Debates and arguments?

My first experience with a ‘flood’ happened on the second floor of our townhouse in a complex called (no kidding) “The Summit.” It was the morning after a heavy rain. I got out of bed and when my bare feet hit the carpet, it splashed!

Turned out that the driving rain pushed in through an improperly sealed window flashing and put two inches of water on our top story bedroom floor. After ripping up the carpet, an industrial vacuum cleaner and a few fans dried up the mess.

This bit of water is nothing compared to flood losses around the world. My sister lives in a town that had water up to the roof in its downtown area and water covering the houses in one subdivision. Many Asian lands and other place are hit by monsoon rains that devastate communities, never mind the tsunamis that destroy lives and properties.

This morning I read the promise God made after the great flood in Noah’s time. He said He would never again destroy the whole earth with water and the rainbow was our sign of that promise. My thoughts went to the denials concerning this flood. Historians argue that it never happened even though many ancient cultures tell flood stories. The Bible’s veracity again is questioned. Was this a real event or not?

The flood is not the only thing that is debated. During the New Testament times, two religious groups disagreed about other things said in the Word of God. When Paul was mobbed by a crowd, he actually used this to sidetrack his accusers . . .  

Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. (Acts 23:6–8)

This debate caused division just as the flood debate does. Add to the mix the Creation story and other biblical accounts and humanity seems bent on finding reasons to doubt anything God says.

Many who believe the Word of God can produce evidence that supports its history and specific details, but that old adage comes into play: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Jesus knew the main reason people rejected His Word. It was not about evidence, scientific proof, reasoning or needing to be convinced by facts. Instead, it was simply, “I will not have this man rule over me.” They didn’t want Jesus telling them what to do for the same reason they disobeyed God throughout their history. He said to them . . .

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23)

They were interested only in appearing righteous, in having the power that went with being religious leaders. They were not interested in doing the important things that God asked of them. Debating the reality of biblical statements was a smokescreen, their attempt to cover the reality of their sinful hearts.

It is risky to say this, and perhaps not always true, but from what I see in the NT, the human heart will go to great lengths to avoid giving up sin or even admitting it exists. Arguing about the reality of the flood, the virgin birth, the dying and resurrection of the Messiah, the existence of angels, and so on, are side issues. Jesus nails the real problem:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:17–20)

Jesus, I do not like bright light either, at least the kind that exposes the sinfulness of my heart. However, there is another kind of light that is precious. John wrote about it also:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7)

The song says, “Shine Jesus shine” asking You to fill the earth with the Father’s glory, the light that transforms our lives. Thank You for faith that knows Your word is true — all of it, from that incredible flood story through OT history to the wonder of Your appearance and all NT events. Arguing is pointless.

Peace, be still . . .

After reading another argument for ‘limited atonement’ in today’s devotional, I searched several commentaries and theology books to see if there is a reasonable way to think about this issue. I didn’t expect much because theologians have debated it for years, but I did find two very satisfactory articles that put my mind to rest.

First, the Bible gives verses that support all views, but all agree that Christ died to reconcile us to God and sinners must accept what He has done and put their faith in Jesus Christ. One viewpoint assumes that if Christ died for all but some do not believe, then His death was not sufficient. This means their sin is punished twice. , once on Christ and again on the person who perishes. (Hang in there, the second article is a sigh of relief.)

To this assumption, one article asks this question: Did the Israelite who refused to apply the Passover blood to the door of his house have his sins paid for twice? When the Passover Lamb was killed, sins were covered, but if he did not put the blood on the door, death came to that house. Was this a second payment for his sins? Of course not. The first and sufficient payment was simply not applied to that house. Death after failure to apply the blood was a just retribution for not appropriating the sufficient sacrifice. Then this author says the atonement of Christ paid for the sins of the whole world, but the individual must appropriate that payment through faith. He quotes these verses:

“In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

Briefly, it says ‘the world was reconciled to God, but those reconciled people need to be reconciled to God.’ The death of Christ pays for all the sins of all people. However, no individual has his account settled with God until he believes. If he never believes, then even though the price has been fully paid, he cannot enter into the glory of forgiveness. The death of Christ is like a wealthy benefactor paying the tuitions of all students in all schools everywhere. If that happened, what should we be telling students? The good news that their tuitions are paid. Christ died for all. Then what should we be telling the world?

