Conflict and controversy are two sure fire ways of exciting people into bible study. Sadly, this kind of fire seldom resolves anything, rarely incites people to go into the world to save the lost and most often causes division and even congregational splits. Words like "liberal" and "legalist" are discussed in church meetings and brotherhood papers so much that they seem to outnumber words that should be considered like "missions," "saving the lost," and "fellowship." Brethren become "experts" on the topic of discussion and very often they become "one issue" Christians. If you do not believe as they believe then you are a liberal and therefore must not be fellowshipped. Soon, these brethren try to force their issue into every situation possible and onto every person possible.
Brothers and Sisters it is time for this to end! It is time for the Lord's church to stop majoring in minors. It is time for the Lord's church to complete the mission Jesus set for us and "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15 ). Will there be a time when doctrine is assaulted and needs defending, sadly the answer is yes. When these cases arise we must unite and defend the faith, but not every issue discussed is a matter of faith or fellowship. Jude wrote to the early Christians concerning this issue saying, "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). Jude wanted to write a letter of encouragement to Christians to inspire them in their evangelistic efforts, however, because of certain people and problems he was forced to write a letter urging them to be unified.
Unity is not, giving up the fight, as some perceive. Unity in diversity is often a phrase that gets tossed around like a hot potato. We should never compromise on the doctrine of Christ, yet who would claim that the Lord's church is not made up of a group of people with diverse beliefs. Paul urged the Christians at Rome
If Christians would strive to do as Jude commands and "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints," then we could do away with much conflict and controversy. Later in Jude, those who cause division are said to have gone the way of Balaam's error. It is interesting that even Balaam, when he listened to God, got things right. "How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?" (Numbers 23:8). When one is seeking to please God and is not violating God's commands then how can God's people denounce him? Paul says the same thing, "Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
Do you agree or can we agree to disagree?
2 comments:
I liked your thoughts in this post, Mitchell. Although some may think that I am a little combative because I have defended the inerrancy of the Bible and the idea that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, I usually try to stay out of arguments. Most of the time, I don't even care about the issues involved. As you noted, many issues should not even be issues. I have been a member of most kinds of Churches of Christ from non-institutional to progressive, so I have seen the issues from a variety of perspectives. It's sad that we don't take your advice more often. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Terry. No doubt, we must defend the gospel. The inerrancy of the Bible and Christ as the way, the truth and the life are cornerstones to our faith but number of cups, who spoke with who (whom?) on a lectureship, etc. are NOT the gospel message and I wonder if we don't leave Christ shaking his head sometimes.