Core Beliefs, Simplifying, and Why I Question Everything

I've been going through a process recently of 'simplifying' my faith. This means that I am unraveling, and unearthing what I believe and the reasons I believe it. This is not for the purpose of throwing anything out or becoming a doubter, but rather to know what the most important things are in my belief system -- my core beliefs -- and know exactly why I believe them.

I would like to emphasize that if I encourage you to challenge what you believe, it it not because I want you to throw out your belief system. But I do want you to question everything. God is truth, and gives truth and wisdom to those who seek it and ask for it (Matt. 7:7-8; James 1:5). So if we question for the purpose of finding what is really true, God will honor that process. God doesn't hoard everything to keep it from us, but for some reason waits for us to take initiative in seeking what comes from Him and what He has the ability to give. God doesn't want spiritual drones who believe and obey mindlessly, because such people lack conviction and passion and, ultimately, love. God created us with the ability to think on our own and interact and question so that we would do just that in relation to Him.

The Bible talks about a great many things, practically all of which people have opinions on. But the Bible is also very clear about what are the most important things to believe in and base your life upon. Sometimes we ignore this in all our doctrinal studies and sermons and books. The Bible is very unified as a whole, which many people miss because they are never looking at the Bible as a whole but as the sum of its individual parts. The most important things in the Bible are attested to by both emphasis and quantity. I encourage you to join me on my journey of finding these things. If all Christians can agree on what the most important things are, and live our lives based on those things, then we will be a long way toward being the Church Jesus Christ intended to found.