Word when he said, “The instructions of the LORD are perfect…the decrees of the LORD are trustworthy…the commandments of the LORD are right and clear…the laws of the LORD are true” (Psalm 19:7-8). 

Let me ask: What authority are you listening to? The world? Your church? A leader? Popular opinion? Hollywood? Friends? A person of influence?

Here’s what we need to always keep in mind… God has the FINAL word. For believers, His teachings should be all that matters. Therefore, it’s important we align our beliefs with His.

God’s people are…

Set apart!

Peter spells out exactly who we are in 1 Peter 2:9: “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” Peter also reminds his readers what Scripture says – “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). 

Jesus says about you and me: “I have chosen you out of this world” (John 15:19). Hence, we are set apart from the world because we are different. We are set apart for God. Therefore, we should align our beliefs with God’s. 

God’s people are…

Members of His family!

Speaking to believers, Paul writes: “You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family” (Ephesians 2:19). We are hand-picked to be part of God’s family. Such GREAT news! Our membership was sealed the moment we believed in Jesus and accepted Him as our Lord (John 1:12). But with any family membership always comes responsibility. The same is true of God’s family.

One of the biggest responsibilities is honoring God as our Father by adhering to His teachings. What does He say about life? Sin? Holiness? The world? Integrity? Relationships? Marriage? Gender? 

We should always align our beliefs with God’s. 

God’s people are…

Ambassadors!

The apostle Paul says that “we are Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is a representative. So if we are sent by a company, church, university, or country to represent them, we would need to stand side-by-side with them in their values, mission, and beliefs. Anything less would be a poor representation. 

Jesus Christ is no longer here. But His people are. And the only way others can get a grasp on Christianity is if we align ourselves with God’s teachings. Poor ambassadors cause confusion, distrust, and unbelief in those they’re trying to reach.

God’s people are…

Instructed not to turn away!

When Joshua assumed the leadership of the Israelites, at a critical time in history, God offered him some essential advice: “Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do” (Joshua 1:7). Hence, Joshua was instructed to look only to God’s Word for guidance – no where else.

We are bombarded with all sorts of “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ” (Colossians 2:8).  So, we would be wise to follow God’s advice to Joshua: don’t turn your eyes or your minds to this stuff. But, align your beliefs with MINE (my paraphrase). 

In conclusion, we need to make sure our beliefs are on the same page as God’s. And we need to make sure we stay on that page and not turn it over for another viewpoint.

I would love if you would share this post with others.

Blessings,