Before Jumping Ship

There is a great book review of John Piper's new book, The Future of Justification, on Reformation Theology's blog. In this article an insightful comment is made about how to handle new teachings in the Church.

Anytime a new idea begins to challenge an entrenched understanding within the Church, whether that idea is right or wrong, much serious consideration ought to be employed before accepting it.

I fear that this is not being done in many quarters. It seems as if people are signing on the dotted line of confessions they have not read simply because this or that theology said to. This is dangerous! If a key doctrine of the Christian faith, such as Justification, is being altered, there should be years of study before a changed should be made. As the Apostle Paul reminds us,

He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.