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Originally Posted by blhowes  Certainly that's the way God would have us walk, but let's say there were two groups, say Presbyterian and Baptist, and you were in the group that was incorrect, whichever that might be. Following the prescribed guidelines, how then would you discern the truth of the other group? |
Not by the Cartesian method of doubt leading to self-persuasion. We begin with faith. What is our primary concern as believers in Christ? First, to uphold the things most surely believed amongst us. Our primary concern is to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Then the differences can be discerned by a process of examining the fruits. Which distinctive fully contends for the "common salvation," which was once for all delivered to the saints? Which distinctive tends to bring the people of God together and which serves to cause and maintain divisions in the body of Christ? It is important to see that when it comes to a proper understanding of the truth, it is not merely tenets we are considering, but the tendencies which are inherent in those tenets to promote the glory of God and the good of the church.