Has anyone ever changed their minds on a doctrinal position as a result of praying and studying something out that they read here on CB?
Please share. Debate is not the goal here, as inevitable as it may be. Testimony is.
Yes.
Many years ago I decided to try and understanding why OSAS believe what they do. (I didn't believe in OSAS but there were many people I respected that did hold the OSAS view and I couldn't see how they could possibly even consider such a concept from where I stood)
As a result of a genuine desire to understand why they believe - I found that a lot of
what I believed about what they believed was wrong. Through the process my understanding changed greatly on salvation - especially in relation to true and false conversions (I never even considered a concept of a false convert before - I always believed that they were saved, and then 'lost' their salvation when they chose to sin again). While I never came full OSAS as I believe there are still some questionable references - I don't have a firm believe that they are definitely wrong either and have changed a lot of my doctrinal thinking on salvation.
As an example - this begins that when someone says 'the sinners prayer' at a church service - unlike the pastor who gives them assurance that 'if they are hit by a car in the parking lot tonight and die' they will be saved - I'm not convinced anymore - I know have an understanding of the possibility of 'false conversations' and consider that many of these prayers have no reference of repentance in them and may be simply emotional based with no real conviction. (I know no one knows the heart, but I have seen many say a prayer - and then a a short time later return to their own sinful lifestyle. In the past my thought was that they were saved for that short time and then walked away from God and that the kindest thing God could have done was to knock them down after they prayed that prayer. Now I hold and understanding that it's most likely in many of these cases they were never saved in the first place because there was no true repentance and they responded to a false gospel message).
Another doctrinal position I am seriously reconsidering at the moment is the continuing of the spiritual gifts. (I don't deny healing and miracles still take place, and that God answers prayer. Nor do I deny that we should pray for the sick or that people still can't be raised from the dead) - but I am questioning whether the 'gift of healing' or 'gift of prophecy' given to a particular individual ceased with the end of the apostles - and that a lot of what I believed to be true gifts is actually false gifts. This is still something I am working through.
My great concern is that I meet so many devoted Christians on different sides of arguments who never seem to be able to understand or consider another point of view from someone else who differs that's as equally as devoted as them. My thought is that I think we're all going to be wrong about something - and that gaining an understanding (not necessarily agreeing - but just to understand why they believe what they do) is a great tool to be able to communicate more clearly with them where I have concerns - or otherwise to gain a better understanding of where I might be wrong. If I have not learned something or changed my view in a long time on a matter - I figure I'm probably not learning, because I know I can't be right about everything without having mistakes. (Although I take great care with this to ensure that what I consider must line up with scripture).
