It takes a certain kind of temperament to be a Biblicist.

Not everyone is up to it.

It’s much easier to go with what is traditional or common or whatever the majority believes.

But the Biblicist—or anyone interested in the truth of any subject—knows that he or she will sometimes have to go against the majority opinion in search of the truth.

I like this quote by Skeeter Wilson, describing his journey towards (what he sees as) a more truthful view of the church:

I became increasingly aware over the years that at stake was a struggle between the long history of tradition that defines modern Christianity and a radical return to a faith that rests in Christ alone.

Long before we met, both Jon and I, in our own ways, were battling with piles of baggage and presuppositions that have become virtually synonymous with modern expressions of Christianity.

I don’t presume to speak for Jon on this, but it seems throughout my walk with Christ, the moment I discovered and discarded one item of historical baggage, a dozen more surfaced that cried to be addressed. Certainly, the battle to recapture the centrality of the Person and work of Christ, alone, has been as much an internal struggle with my own preconceptions as it has been with those outside forces that do not want to give up their “ways” (Skeeter Wilson, “Foreword,” p. 9).

Wilson’s description of his struggle with tradition could just as easily be applied to the Free Grace struggle for salvation. I’ve been there. Probably, so have you. There are piles of customs, presuppositions, and historical baggage that have obscured Jesus’ very simple promise of everlasting life. It can be intimidating to conclude that big–name theologians got salvation wrong. And yet, it happens all the time.

If you ever have moments of doubt about believing in grace, remember this—truth is correspondence to reality, not correspondence to tradition. Ask yourself, “Is this what God’s Word teaches?” That’s the main question because God’s Word, not man’s opinion, is the main answer and the litmus test for theological truth. As Jesus prayed:

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).