Weighing Heavy on my Heart
"We want to link arms around the gospel with those who affirm the true gospel, even if there are some important doctrinal differences in other areas [emphasis mine]."
This is a quote from an article written by an elder at Grace Community Church named Nathan Busentiz. His article addressed the fellowship and united service of persons in the ministry who hold differing view points - he specifically addressed the charismatic camps (Mahaney, Grudem, and Piper) who often serve together with cessationists (MacArthur, Sproul, and Duncan). The general point that Busenitz drives home is that "even if there are some important doctrinal differences" between the two sides, they ought to still be able to serve Christ with one another because the essential, foundational truths of the Gospel are affirmed by all parties.
This is something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past few months. As I encounter Christians with whom I have differing beliefs, I often find that many of them are unwilling to engage in any sort of reasonable disputation for fear of being "unloving" or "divisive." I can understand the desire to stay away from unfruitful conflict. But I truly don't believe that expressing my theological differences with a fellow brother or sister in Christ is necessarily a bad thing. Granted it can become a bad thing if our prides or tempers flare. But if we are both truly children of the Living God, wouldn't we want to engage in humble, truth-seeking dialogue? "Iron sharpening iron." So often it seems as though the Charismatics stay on their side of the fence; the Pentecostals stay on their side of the fence; the Reformed brethren stay on their side of the fence; the Baptists stay on their side of the fence. And not many of them are willing to engage in, or even see the benefits of, edifying conversation with people with whom they disagree (I just chose to mention a few random sects, it's not by any means an extensive list, but the full list goes on and on and on).
(Please don't misunderstand me. I do know quite a few men and women of differing theological beliefs with whom I have had the blessing to engage in truth seeking, God glorifying conversations. And if you are one of them, I thank God for you.)
My point is that the body of Christ (the whole body) is supposed to be one (1 Cor. 12:12-26). We are commanded to love one another as brothers and sisters of the heavenly household of God. We are to love one another earnestly (1 Peter 4:8). We are commanded to "Let brotherly love continue" (Hebrews 13:3) - which implies that it already exists. So in light of this prevalent command in Scripture, I think that we ought to attempt (when possible) to engage in these types of tender, kind, loving, stern, God-exalting, Christ-centered disputes, not run from them.
It is my hope that we Christians, from assorted denominational backgrounds, can in fact put our differences on the table and "link arms around the gospel" so that we all might grow in the knowledge of our great God and Savior who "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24). One day soon we will all be standing before King Jesus. And I hope that none of us will be ashamed of our dealings with our brethren in this lifetime.
Lord help us!
Maranatha!
This is a quote from an article written by an elder at Grace Community Church named Nathan Busentiz. His article addressed the fellowship and united service of persons in the ministry who hold differing view points - he specifically addressed the charismatic camps (Mahaney, Grudem, and Piper) who often serve together with cessationists (MacArthur, Sproul, and Duncan). The general point that Busenitz drives home is that "even if there are some important doctrinal differences" between the two sides, they ought to still be able to serve Christ with one another because the essential, foundational truths of the Gospel are affirmed by all parties.
This is something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past few months. As I encounter Christians with whom I have differing beliefs, I often find that many of them are unwilling to engage in any sort of reasonable disputation for fear of being "unloving" or "divisive." I can understand the desire to stay away from unfruitful conflict. But I truly don't believe that expressing my theological differences with a fellow brother or sister in Christ is necessarily a bad thing. Granted it can become a bad thing if our prides or tempers flare. But if we are both truly children of the Living God, wouldn't we want to engage in humble, truth-seeking dialogue? "Iron sharpening iron." So often it seems as though the Charismatics stay on their side of the fence; the Pentecostals stay on their side of the fence; the Reformed brethren stay on their side of the fence; the Baptists stay on their side of the fence. And not many of them are willing to engage in, or even see the benefits of, edifying conversation with people with whom they disagree (I just chose to mention a few random sects, it's not by any means an extensive list, but the full list goes on and on and on).
(Please don't misunderstand me. I do know quite a few men and women of differing theological beliefs with whom I have had the blessing to engage in truth seeking, God glorifying conversations. And if you are one of them, I thank God for you.)
My point is that the body of Christ (the whole body) is supposed to be one (1 Cor. 12:12-26). We are commanded to love one another as brothers and sisters of the heavenly household of God. We are to love one another earnestly (1 Peter 4:8). We are commanded to "Let brotherly love continue" (Hebrews 13:3) - which implies that it already exists. So in light of this prevalent command in Scripture, I think that we ought to attempt (when possible) to engage in these types of tender, kind, loving, stern, God-exalting, Christ-centered disputes, not run from them.
It is my hope that we Christians, from assorted denominational backgrounds, can in fact put our differences on the table and "link arms around the gospel" so that we all might grow in the knowledge of our great God and Savior who "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24). One day soon we will all be standing before King Jesus. And I hope that none of us will be ashamed of our dealings with our brethren in this lifetime.
Lord help us!
Maranatha!
posted by Austin | 12:41 AM
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