|
Acceptance without Compromise
by Richard A. Wiedenheft Many Christians, and many Sabbathkeepers in particular, are very zealous for truth and for obedience to God. Commendable attitudes indeed! But we are often shackled by our own zeal. We become so concerned with doctrinal correctness that we neglect to love! Please don't misunderstand; I am all for truth and for proper doctrines. But we can become so preoccupied with these that we neglect even greater truths — love for brethren, unity of spirit, oneness in Christ.
Diversity among Christians At the heart of our problem is the fact that there are so many different points of view and practice among those who claim to follower of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul experienced a very similar situation. In practically every city there were new Christians who had come from different backgrounds. Some were Jews who continued to be very zealous for the law of Moses (Acts 21:20). Other Jews were more moderate. Then there were Gentiles who had previously been adherents to the Jewish religion. There were Gentiles who came out of paganism. It was quite a hodgepodge! The New Testament reveals differences and conflicts in the churches at Colosse, in Galatia, Corinth, and Rome. How Paul dealt with these situations can be very instructive to us today.
Message of Romans 14 From what we learn in Romans 14, there were differences of practice among the Romans relative to avoiding meat (perhaps because of concern that it had been sacrificed to an idol), and observance of certain days (perhaps special feast or fast days). Though we don't know too many of the details, we do know that Paul could so easily have straightened things out. He could simply have given them a formula for each problem. But he didn't. Because there was an even more important truth involved: don't judge your brother! Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters . . . . 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. . . . You then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. . .. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:1, 4, 10, 13).
Dealing with modern differences Among Christians today the situation is very similar. We have those who are vegetarians and those who eat meat, those who drink wine and those who abstain, those who wear makeup and jewelry and those who don't, those who observe annual feasts and those who don't, those who observe non-Biblical holidays and those who refuse, those who use the sacred names Yahweh and Yahshuah instead of God and Jesus and those who don't. On and on we could go! Yet in the face of all the differences of practice and doctrinal belief among Christians we are exhorted by Scripture to have unity of spirit: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit . . ." (Ephesians 4:3). But how can we find unity when there are so many divisions and differences? How can we minister effectively to the world and to one another if we are so divided and can't even agree among ourselves? How can we hope to someday be presented as one bride to Jesus Christ if we are hostile and judgmental and condemning of one another? People answer these important questions in several ways. Some look at all the conflict among Christians, throw up their hands and leave religion altogether! They become atheists, agnostics, or merely believe in a God but nothing more. Others deal with the lack of unity by drawing a box around themselves and their particular set of beliefs. They insist that they only have the truth, that they don't interpret the Bible like other people, they just "believe what it says." They believe they alone are the true church, that they alone are unified in spirit. Of course they must close their eyes to so much of the working of God that is going on outside their organization and keep their heads buried in the sand. And they can't ask too many questions or think too much or they're likely to learn something new—and discover that they were wrong about something. But there is another way for Christians to have unity even in spite of all their differences--and that is the answer found in Romans 14: accept your brother for whom Christ died! We can be one in spirit, in faith, in hope, even though we have differences in practice, belief, and organization—if we learn and practice the truth about acceptance and love—if we recognize that God is running the show, that He is in control of His church, that He is leading each of us step by step, and that all of us see through a glass darkly—probably to a greater degree that we would care to know!
Why we judge others There are a number of reasons that we tend to condemn those who don't believe exactly as we do: 1. We place a very high value on truth and on obedience.
2. Two value thinking: if I'm right on this question, then everyone else is wrong. If it's right for me it's right for everyone.
3. We view God in terms of rules, not in terms of a relationship.
One body, many members The book of 1 Corinthians teaches a powerful lesson in regard to the body of Christ, the church. And it is not a picture of a homogeneous mass — but of a variegated body, with each member functioning effectively to do what other members cannot do. Just like the human body has eyes for seeing, feet for walking, fingers for grasping, so the spiritual body has many different parts—parts that function for differentpurposes and with different methods to serve one God. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. . . . The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. . . . The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable (1 Corinthians 12:4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 21, 22). We can be so quick to consider ourselves as stronger, or having more truth, or being more open-minded that other Christians. But before we get too satisfied in our self-righteousness we'd better remember what Paul wrote: "Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable." God is the One — He is the only One — who sees the whole body. We see only a portion of it, and we must be very careful how we pass judgment. For however stringent we are in judging others, God will be just as stringent in judging us (Matthew 7:1-5). If we must err, let it be on the side of being too accepting of others, not on the side of being too judgmental and critical.
Acceptance doesn't mean compromise Just because you are willing to accept as a brother in Christ someone who has different beliefs than you in no ways means you are compromising your own convictions. You can continue to strongly believe in, teach, and share your own understanding of God's Word while you fellowship with, love, and respect others who have a different understanding on some points. The Apostle Paul set a terrific example for us. He was willing to be all things to all men, even unconverted men. He was willing to accept them where they were in order to win some to Christ. How much more should we be willing to accept those who are already won to Christ? Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I am become like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak, I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). Paul certainly didn't compromise with truth; but he was willing to accept people where they were. We should do the same. Sure we might have a doctrinal truth that another person doesn't. But can we accept him where he's at before we try to share it? Can we respect and understand his views before we try to share ours? Can we realize that there are many things more important than most of the doctrinal issues Christians argue about? Can we recognize that maybe, just maybe, since we see through a glass darkly, we could learn some truth from other Christians, even those we might consider as having less truth than ourselves? Can we let God be their Master and Teacher? Can we see ourselves as fellow servants? To love someone means to really understand them, to understand the path that has brought them to where they are, to respect them as children of God, as potential kings and priests, to empathize with them, to accept them even at their worst. We have so much to offer to the world and to one another as fellow Christians. But to be able to effectively share what we have we must learn to accept everyone where he is. Then, even though we have differences, we can grow together, we can have unity of spirit, and we will be able to effectively share with a world in great need. The Bible Advocate Press grants the user permission only to download and print this article. If the user wishes to make multiple copies, permission must be granted by the Bible Advocate Press. |
|---|
Past Issues ---- Archives
|
