Which Does God Honor…Doctrinal Purity Or Love And Mercy?

First of all what is Doctrinal Purity? Can we as Christians ever fully obtain Doctrinal Purity? Is Doctrinal Purity pure only in the eyes of those who are propagating this message? And is it Doctrinal Purity or love and mercy that is the sign of a true born again Christian? In asking this I keep remembering the message of Mossab Hassan Yousef who was converted by studying the Bible and reading the passage “Love your enemies.”

I was converted by Christ’s love for sinners. By His treatment and inclusion of women. Something I had never heard before. I would really like to discuss this.

Unconditional Love For Those Without Christ

I have been accused of loving unconditionally. Of all the accusations thrown at me, this one pleases me the most. It’s actually one that I hope I am guilty of, although I will be transparent and say I fail at it more than I succeed. I will also be transparent and say it’s easier for me to love those without Christ, those who are the most despised by Christians than Christians who spew vile and hatred wherever society is concerned. But I hope more accusations of this type are thrown my way. I hope the charge of unconditional love is true.

Alan Knox wrote a poignant post in which the words and idea of the post are ones I have been trying to get across to many Southern Baptists. Entitled, Loving Those Who Are Hard To Love, it embraces what Christianity in the Bible, the Christianity that is God born, looks like. It’s evangelism at its best. In fact it is evangelism. I and my husband would do the very same thing. We have done the very same thing.

I will be anxious to read more of this series by Alan Knox, and Alan I am one who is so grateful you are doing this series. Give me more.

Another article I highly recommend reading is John MacArthur’s The Deadly Dangers of Moralism. Good stuff.

What Is Cooperation For The Christian?

Mat 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mar 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Mar 12:31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Luk 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
Luk 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luk 10:28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Luk 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luk 10:30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luk 10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
Luk 10:34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Luk 10:35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Luk 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Luk 10:37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

I believe in cooperation in the SBC. The question is what is cooperation? That is a good question that deserves an answer. As always we must look to scripture for the answer. The scriptures that I have posted above are scriptures that guide my life. I am not perfect in allowing them to influence me, but my desire is that they will permeate me, transform me, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

These are passages that I was not aware were in the Bible until several years ago when I first read these passages while listening to a sermon. They began to change me dramatically. This is where cooperation begins. With love. Love produces unity. Not a human love, but a love only achieved through the power of the Trinity, loving people through us. It begins with our surrender. Our humbling ourselves, prostrate before the Father. It continues with the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to who Christ really is, and what Christ did for us in our sinful state.

1 Corinthians 13 is a passage that is often quoted, sometimes used as a weapon more than a self-searching passage. To put this chapter in summary, I quote Larry Norman who simply said in his song…”without love you ain’t nothin”.

Doctrine is important. Correct theology is something I believe all Christians want. If not at the beginning of our Christianity, we desire it as we mature, grow, and are sanctified in our faith. At some point, most sincerely want to know the truth, but that always requires being willing to change our mind on certain doctrine that we have held as truth.

As we study scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, even using commentaries, other books if necessary, we interpret the scriptures as the original authors wrote it. This is the mode God uses to transform us, to renew our minds, as Paul has said. It begins with the love spoken of by Christ.

As God continues to work in our lives, we find ourselves loving those we disagree with. Doctrine becomes in line with relationship. Relationship both with Christ, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We long for all to be saved. We long to get the gospel out. This involves cooperation.

The wonderful thing that God provided with Christianity, along with forgiveness of sins, and a new life everlasting, is a family wherever we go. No matter where we are in the world, we have a family in those who have Christ as their Lord and Savior. We have people who will help us, who are connected to us. Who having never known us before, instantly love us. We are never alone in this world. God has done that for us. That’s cooperation.

Paul and the churches he wrote to are a perfect example of this. Read his letters in the epistles. He exudes love for the people of Christ. His passion for them is unmistakable. He longs for their maturity. He longs for correct doctrine, but he also praises them, writes of his deep love for them. Did this come from inside of himself? Remember his former life before Christ? He murdered the very ones that he now deeply loves.

Before cooperation can begin, we need to set aside doctrine for a time, and concentrate on letting God’s love flow through us. Then and only then will correct doctrine begin to permeate us. I don’t believe we can have one without the other. Correct doctrine without love is described in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s just an angry person with good doctrine. It doesn’t mean a thing to God.

Think about it. Also read the passages I have given along with the gospel of John and the epistles of Paul. We long time Christians are in desperate need of transformation which comes from the reading of the Word of God. That is the beginning of cooperation.

Joh 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
Joh 17:21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Joh 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
Joh 17:23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Joh 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Simply put, cooperation is giving ourselves to each other as Christ gave himself to God. Division contradicts the very gospel we say we believe and give.
Thoughts?

Could It Be That If A Teaching Or Belief Doesn’t Elevate The Other Person It May Be Wrong?

