Thursday, July 4, 2013
Unity in Diversity, Part 2 of 33
TEXT: "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not the person who eats despise the individual who does not eat, and let not the person who does not eat judge the one who eats; for God has received that individual" (Romans 14:1-3).
IDEA: Christians must live in love, but that does not mean that they will not disagree, and disagree strongly, with each other.
PURPOSE: When Christians disagree, we disagree with our emotions as well as our minds, and we look down on others who do not see issues as we do.
Have you ever looked at a married couple you think has an “ideal” marriage, and then discovered that they fight with one another? Your dream of the “perfect dream marriage” was smashed in pieces.
Very similar feelings are directed at the Christian church. Many people in society have idealized the church as a place that is different from the rest of the world. While it is true that we should be different, that can also place unspeakable burdens on Christians.
One burden: Many people inside and outside the church expect the church to be free from arguing, struggles, and in-fighting. After all, we talk a lot about love, meekness, submission, and humility. Unfortunately, these people have a view of the church like an ideal of marriage that is merely romantic sentimentality.
Christians have intense struggles over doctrines, ethics, and proper behavior--differences which are not incompatible with love and humility. It is simply not true that Christians who love each other cannot disagree, and disagree passionately. There are disagreements reflected in the New Testament.
Christians can disagree about God’s purposes. Jesus said to Peter quite un-sentimentally, “Get behind me, Satan. You don’t appreciate the things of God, but the things of men.” Yet Jesus didn’t give up on Peter.
Christians may disagree about strategy. Paul and Barnabas had a “sharp disagreement” about taking Mark on a second missionary journey because he had quit early in the first one [Paul was goal-oriented, whereas Barnabas was a “people person.”] In fact, they parted company over the issue.
It might be worth noting that Paul didn’t hold a grudge against either Barnabas or Mark.
In 1 Corinthians 9:6 Paul singles out Barnabas as setting a noble example to support himself in the ministry.
By the end of his life, Paul had come to admire Mark. He was one of those with him during his first imprisonment [Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24]. By the end of his life, Paul had come to value Mark so much that he asked him to come to be with him during his final days on earth.
Christians may disagree about doctrine. Paul withstood Peter “to his face” because of conduct that betrayed his beliefs [Galatians
2:11-13].
The question is not whether there will be disagreements in marriages or In the church. That is a given The question is: How do we deal with disagreements?
