PRIORITIES & DOUBTFUL DISPUTATIONS

 

PRIORITIES & DOUBTFUL DISPUTATIONS

In 1453 the troops of Mahomet II surrounded Constantinople, and while it was being determined whether the Balkans would be under Christian or Muslim dominion for centuries to come a local church council in the besieged city was busy discussing important issues, such as: What colour are the holy virgin's eyes? What gender are angels? If a fly happens to fall in Holy Water is the fly sanctified or is the water polluted? It is possible that this is merely a legend, but my experience with religious people makes me tend to believe it is probably true. In evangelical Christian circles issues and questions just as trivial are often made into major issues while more important matters are neglected or ignored, and all too many either adopt an anything goes philosophy or are against so much that they are not really for anything.

By definition a cult is legalistic, but legalism (self-righteousness) is not limited to cults, and many evangelicals are just as legalistic as the cults. Legalism involves more than salvation by works; a believer who insists that believers must conform to his group’s arbitrary rules or extrabiblical taboos to live a life pleasing to God is a legalist.

This is another reason it is so important that a church adhere to Matthew 18:15 to settle personal differences and avoid the problem of gossip. Offenses often turn out to be misunderstandings that are easily resolved through personal discussion. All too often offenses are not actual sins but are just Christians being hypersensitive to violations of their personal preferences or extrabiblical taboos, or disagreements with their pet theories, and preferring to cry to the pastor and the grapevine rather than confront the one that “offended” them.

Instead of viewing sanctification as a means to an end, that is, preparation for service, holiness standards often become an end in themselves. Both the anti-everything mindset and the anything-goes philosophy are wrong. (Ecclesiastes 7:16; Isaiah 5:20-21) It is not wrong for a Christian to hold to various personal convictions or traditions, but it is important to be careful not to let personal opinions and preferences negatively impact Christian fellowship, to remember that it is often possible to be tolerant without compromise, and it is important to remember that there is a difference between purity and maturity. (Romans 14:1-19; Ephesians 4:1-3. Incidentally, liberals often use Romans 14 to condemn church discipline, but Romans 14 deals with conscientious differences of opinion which are often inevitable due to differences in background and culture.)

Consider your response to a few examples:

·        A large satanic church offers animal sacrifices to Satan on a regular basis, after which the meat is sold to Joe’s Butcher Shop where Joe sells it for $2.00 per pound. George buys meat from Bob’s Meat Market at $2.50 per pound because Bob only buys meat from Christian farmers and George would feel that he was supporting idolatry if he bought from Joe’s Butcher Shop. John buys from Joe’s Butcher Shop because he is careful about the family budget and buying from Joe’s Butcher Shop is not participating in idolatry. Which brother is doing right, and which brother is sinning? (Both are correctly applying Bible teachings.) Food for thought: What does the Bible say about eating food/meat that has been sacrificed to idols?

·        Is it a sin to go fishing on Sunday if this does not interfere with church attendance and other duties? Food for thought: What does the bible say about fishing on Sunday?

·        Is it always a sin to divorce, and is it always a sin for a divorced person to remarry? Food for thought: What Does the Bible Say about Remarriage?  

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE 

·        Is it a sin to dine at a restaurant that just happens to serve alcoholic beverages?

·        Is it a sin to drink alcohol as a beverage in any amount? Food for thought: Did Jesus change the water into wine or grape juice? (Incidentally, while drunkenness gets notoriety, the vast majority of people who drink alcohol as a beverage drink moderately. Yes, there have been studies on this.)

·        Is it sinful to celebrate religious holidays? (Romans 14:5-6) Food for thought: Should a Christian celebrate holidays?

·        What standards or factors should determine whether two unmarried Christians of the opposite sex should date or marry? (Not saying there aren’t any) Food for thought: Pursue Complementarity, Not Compatibility 

·        Is it immoral or dangerous for first cousins to marry? Food for thought: The Surprising Truth About Cousins and Marriage

·        How long should youths be required to attend school, and how old should they be before allowed to marry? Food for thought: Does the Bible say what is the proper age for marriage?  Abolish Adolescence!  Childish labor laws

·        Are you unable to enjoy fellowship with a dedicated, Bible-believing, born-again Christian if his interpretation of a difficult passage of Bible prophecy differs from your interpretation? (e.g., Revelation 20; etc.) Food for thought: Comparison between the four main views of the millennium in eschatology  THE RAPTURE PROBLEM

These are just a few examples of conscientious differences of opinion. Remember, this is not about standards you set for yourself or standards the head of a household may set for his family; this is about respecting conscientious differences of opinion.

Along with regular Bible reading and study, making a habit of applying these questions to specific beliefs, teachings, and issues will help you discern between truth and falsehood, and help you distinguish between moral or doctrinal absolutes and conscientious differences of opinion: Have you prayerfully studied to learn what the Bible teaches about this, and what would be your response if an unbeliever asked why you believe this or why this is true or false or right or wrong? (Proverbs 2:6; 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 2:14-15; 3:16-17) How important is this in relation to other matters and what Bible truths and principles or standards apply? (Matthew 23:24; Romans 14; 1 Timothy 1:5-7) Was this true in the distant past and will this still be true in the distant future? (Psalm 33:11; 119:89; Proverbs 19:21; Ecclesiastes 1:9-10) What is the origin of this teaching? Can this be verified with Scripture, or is it necessary to use the arguments of the world? (Psalm 33:10; Isaiah 8:20: Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 1:20; 2:5; Colossians 1:9; 2:8)

The separation taught in the Bible is separation unto God and godly distinctions, conduct, and relationships within society (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:3-11; 1 Timothy 3:7; 1 Peter 2:11-12), and worldliness is the spirit of the age or the mindset of wicked human society. (Romans 12:2; Colossians 2:8) For example, is it sin for a woman to dye her hair purple? If she does this in defiance of headship (father or husband) it would be rebellion and thus be worldly, or if this identifies her as available for sexual immorality in the culture in which she lives it could be considered worldly. Otherwise, it would simply be a matter of preference.

Are all secular amusements evil? (1 Corinthians 7:31) Being secular does not necessarily mean that something is evil. (Psalm 24:1; 33:5; Acts 17:24) For example, note the Apostle Paul's use of quotations from Greek plays in 1 Corinthians 15:33 & Titus 1:12.

It is important to study to learn what Scripture clearly says and pay attention to context, grammar, and the meanings of words. (2 Timothy 2:14-15) Consider: If you ignore the context of Genesis 6:14-17 it could appear that a Christian has a duty to build an ark in preparation for the coming worldwide deluge. In Bible times, it was customary for men to greet by kissing each other on the cheek and this was equivalent to a handshake in our culture; ignoring this detail could make 1 Thessalonians 5:26 & 1 Peter 5:14 appear to mean that on Sunday mornings you are supposed to kiss all the brethren at your church.

Let us suppose that I repaired, restored, or rebuilt an automobile, and got all the details correct and got everything in good working order except for leaving the fuel line uninstalled or disconnected. How far would I be able to travel with it? Not far. What might happen if I put everything together right except for leaving the brake lines disconnected? I might be able to travel faster but disaster would be inevitable. However, if the only thing neglected was a decal or a passenger side windshield wiper blade screw it could serve me well. We need to be careful to focus on the right priorities and major concerns and avoid chasing rabbits.

Watch: Dr. Morey: What is worldliness?