Not everyone accepts that approach, but the second article settles this in my mind. I’ve slightly edited it just to shorten it a little. The author says:

“Finally, we may ask why this matter is so important after all . . . it would be healthy to realize that Scripture itself never singles this out as a doctrine of major importance, nor does it once make it the subject of any explicit theological discussion. Our knowledge of the issue comes only from incidental references to it in passages whose concern is with other doctrinal or practical matters . . . A balanced pastoral perspective would seem to be to say that this teaching of particular (limited) redemption seems to us to be true, that it gives logical consistency to our theological system, and that it can be helpful in assuring people of Christ’s love for them individually and of the completeness of his redemptive work for them; but that it also is a subject that almost inevitably leads to some confusion, some misunderstanding, and often some wrongful argumentativeness and divisiveness among God’s people—all of which are negative pastoral considerations. Perhaps that is why the apostles such as John and Peter and Paul, in their wisdom, placed almost no emphasis on this question at all. And perhaps we would do well to ponder their example.” (Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.)

There are biblical truths that are revealed yet other issues that are unclear and best left until God chooses to make them plain. He does exhort us to unity and to love one another, not argue issues that we don’t understand or cannot reconcile. As the first author quoted put it, what are we supposed to be telling people, that ‘Christ only died for some people’ or that ‘Christ died for your sins’?

^^^^^^

Jesus, today’s devotional does not give me anything that helps me in a practical sense other than I love You because You died for my sin and saved me, and that I need to stop reacting to the idea of limited atonement and get on with sharing the good news of what You have done, and rejoicing in the fact that You are God and You know what You are doing!

Love conquers division

Differing beliefs can divide people, including Christians. We disagree on how and when the Second Coming will happen (even though Jesus said no one will know when that will happen!). We disagree on other less important issues too. One of them concerns spiritual gifts, particularly healing, miracles, and speaking in tongues. Sad but true, those on each end of the spectrum can become insistent and vocal about their stance.

It seems strange that we can be different from one another on many other issues and still be united in Christ and worship together, yet these issues have split churches. I’m not certain I have any special insight on this, but I do know one thing: such polarity is not from God.

As for the spiritual gifts argument, we do agree that these gifts are from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear on that in several passages, including this one:

“It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:3–4)

Nevertheless, the church in Corinth had problems with these gifts. They had them, but fought about who had the ‘greatest’ gifts. Right away, that reveals pride. I know from Scripture and from personal experience that pride has a way of blinding my eyes so I cannot see where I’ve gone wrong. Pride convinces me that I cannot make mistakes. This is folly. In that early church it was also folly and needed some strong admonition. Paul wrote at least two letters to them to correct their errors. In regard to the gifts, he said . . .

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 12:29–13:13)

Some think that “we know in part . . .  but when the perfect comes” refers to the completed Bible. Yet how did Paul even know that part of the future? And if “knowing in part” equals a body of believers without a New Testament yet living for Christ as they did, how can we who have the entire Bible claim to be “perfect” when we fight over what that Bible says and means?

Others insist that these verses mean prophetic gifts and tongues will pass away, but it does not say when, only that sometime in the future, perfect will come and partially perfect will pass away. Using this passage to argue it has already happened seems to miss the point. Paul is telling the Christians at Corinth (and us today) to drop pride and stop thinking some gifts make you a better Christian than others. Those gifts are from God, not the recipient. The bottom line: all should be excelling in love for one another!

Regardless of my understanding of these matters, I realize that arguing about them is folly. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum and thought at the time that those at the other end were fakes and deceivers. Now I realize that this is also foolish because this is not a soapbox issue. To make it one is not God’s idea. He unifies us in Christ. It is the liar called Satan who divides.

The devil’s tool is pride. If he can get me to assume I am correct and everyone else does not know what they are talking about causes serious rifts. Pride cuts apart the Body of Christ. It separates me from trusting in the Holy Spirit to give me gifts that I seriously need, such as the most important gift: the loving patience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, You are not at all concerned about our differences. You are far more interested in uniting us through love, joy, peace and the other character qualities of Your Spirit. Sometimes we are right, sometimes we are wrong, but that never interferes with Your love for us. May it be true also of our love for each other.