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The term "fundamentalist" has taken on a poor connotation in recent days.
The words "fundamentalist" or "fundamental" have been misused by many from
secular society to those in the realm of Christendom. The word fundamental
simply means "of central importance, or affecting the underlying principles and
structure of something." The truth is, a fundamentalist is one who holds to the
core beliefs and principles of something. If I were to ask you, for instance,
what are the fundamentals of basketball you would come back with drilling,
dribbling, shooting, lay ups, free throw, passing, ball handling, defense, and
teamwork. When a player has difficulty playing, the coach will often times
revert a practice back to the fundamentals. Why? For focus, drive,
determination, and a reliance on what is truly basketball.
God gave us His
Word upon which we are to build our lives. Therefore, the fundamentals for a
Christian life are to be found there in. II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that,
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." The Word of
God is the core foundation upon which all belief is to stem. The fundamental
Bible believing Christian is one who believes the Word of God literally and
places his life under the scrutiny of fundamental Bible truth. This is the type
of church that we exist as today.
In I Timothy
3:14-15 Paul reminds Timothy that the church is the pillar and ground of truth,
"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I
tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of
the truth." Paul went on to emphasis what the Bible truth was in verse 16,
" And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Here Paul
gives a wonderful statement of faith - God became man, came to earth, lived a
sinless life, taught of God, died for the sins of the world, and rose again for
all of eternity. What was Paul doing? He was reminding Timothy to keep to the
fundamentals, not to sway away from the core beliefs of the Bible, or in other
words, he was reminding him to be a Biblical fundamentalist.
What does it mean to be fundamental or a
Biblical fundamentalist?
This simply means that we believe in a literal
interpretation of the Bible. In other words, we take God at His Word believing
that what He has said in the Bible is exactly what He meant. Being a
Fundamentalist also means that we believe every teaching of the Bible as
absolute truth and fundamental to the Christian life; such as the deity of
Christ, the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures, and the reality of hell
and heaven. These are just a few examples of fundamental truths.
Some Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a Baptist?
What is meant by Independent?
How do I get to heaven?
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