Self-Examination Questions For Christians?

Question

If you are a Christian, are your beliefs based on what the Bible says or what your religious teacher says? Can you locate in the Bible the scriptures that back up what you believe? Or, do you just believe certain things about your religion because that's what you've been told is true? Is it sort of mixed? That is, are there some things you know from what the Bible says and others you just accept without questioning, without knowing the source? Can you really be said to have true faith, or are you really a Christian, if you don't know the scriptural backing to your beliefs? What would you do if you investigated certain teachings at your church and found that the Bible contradicts those teachings? What would you do if you investigated certain teachings and found that some other religion taught the truth from the Bible? Are family ties, history and tradition more important in choosing a religion than Bible truth?

Answer 1

I must be honest in my admittion that I do not have all the scriptures I need to back myself up most of the time. I usually know what the bible says, but I cannot find things very easily. I consider myself Christian, as I have accepted Jesus' gift of salvation. If I found teachings that contradicted the bible, that came from a sourch like a church, then yes, I would definately research further so that I could formulate an opinion.

Answer 2

I grew up going to a Baptist church. When I was a teenager, I began to question some things that I had been taught and ultimately I discarded some teachings which I did not see any basis for in the Bible. I would say that I definitely don't rely on others to tell me what the scriptures say or what I should believe. I believe the Bible is meant for individual reading and understanding. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, this means there will be many, many different interpretations of the same scripture. However, only one can be correct. Central to Christianity is the belief in objective and absolute truth. As for my Baptist heritage, I no longer attend a Baptist church. I go to a non-denominational church where we don't worry so much about how things were done by our grandfathers 50 years ago. So, I am not a brainwashed, manipulated robot. In fact, I had pretty much decided that there was no god and had walked away from my faith. But, instead, God intervened in my life in a way that helped me see where I was mistaken. So now, I read the Bible, I pray, and I meditate about what I have read. And then I come to my own conclusions as to what it says.

Answer 3

As a Christian, I was taught by religious teachers who use the Bible to support their preachings. It used to be difficult to know where to find scriptures in the Bible, but now- with the Internet and really good study Bibles- it is really easy. There are some things many Christians just grow up believing is true, but many parts of the Bible can be translated to support different points. We believe what the Bible teaches us because it is our source of information about God and how to live according to God as He conveyed it to those who wrote the books. I practice my religion according to how I have been raised because I have never found anything in the Bible that contradicts it. Family, tradition, or history has nothing to do with how I choose to believe.

Answer 4

Since I come on here and constantly have my beliefs challenged, I obviously enjoy being able to share the truth and scripture to back up my beliefs. I keep an open mind about what my church teaches and try to make sure that I follow what Jesus taught, and not just what my church says. However I do believe that I am in the right place and thank God for that.

Answer 5

I have gone through all that. I don't attend a church. I am a bible believing Christian. All truth comes from the Holy Spirit and His children know His truth. The true Church is the believers in Christ around the world and has nothing to do with a building, religion, or sect. People can blindly follow who they will, I follow Christ.

Answer 6

I wasn't raised as a Christian, my mom believes in strange spirituality and Asian religions, but detests Christians and Christianity. In my late teenager years I started going to a church and attended it for about five years and since then I've just been doing my own reading of the Bible and forming my own ideas, regardless of what other Christians think. But I eagerly go to any religious service, and consider everyone my brethren unless they give me a reason not to.

Answer 7

I am a Christian. My beliefs are based on what the Bible teaches, not what man, preacher or not, tells me. Yes, I can locate in the Bible, scriptures that back up my beliefs. If I am told something, I DO CHECK for myself and look for scripture to support it. If I am satisfied by finding scripture that backs what I am told or presented, the God has enlightened me. If I have any doubt at all about the interpretation of something told to me backed by scripture, I further research and pray for God to lead me to truth. My beliefs are soley from the Bible, I always question something I am not familiar with or something I may be familiar with but do not understand. I am most definitly a Christian and I most definitly have faith in God. I have had numerous occurances where by faith in God, I have seen healing, I have had guidance in life, I have watched God intercede in my life, I have seen God intercede in close relationships and their lifes. My prayers are always answered. I am not one to pray for material things, but I have prayed for basic needs, guidance, life events and for others as well as myself. If I investigated certain teachings involved with my church and found them to be not of the Bible teaching alone, I would leave that church and I would also confront the Pastor with it. NOTHING, not family ties, not tradition, not history moves me towards ANY religion. I believe that the Bible is the only truth and I put God above ALL. I don't worry about RELIGION, as all I need is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion is mostly ritual, and most often twisted by mankind. A relationship with Christ Jesus is what is required, not religion. Jesus says the following to the Pharisees:

Matthew 15
3Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, 'Honor your father and mother'[a] and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'[b] 5But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6he is not to 'honor his father[c]' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men

Answer 8

I regard the teachings of others as a helping tool in understanding God, but if it isn't scriptural, I don't care what the Christian social norm is; I won't accept it. I have done the things you ask about on multiple occasions.

Think about this, though: if we didn't have others to teach us, we would all have to discover science from square 1. No one would get anywhere. Communication allows us to advance, but it can also mislead us, so we must keep our ears keen to discern truth from lies.

Answer 9

Go to a Bible based Church is the main thing.

Answer 10

My beliefs are based on history, philosophy, and the writings of early Christian theologians. In the ancient Church, the Bible was always interpreted within the context of traditional theology. It has only become the sole rule and guide of Christian practice in recent centuries, following the complete obliteration of the traditional ecclesiastical model in most modern Protestant denominations.