This is Part 2 in a series.  You can read Part 1 here: Filling Out Your Theological Bracket - Part 1.

We have a lot of decisions to make in order to fill out our theological bracket.  Some of them can be very confusing.  Some of them, you may not have even realized were in question.  If you’ve grown up in a single denomination, you may have just assumed everything your church believes and teaches is correct.  You may not even realize that thousands of other “Christians” disagree with what you believe.  Some people may know what to write into their theological bracket, but have no idea why they believe that, or what the alternatives are.

Let’s look at one of the foundational issues: Salvation.  Just brainstorming, here are some of the questions related to Salvation that we need to answer.

  1. Who can be saved?  Anybody? or only those God calls?
  2. What do we really need to be saved from?
  3. How does one become saved?
  4. Is there a way to tell if somebody is saved?
  5. Is one saved instantly, or is it a process that takes place over time?
  6. Once one is saved, can they be unsaved later?  If so, how?
  7. Can one be saved without being baptized?
  8. Can one be saved without speaking in tongues?
  9. Can one be saved without making Jesus Lord of their life?
  10. Can one be saved without having any good works?
  11. Can one be saved without asking for forgiveness?
  12. Can one be saved without repenting?
  13. Are babies that die saved?
  14. Can I be sure that I am saved?
  15. How were people saved before Jesus’ sacrifice?
  16. Can my actions, or lack thereof, keep somebody from being saved?

OK, so that’s a quick 16 questions on a single subject.  Add to that many other major topics such as:

  • Predestination vs Free Will
  • Who does God love?
  • Is Jesus Christ really God?
  • What is the relationship of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit?
  • What will happen in the end times?

I think that’s enough to suggest the many decisions involved.  Of course, I realize many Christians never actually study and come to decisions on all of these.  I guess a lot of people just leave some spaces blank in their bible bracket.  Maybe they are not all important?  Yet some theologians have spent their lives trying to figure this stuff out.  They want their bracket to not only be complete, but correct.  Of course I should mention that the number of years people spend studying the scriptures doesn’t really correlate to how correct they are.  So is there any way we can be confident that what we believe is true?  Or are we just spinning the roulette wheel and hoping our number comes up?  That’s kind of what this series is about?  I’ll write more in the next few entries.