Someday soon, truth will become clearly evident, universally acknowledged, and will prevail over non-truth. Someday soon, those who confess Christ as Lord and have lain down their lives to follow Him will be in complete unity concerning truth. Someday soon, the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to the Father that His people would be sanctified in the truth will be fully realized. Someday soon, those thoughts and opinions which we hold near and dear although they carry with them more darkness than light will be dispelled by the true Light when Jesus returns for His victorious church. What a great day that will be!
Today, we deal with an incredibly complex and treacherous doctrinal landscape within the church along with those who would associate themselves as the true church although they are false. This landscape is full of pitfalls and landmines that threaten to destroy anyone climbing the hill of faith and religion. It is wrought with half-truth debris; landslides of flawed opinions, boulders of distorted viewpoints, chasms of erroneous positions.
While the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Latter Day Saints are still a very real influence in the world, briefly consider some of the “newer” distortions that are popular today.
As one looks at these and other doctrinal pitfalls that are being touted as truth in our epic of time, it would be easy to become discouraged and give up. But actually, it gets even more complicated, the landscape becoming more treacherous as we consider the modern attitude that has been adopted by many.
The other factor that complicates matters to no end is the premise that many hold to which says we aren’t to challenge anything because that is judgmental and unloving. I have written extensively on this in other posts (Who Are You to Judge Part 1 and Part 2) and don’t feel the need to take up too much space here. But a person doesn’t have to look very far to hear someone warning against confronting another person with truth while suggesting change because that person will be guilty of being “judgmental.” All of this is nonsense, a misinterpretation of scripture, and self-defeating.
The statement clearly defeats itself because in making the declaration that someone is being judgmental, they fail to recognize that by making the distinction and proclamation of “judgmentalism” they themselves are committing the very act of criticism that they condemn. Hypocrisy anyone???
So, unfortunately, we are often told not to confront people’s ideas, beliefs, and lifestyles, even if they are heretical lies that are doing major damage to their spiritual well-being. What are we to do? Give up? Ignore the problems? Approve and join them? Absolutely not! We must always obey scripture in this regards no matter how unpopular or how lonely it may get.
When, not if, we choose to make a defense for the hope of Christ in us, how do we go about it in a way that honors the Lord, respects the creature created in God’s image, and at the same time, allows us to stand firm in our integrity? I came across a phrase years ago that spoke to my heart in regards to this and has been helpful in discerning when and if an issue is worth confronting as well as how to have the right attitude if correction is necessary.
The phrase is this.
The history of this simple but profound saying has been attributed to everyone from Augustine to Richard Baxter to an unknown Lutheran theologian in the 17th century. While its source isn’t really all that important, its content is.
When speaking about Christian essentials, we are referring to those foundational, biblical truths that cannot be compromised. The essentials are those major teachings that if they are compromised, for whatever reason, then we would forfeit the essence of what Christianity is as well as give up our identity as Christians.
For instance, if we deny the fact that Jesus is God, our salvation is no longer in tact because only God could be the sinless sacrifice that would offer deliverance for the whole world from sin’s penalty of death. If we reject the God-breathed authority of the eternal scriptures, then the means by which God chose to reveal Himself to us and establish our faith, life, and conduct ceases to be. If we discard the truth that Christ is returning again for His church, to establish His eternal kingdom, then the hope of Christian resurrection is null and void. The point is that all believers must be in unity and agreement on certain truths or else we just simply aren’t Christian.
Secondly, there are issues of non-essential truths that are secondary and have a lesser impact upon our faith. For instance, water baptism is a good example. Does it really matter whether a believer is sprinkled at their baptism or completely submerged in water? I have my opinion, but there are good, biblical arguments for both cases. Another example could be whether it is better to sing hymns in our worship services or if contemporary music is better. Is one style more pleasing to the Lord than another? Not necessarily, although we could probably have a lengthy discussion concerning which is preferred. Or another example, which translation of the bible should we use? There are the staunch King James people and there are those who prefer a newer paraphrase such as the New Living Translation. Or there are those who prefer a more literal word-for-word translation such as the New American Standard. Who is right? In these three examples, along with a plethora of others, we can have friendly debates, but at the end of the day if we fail to reach a biblical consensus by which we agree, neither party ceases to be a Christian. Therefore, in non-essential truths, we must always have liberty with each other, providing the necessary space to allow others to practice their faith at the level they are at, as long as we don’t violate the essentials. We must never let the tension of secondary issues divide us.
But then there is the category of “all things.” We discussed essential truths, then non-essential truths, and so what is left? Everything else, including those things that aren’t truth. And the point is that in this category, we are reminded to always show charity as we disagree with non-truth. Charity simply means kindness, respect, and love. So, for example, with the current hot button topic of homosexuality, the church would stand firm on the bible’s teaching that it is sin and rebellion against God. Also we stand just as firm that it is not the unforgivable sin; that all who confess and repent of their sins, including the gay lifestyle, will find a God who will forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness because He is faithful and just. But in our unwavering stance for truth, we must always remember to be loving, even though we may be accused of being hateful for speaking the light of truth in the midst of darkness.
You may be asking yourself as you consider the current culture, “Is all of this necessary anyway?” Is it really worth expending the energy necessary to proclaim truth to those who honestly, most of the time, don’t want to hear it anyway? Let’s face it, people generally aren’t humble enough to accept correction. Let me give three quick reasons that will hopefully encourage us (yes, me included).
Thirdly, and finally, I think it would be wise to remember those who have gone before us. Those who stood for faith in precarious times like the ones in which we live in. Men and women of God from Old Testament times to New Testament times who heard the voice of the Lord in truth and didn’t back down from proclaiming it as accurately as possible, even in the face of persecution. Not to mention those who in more modern times stood boldly in the face of darkness and represented the light of God’s holy word at risk of loss of life and limb, of houses and family, of social status and worldly honor. I have great respect for those down through the ages who went before us; standing firm in the essentials, giving liberty in non-essentials, and in all things showing charity but NEVER denying the truth of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, church of God, stand firm.
