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The Power of Anchoring Beliefs to Time and Place

 


Exploring Biblical Heritages works because explorers agree to use the BHC Primary Guideline.

 

My Belief System will be large enough to include all facts,

open enough to be examined and questioned,

and flexible enough to change if errors or new facts are discovered.

 

In my previous email I introduced the “Rider and Elephant Model” which helps us understand how the human brain functions on two levels -- conscious (rider) and subconscious (elephant). Another important function of the brain is “making predictions” by using belief models. The most important predictions relate to survival. The elephant is the guardian and protector. At the subconscious level the elephant is constantly doing the following:

 

1. Searching for information that confirms its belief models and experiences.

               

2. Distorting and molding new information to make it fit its preconceived concepts in order to confirm its belief models and experiences.

 

3. Filtering out information that doesn’t fit its preconceived concepts or confirm its belief models.

 

Let me repeat, all of the functions above take place at the subconscious level, which means we are unaware of what our elephant is doing.

 

The first step in breaking through belief barriers is

identifying belief models our elephants are using.

 

Now I will return to my story about my belief conflict about salvation. My belief models about entering eternal life (being saved) didn’t agree with what Jesus taught in Matthew 25:31-46.

 

● I believed good works played no role in entering eternal life.

 

● Jesus said good works were required to enter eternal life.

 

I identified four belief models that played major roles in creating what I believed – (1) saved by grace through faith alone; (2) once saved always saved; (3) the Bible is the inerrant infallible Word of God; and, (4) monotheism.

 

The second step is identify when belief models first appeared.

 

We do this by searching for facts and creating a timeline for the belief models.

 

● 5th century BCE (Babylon) – After the fall of Judah and the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, a small circle of priests and scribes gathered around the exiled royal court, where they first developed the concept of Yahweh as the sole God of the world.[i]

 

● 1525 CE (Germany) – Martin Luther created the “saved by grace” doctrine.

 

● 1540 -- (Germany) Martin Luther: inspiration does not insure inerrancy in all details.

 

● 1550 -- (Switzerland) John Calvin’s doctrine of “perseverance of the saints” laid the foundation for the “once saved always saved doctrine” to be created.

 

● 1586 -- (Italy) The Jesuit and cardinal Robert Bellarmine wrote "There can be no error in Scripture.”[ii]

 

● 1895 -- (Canada) The Niagara Bible Conference developed its famous “five points of fundamentalism;” one was “The inerrancy of Scripture.” [iii]  

 

Using these facts, I understood that during the time Jesus led his movement (27-30 CE – Galilee and Judea), monotheism was a central belief model of Second Temple Period Judaism, but my other three belief models didn’t exist. They would be created over 1,500 years later as the result of the conflict between the Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church.

 

Now let’s apply that information to my belief conflict about salvation.

 

● Jesus taught “good works were required to enter eternal life” over 1,500 years before my beliefs about salvation were created.

 

● Jesus never taught saved by grace through faith alone, once saved always saved or the Bible is the inerrant infallible Word of God.

 

Be sure to note that “true or false” or “right or wrong” are not factors in the above conclusions. The facts we have at this point, however, revealed the sources, times, and places linked to my belief models. But, I did know that some of my belief models were in direct opposition to what Jesus taught.

 

One thing we quickly learn is that new facts usually raise new questions. In this case, the question that popped into my mind was this – What status should belief models that oppose what Jesus taught have in people’s lives? That is a question for you to answer.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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