To my "Exchanged Life" friends who are wondering. . .

A recent paper has circulated among my friends that sets forth the viewpoint of a couple of people whose view is against the Trinitarianism perspective held by a growing number of us who love grace and teach others.

The paper lacks any serious academic honesty since all it does is to build a straw man and then proceed to tear that argument down. What it does would be like me doing this if I wanted to attack "the exchanged life perspective," which of course I do not:

"The following facts have come from my conversations with leading teachers who teach "the exchanged life.

1. Exchanged life teachers teach that we don't have to live by the rules of Scripture anymore, but are free to do whatever we want.
2. Exchanged life teachers teach that we can sin all we want and still be righteous in God's eyes because of Jesus.
3. Exchanged life teachers teach that we are under no obligation to read our Bibles, pray, go to church or anything else that we've been told Christians should do.
4. Exchanged life teachers teach that we don't have to try to do our best to live for God anymore.
5. Exchanged life teachers teach that all our sins have been forgiven, so we are free to commit any sin and know that it's already forgiven even before we do it. We don't even have to ask God to forgive it."

Are these really what exchanged life teachers share? Yes, of course. But to list these things without properly showing the context in which they are taught and without offering the Scriptural context for such "raw" statements would be intellectually misleading and lack the basic scholastic integrity normally assumed within a serious discussion and debate.

There are verses that clearly substantiate the validity of all five of the statements listed above as being the truth, when properly understood but if they are omitted and instead verses that seem to contradict the five points above are set forth, it would be easy to "prove" that exchanged life teachers are teaching false doctrine, maybe even heresy!

For instance:

"Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling."
"Be steadfast, immovable, ALWAYS abounding in the work of the Lord."
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who doesn't need to be ashamed."
"Pray without ceasing."
"Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together..."
"IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us..."

The list of verses that could be wrongly presented to contradict the message of exchanged life teachers could go on and on and on, but what does that prove? If a paper like the one on Trinitarianism was written against the exchanged life viewpoint, using their same questionable and highly biased tactics they would cry "foul!" in a heartbeat, and rightly so.

The Trinitarian viewpoint is Scriptural and can be demonstrated to be a viable option to those who are willing to consider it with an open mind. But, as the article against Trinitarianism demonstrates and as the short example I've given above shows, any viewpoint can seem to be untrue if "evidence" that seems to refute it is the only information given and the evidence for why some serious Bible students believe that viewpoint is intentionally left out. That's especially true when we study to prove why we are right and somebody else is wrong instead of coming from a starting place of an open heart and mind with a willingness not to vilify but instead to show loving respect toward those with whom we have differences.

That's why people need to study for themselves and not take the word of any "expert." We have the Holy Spirit and He is The Teacher who will guide us into all truth. So don't fall into the trap of signing-off on something just because somebody else tells you it's right. Let the Holy Spirit and the Scripture be your guide.