![]() He was not open to correction or instruction, and had become hard and proud, unwilling to learn and receive instruction. Thus in the end I had to let this person go. He is close to the humble, but he resists the proud. God of course cannot work with such people. He had lost a teachable spirit, and had become rather arrogant and proud. This person had allowed himself to follow some weird cultic teacher, and had closed himself off to truth. But this person would have none of my pleas to be a bit savvier and better educated here. That reveals a poor understanding of Scripture, biblical theology and historical theology. It is foolish in the extreme to single out just one of them and denounce all the others. I tried to tell him that anyone who knows a bit about theology and church history knows that there are a number of models of the atonement which more or less reflect the biblical data, and all have at least some aspects of biblical truth. ![]() He insisted that this view of the atonement was the only right one. When I tried to point this out to the fellow, he got all upset and defensive. This guy was cultic at best, if not veering into heresy. So I did a quick search on the guy, read a bit of his stuff and briefly listened to some of his videos. I am aware of most of the important writers and thinkers on this and related topics. And for someone in my position, having read, studied and taught theology for 45 years now, that means something. Now I had never heard of this teacher before. He insisted this was the only correct one, and all others were wrong. It was about this teacher’s pet theory of the atonement. As but one example, I recently had someone come to me asking me what I thought of a certain Bible teaching video. Such folks certainly do not have a teachable spirit. Instead of being open to truth and being teachable – all of which requires a degree of humility – they lash out and shut you out. They think they know it all, and refuse to listen to anyone else who just might know better! When I seek to point out some areas of concern, they get hard and cold and refuse to listen. And worse yet, in some of these cases these folks are pushing cultic or heretical teachings, but are not open to correction. That is what disturbs me, and I encounter it all the time. I expect ornery pagans to behave this way, but I find far too many believers acting just the same. Far too many folks just want to argue, pick a fight, and push their agenda, and have zero interest in learning or being open to correction. The proud refuse to admit they are wrong or that they may need to adjust their thinking and their beliefs. The willingness to admit that we don’t know it all, that we may have things wrong, and that we must always keep learning is a sure sign of a growing Christian.Īnd this flows out of humility, not arrogance. I am becoming increasingly convinced that one real indication of genuine salvation – of a person really being a true follower of Jesus Christ – is having a teachable spirit.
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