I’m always thinking. Now sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad. I hear or read something, I think about it, dissect it, think about it again, and then begin to research to see if I can put the puzzle in my mind together.

Some call this discernment, some call this thinking too much. It’s how I came to the conclusion on a lot of the doctrine I hold to now. I began by listening, then searching the scriptures to see if what I heard was true, then I begin to form my view, which I strive to be biblical, then I begin to teach or live what I have discovered.

I like discussions, even with those who I disagree with. That reason is that I get a different perspective, I see things that maybe I hadn’t seen before. Discussion is always fruitful, even if they get a little heated

I say all of this as I am thinking out loud on this post, and all are free to discuss here. I have been reading a lot in the book of John because this is what our Sunday School class is studying, using John MacArthur’s study book. It’s been very enlightening, but a reoccurring theme seems to be threading through this book that I would like to encase here. Love. Love for Christ, Christ’s love for others, love for God, God’s love for us. The disciples love for Christ, His special love for them. Love.

The examples that I will be giving all reflect the same thing. Christ always did for the benefit of others, never for Himself. He did it without monetary reward. Each demonstration had a specific purpose.  He did it to show the world who He was, which was the Christ, the Son of God.

First was the miracle of turning the water into wine.  This was Christ’s first public miracle. One of eight, that would confirm Jesus deity. But why turn water into wine? What purpose did this miracle have? What did Christ reveal about Himself in this miracle?

According to John MacArthur in New Testament Commentary (John 1-11):

Wine was the staple drink in the ancient Near East. Due to the warm climate and the lack of any means of referigeration or purification, fruit juice tended to ferment. The result was an alcoholic beverage with the capability of inducing drunknenness. To help avoid the risk of inebriation, wine was commonly diluted with water to one-third to one-tenth of its strength. Though the Bible does not forbid drinking wine, and in some cases commends it(e.g. Ps. 104:14-15; Prov 32:6; Jer. 32:1-12; 1 Tim. 5:23) it strongly condemns drunkenness. (Gen. 9:20-27; Deut. 21:20-21; Prov. 20:1;23:29-35; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11;6:10; Gal.4:21; Eph. 5:18; 1 Tim.3:3,8; Titus 1:7;2:3, 1 Peter 4:3).

A major crisis loomed at the wedding celebration when the wine ran out because the supply was insufficient. Such an embarrassment faux paus could have stigmatized the couple and their families for the rest of their lives. It could have left the groom and his family open to a lawsuit by the bride’s family for failing to meet their responsibilities. Thus Jesus’ turning the water into wine was not a sensational miracle, designed only to amaze His audience with His power. All of His miracles met specific needs such as opening blind eyes or deaf ears, delivering those oppressed by demons, feeding hungry people or calming a threatening storm. This miracle met the genuine need of the family and their guests, who otherwise faced a social catastrophe.

How many of us have read or heard about this miracle and thought about it like this? Now to go even further and skipping the details, every single act Jesus did in performing this miracle was for a specific purpose. The kind of jars He used, the number of jars He used, the number of gallons produced… every single detail was on purpose for a specific purpose. But it was never, ever for His own gain. Every miracle was for the benefit of others. All we done with kindness and love, including Christs’ touch. What lesson is that for us?

I believe it falls back to the passage in Matthew where Christ asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” I will deal with this further in upcoming posts, including the act of Christ that is so often referred to by those who would wish to not cooperate with other believers, the throwing out of the money changers at the temple. What message was Christ conveying in doing this? Where did His concerns lie? In changing government?

Billy Graham: Leading With Love

I read the blog Without Wax, that referenced an article from Christianity Today entitled Leading With Love, a profile of Billy Graham’s ministry.  The main idea set forth in this piece was the fact that Billy Graham always lead with love. It is how he dealt with every situation in his long ministry.  Dr. Graham explains what happened to him in his decade long international ministry:

I am now aware that the family of God contains people of various ethnological, cultural, class, and denominational differences. … Within the true church there is a mysterious unity that overrides all divisive factors. In groups which in my ignorant piousness I formerly “frowned upon,” I have found men so dedicated to Christ and so in love with the truth that I have felt unworthy to be in their presence. I have learned that although Christians do not always agree, they can disagree agreeably, and that what is most needed today is for us to show an unbelieving world that we love one another.

In an interview with Hugh Downs on an episode of 20/20, Mr. Downs asked Billy Graham

If you had a homosexual child, would you love him?

A question to which Dr. Graham gently replied

Why, I would love that one even more.

I, of course, agree with Billy Graham, and it is what I have always wanted for both the denomination I am in, along with the Christian community at large. I think for those who are 100% complementarian and believe husbands should lead, this would be the Biblical way for them to lead, by following Dr. Graham’s leadership guidelines.

I wonder how different our personal lives, our churches, our relationship with others would be if we chose to “lead with love?” Is there any time when that would not be possible?