"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.'
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
In regards to relevance of the Bible to present time, these verses are far too relevant! I can go on and on for days on this one, but to be brief, let me pose a few questions:
First, are denominations ordained by God? Years ago, I worked at a full service filling station. Among my co-workers were a few "preachers-in-training" who attended a Baptist college in the neighborhood. As I was in dialog with a customer (another "preacher") he questioned the source of my views by asking me of what denomination or sect was I affiliated with. My reply was, "Hey, I don't get into that denominational stuff - just the Bible." My co-worker responded with, "But, all denominations are ordained by God." To which I responded, "If they're ordained by God, why are they all different?" He responded by pausing and walking out of the door with nothing to say.
Second, if God ordained all Christian denominations (baptist, united methodist, c.m.e., presbyterian, united pentacostal, disciples of Christ, church of God, church of Christ, church of God in Christ, episcopal, catholic, anglican, lutheran, etc., etc., etc.) wouldn't it make sense that they would only differ in name and not differ and be divided in doctrine? If our perfect, holy, good, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, sovereign and unchanging God ordained and appointed the existence and function of denominations, then they would and should only differ in name - possibly based on location - not on belief and teaching.
Third, do you think that God approves multiple interpretations and opinions of His one-true, holy Word? God's Word, just like His Name, is holy, perfect, and good (Psalm 138:2) As His disciples, we should not be comfortable with our own interpretations or someone elses unless it completely agrees with what God has said! Do not settle on what sounds and feels good. Relying on our feelings can bring great suffering - in this life and the life to come.
Remember, we are to be a light to the world! Non-Christians already laugh and criticize us a great deal. One of the main problems they have with the Church is that we can't agree with each other, so much so that we are divided all over the globe - doctrinally, racially, and socially. A muslim, who I was in dialog with years ago, commented that our doctrinal inconsistencies are most notable in our many denominations and he went on to address the obvious fact that many Christians don't believe the same thing. I really could not argue with him. While most of us do agree on the essentials (notice I said most - not all), there are many other very important Biblical topics that we ought not be in the dark on and divided over. Unity means a whole lot more than simply living together in peace and harmony. While we all are different, and God made us so, He also made Christians to be of the "same mind and same judgment" according to the absolute standard of His perfect law! That should be the goal of every disciple of the Lord Christ!
GREETINGS!
The purpose of this blog is to share my passion for the truth of God and the truth of His Word. Sound or healthy doctrine can only be known and understood if the sovereignty and holiness of God is passionately pursued in order to know Him as He reveals Himself and then to make Him known in the same fashion. Or, better yet, a right view of God results in a right knowledge of His holy Word.
One of my goals is to attempt to stir up Christian unity among my kinsmen of the Faith. When the phrase "church division" is mentioned, the first thing many think of is that of racism or classism. While these are imporatant issues and will be addressed by yours truly, the more important form of unity/disunity among saints is that which pertains to doctrine. If the church of Jesus the Christ were more unified in how we understand Him and Scripture, then all other forms of disunity and discord would be quite minimal or nonexistent. It is my prayer that many of my kinsmen (of all races) would develop a healthy fear of God (or increase the one they already possess) and then begin to tread carefully through the Word in understanding the truth as He means and not what we want to get out of it.
Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpretation, specifically Biblical. We must gather a proper way to interpret and understand scripture that destroys our opinions and allows us to submit to the Author and know "the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10). We must not continue to "piecemeal" the Scriptures by bouncing around the pages, skipping over important elements and drawing quick conclusions that only give us limited knowledge, or worse, false knowledge that can give birth to false doctrine. The church (Greek "ecclesia" or called out ones) is supposed to be "the pillar and buttress (support) of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15) How can we be that when we are so divided on our Lord's one-true Word? How can we be a light to the world for truth when many of us are in the dark on what we believe?
Theology is not just for the pulpit. It is not just for clergy. It is for anyone who has received the righteousness of the Lord Jesus the Christ. We are to grow in His grace and not just be the recipients of it (2 Peter 3:15-18). This blog is theology in layman's terms!
Please be sure to read the articles from the earliest posts to the most recent as some of them are written in the form of a series.
One of my goals is to attempt to stir up Christian unity among my kinsmen of the Faith. When the phrase "church division" is mentioned, the first thing many think of is that of racism or classism. While these are imporatant issues and will be addressed by yours truly, the more important form of unity/disunity among saints is that which pertains to doctrine. If the church of Jesus the Christ were more unified in how we understand Him and Scripture, then all other forms of disunity and discord would be quite minimal or nonexistent. It is my prayer that many of my kinsmen (of all races) would develop a healthy fear of God (or increase the one they already possess) and then begin to tread carefully through the Word in understanding the truth as He means and not what we want to get out of it.
Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpretation, specifically Biblical. We must gather a proper way to interpret and understand scripture that destroys our opinions and allows us to submit to the Author and know "the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10). We must not continue to "piecemeal" the Scriptures by bouncing around the pages, skipping over important elements and drawing quick conclusions that only give us limited knowledge, or worse, false knowledge that can give birth to false doctrine. The church (Greek "ecclesia" or called out ones) is supposed to be "the pillar and buttress (support) of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15) How can we be that when we are so divided on our Lord's one-true Word? How can we be a light to the world for truth when many of us are in the dark on what we believe?
Theology is not just for the pulpit. It is not just for clergy. It is for anyone who has received the righteousness of the Lord Jesus the Christ. We are to grow in His grace and not just be the recipients of it (2 Peter 3:15-18). This blog is theology in layman's terms!
Please be sure to read the articles from the earliest posts to the most recent as some of them are written in the form of a series.
7.28.2006
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