Winning the Battle - Losing the War

Division may take away from the gospel

Do you ever feel like regardless of how many battles you win, you still lose the war?  I have been thinking about how many subjects/topics divide us as God's children. The vast topics of discussion that divide us are excessive. It is really depressing that we don’t find more things we can unite on. Contention oftentimes brings unnecessary strife between us. In a recent heated discussion on an important social/political topic, I found myself at odds with many whom I love. I have been reflecting on this all week. Have I lost the art of disagreeing in love with respect for others viewpoints? Even the church is divided on many things. That’s why we have denominations such as Baptists and Presbyterians. Not in all cases, but in most cases all the various denominations, or as I prefer to call them,” divisions,” basically agree on the important aspects of salvation, but disagree on minor theological points.

What unites us

Ephesians 2:8 basically sums up what much of the church can unite around. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  Are we not a family?  Something the Lord has reminded me of this week is that it is not my job to convince anyone of anything. Conversely, it is the Holy Spirit's job to win hearts. It is also not my job to forcibly convince others of what position they should take on issues, how they should act, or what makes them a good witness. It's not wrong to address topics in a spirit of love and correction, but the spirit of rebellion stirs like a mighty wind in the hearts of those who sense you are shoving your convictions down their throats. Let the Holy Spirit stir their hearts. Paul refers to this process as “the renewing of mind” and in Romans 12 refers to the pressure of the world to conform us into its image, whereas we should, in fact, be “transformed through the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2). This process does not only liberate us, but it changes us from the inside out. 1st Peter 3:15-16 says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

 It is far better, in my humble opinion, to not waste much time, energy, and strength dividing over things that don’t have anything to do with the gospel. There are many ways people attack the gospel. Some attack it by attacking the Bible’s legitimacy or accuracy, some attack the gospel with their bad theology specifically related to salvation, and others attack the gospel through many other methods. The point is, abortion or gun control rights have nothing to do with salvation or the gospel message. There are far too many things we can divide on, and not enough things for us to unite on.  That is partially why it is imperative to consider whether or not something is worth dividing over. We can still have our opinions about gun control, taxes, or our theology. We can share them with others. It is right to speak out for things you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit on. If you feel led to speak about social/political issues, then you should. But we must be cautious that speak out in love with respect towards opposing opinions. We want to be a light in a dark world. We can win the battle, but ultimately if someone loses their soul because we misrepresent the gospel, we lose the war. If our goal is to glorify God in our representation of Him, we ought to take great care and discipline our tongue and actions so that we represent in love. And when I say (we), I mostly mean (I).

Majoring in the minors

There is a very common expression in Christian circles used to (pardon the expression) shut the mouths of those who would dare speak out against evil, “majoring in the minors.”  Jesus accused the Pharisees of majoring in the minors in Matthew 23:24, which reads, “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”  The gnat being the smaller issues such as things not pertaining to salvation, and the camel being weightier issues such as those pertaining to the gospel.  I believe and I will continue to talk about and press people on anything that can take away from or add to the gospel. But, I think it is very important to not allow one’s self to be overly caught up in the minors (social/political issues, theological differences, parts of the mosaic law, etc.). Once more, I am not condemning speaking out on sinful actions or social topics of interest in today's culture, but I am declaring that we should always have the cross in mind when doing so. I rigorously defend against those who attack Jesus deity,  those who attack the Bible making any number of ludicrous claims that it is untrue, flawed, not God’s word, etc., and against those who add to or take away from the gospel in their theology. An attack on Jesus, the Bible, or anything else that relates to our salvation is something worth fighting for. I don’t want anyone to be turned off to the saving gospel message due to a lie or false belief in anything related to our salvation. Nothing in life is more important than our salvation. God is the God of the impossible. We don’t need to convince others whether or not social/political issues are right or wrong. Once the Lord is able to procure salvation for someone, He who can do the impossible, can change anyone’s heart on any topic.

Sowing discord

Those who sow discord are harming the cause, rather than fighting for it. The Lord hates those who sow discord. Yes, I said, “hates.” The Lord loves things and hates things just as we do. He hates to be misrepresented and he hates those who bring about strife amongst us. Proverbs 19:5 says, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.”  Proverbs 6:19 speaks in reference to the 6 things God hates and the 7 things which are an abomination to him. The verse reads, “A false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”   I think some of our intentions are honorable when we misrepresent the Lord. I think sometimes we sow discord among our brothers and sisters unintentionally.  I know that I have on occasion. I, myself, need to be more mindful of these things. I do not want to sow discord or misrepresent the God I love and want to share with others.

Conclusion

I am not concluding that we ignore the minor topics.  For myself, I realize that I make too big of a deal out of things that are not the most important things to worry about or defend. The bible teaches us many things. None of us do everything the Bible teaches us. The guidelines we follow as Christians might not be the best guidelines for everyone else. Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” This is not a post saying it is wrong to judge others, I cover that topic here. However, we are to judge people and behaviors righteously. This means in the spirit of correction and in love with respect. Would you allow your child to climb on the rail at Niagara Falls?  Or would you judge that situation to be unsafe and potentially deadly for your child? Wouldn't you lovingly teach your child that something is unsafe if their life depended on it? It is that same spirit of correction we need to have when we discuss minor social/political topics or major topics where someone's salvation is literally at stake. John 7:24 says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. He further stated that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbors. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us, ""But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Praying for someone is an act of love. 1 Peter 3:9 says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Loving those who insult you is how Jesus deals with people. I'm sure we all remember, when Jesus was on the cross, He called out to His Father and said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  That, my friends, is true love. That is how we ought to respond to avoid causing discord among others. I like the NLT version of 1 Corinthians 13:7, which says, "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

The point is, we all answer to God in the end for all our own actions. We (you and I) all stand or fall before the Lord on judgment day. He is our master, and we will either stand or fall before Him. I don’t want to have to answer for turning anyone away from the gospel due to holding such a strong opinion on a topic not related to one’s salvation. In all things we do, our motivation should be to bring glory to God. Ask yourself before you do or say anything if it will bring glory to God. If you cannot answer yes, then do not say or do it. If you can answer yes, that you can be sure that you are doing it in love with respect in the spirit of correction properly representing the Lord, Jesus Christ.