Watch this video. It’s our twin grandsons, Elliott and Samuel, two Thursdays ago, “meeting” each other for the very first time. I promise it will be the best 25-seconds of your day.
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I love listening to Cowboys fans after Dallas beats a really bad team. All they need to do is go on a run. It’s finally coming together. This is the catalyst. The Cowboys got their fourth win the Monday before Thanksgiving week–seems kinda late. The four wins have come against the Raiders (2-8), the Jets (2-8), the Giants (2-9), and Washington (3-8). Monday was the only game all year Dallas held an opponent to under 20 points. Next up, Dallas plays the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, and Chargers. In that order. Yeah, they’re about to go on a run all right.
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Today’s post is a bit of an aside in our conversation this week about Christian unity and accepting our brothers and sisters in Christ and refusing to judge other Christians or churches according to beliefs or practices that may differ from mine or yours. This is a suggestion. I believe this is a good idea for all of us. It’s at least something to consider.
Stop saying “salvation issue.”
Most Christians I know agree that we should not divide over “disputable matters” or “matters of opinion.” The problem, as we discussed here yesterday, comes when people believe a disputable matter is actually a matter of doctrine or faith. Many Christians I know call it a “salvation issue.”
When we start talking about “salvation issues,” we rank things in order of importance to God and according to what’s going to save us and what’s going to condemn us. We talk about baptism and church and communion and worship. But we don’t talk about helping the poor or loving our enemies or forgiving others, which the Bible says are actually the more important matters. Jesus calls those things the weightier matters. So, at best, we have a misunderstanding of the things that are most important to God or, at worst, we’re really only concerned with what’s important to us.
If we insist on using the term, I would suggest that all things are “salvation issues.” Everything is a “salvation issue.” Whether a church has a kitchen or not is a “salvation issue,” not because the kitchen is right or wrong, but because of how you treat people who feel differently about it than you do.
Give me a break. You people who don’t have kitchens in your churches. Grow up. You’re so legalistic and patternistic. You’re like the Pharisees. You’re more worried about the things of man than the things of God. Big picture, man. When are y’all going to get serious about the Kingdom of God?
You people who have kitchens in your churches. I guess you’ll do anything. You see any church kitchens in the Bible? I guess the Bible doesn’t mean as much to you as it does to me. You let the culture dictate everything in your church? When are y’all going to get serious about the Scriptures?
See how kitchens is a “salvation issue?” Not the kitchen itself, but your heart. Your attitude.
We won’t fellowship a church because they sing different songs or pray different prayers than we do or we won’t accept a group of Christians because they understand baptism differently than we do, but we’re okay with lying to our customers or cheating on our spouse or ignoring the poor. We should stop saying “salvation issue” because we don’t do a good job with it. We use that term to categorize what issues are important or not important to us based on our own preferences and opinions. The “salvation issue” is your attitude when you and another Christian disagree on anything.
“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God.” ~Romans 14:17
Romans 14-15 is calling for unity in spirit, not unity in opinion, not unity in practice, not even unity in belief. Unity in spirit so that “with one heart and mouth” we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace,
Allan
I don’t have a lot of time (:)) so i’ll be brief. Can a person be a Christian while refusing to judge at all? Can a person accept the Apostles’ Creed in total while refusing to form an opinion as to the salvation status of any other person?
In the interest of brevity, I would see refusing to judge and holding opinions as two separate things. I think the Scriptures call us to be discerning about our beliefs and practices and the beliefs and practices of others. But we still recognize that only one is qualified to eternally judge, and it’s not you or me. I can believe that a person who stubbornly, pridefully, and continually rejects Christ Jesus as Lord has sealed his own fate for an eternity of separation from God. But I also understand that ultimate call is not mine. I have an opinion–a strongly held one–but it doesn’t keep me from praying that God would show his incredible mercy and amazing grace to that person.
Let’s omit “judge” as too theologically charged. Can a person accept the Apostles’ Creed in total while refusing to form an opinion as to the salvation status of any other person?
I am probably misunderstanding your question. I think it’s impossible for a serious disciple of Jesus to not form opinions as to another person’s salvation status when it comes to matters of doctrine and orthodoxy as established by Scripture and the Apostles’ Creed. But none of us has the credentials as the ultimate judge.
I used to think that one could not control one’s opinions. I now think one has total control over one’s opinions. In you, this matter appears to be unsettled.
I would assume you would agree with me that it is fundamental to Christianity that one can control whether one believes in God or believes that Jesus is his son, or that Jesus died for our sins or arose on the third day. Heaven and hell make no sense otherwise. I would further assume you would agree with me that people can control their opinion as to whether any or all of the above are “salvation issues” or whether baptism or music is a salvation issue.
Yet you claim to be unable to control your opinion as to the salvation status of another. What am I missing here? It appears to me that if one can control one’s opinion as to whether or not a thing is a “salvation issue” one can also control one’s opinion as to a person’s salvation status.
Having deep convictions about the Gospel and unshakeable beliefs about what God is doing in Jesus Christ naturally results in having opinions about a person’s own salvation and the salvation of others. The two are inseparable.
I think we agree?