This semester I’ve been studying the history of the early church. A key value of the early church, starting from the days of the disciples and Paul, was that of unity. The church believed they needed to be unified in all major beliefs or doctrines and in practice. Threats to this unity were dealt with swiftly. It didn't always work - and eventually it all fell apart - but in the beginning, they worked diligently to keep everyone on the same page.
I imagine those early church leaders would be horrified to know how divided our church is today. That which they fought so hard for in the first centuries has been lost. There are over 200 different Christian denominations in the U.S. alone, and thousands of different denominations as you look across the globe. There are non-denominational churches who don't claim any particular denomination. There are churches that start-up under a pastor without any type of formal leadership or governing council, and then there are others who still ascribe to a specific hierarchical structure. There are extremely different doctrines or beliefs, and extremely different practices as you go denomination to denomination.
Unity is no longer a thing.
I’ve been thinking about these divisions a lot. I've been thinking about the reasons that have been used to justify all these divisions. Some of them are significant - such as splitting due to corruption or sin-issues. Some of them are humanitarian issues, like splitting over whether or not women should be viewed as equal to men and hold leadership roles or not. Most recently, churches have been split over the issue of LGBTQ+ Christians.
Some of the reasons, however, have been pure hubris and stubbornness. Fighting over musical styles, or beliefs about the end times, or whether or not leaders should be allowed to marry.
I don't know if it is possible to unify the church into one. I suspect, it is not. We cannot even agree on the core central issues. We cannot agree on what is essential, and what is extra.
We cannot agree on the salvation issues.
Salvation issues are the things the Bible says we must get right in order to find salvation in Jesus. The gospel accounts and the New Testament writings tell us salvation is found in Jesus Christ, that He alone paved the way for us to be returned to a right relationship with God. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
What is faith, though?
There is no word in the Greek and Hebrew languages for faith meaning mental belief only. Faith, in the original languages, always implies action. It always implies a change in a person's thoughts, words, and behaviors.
It’s one thing to say, I believe that if I sat on that chair, it would hold my weight. It is another thing entirely to go and sit on that chair and demonstrate that faith.
This silly example shows the kind of faith the Bible talks about. It's not merely about listening and believing in our hearts. It's about putting that faith into action.
The Old Testament tells us faith in action means implementing God's justice and compassion. God repeatedly expresses His heart for the most vulnerable. Israel is chastised and indeed judged for forsaking the orphans, the widows, the foreigners, and the most vulnerable among them. They are chastised for their injustice towards the most marginalized. Their lack of action to protect the marginalized as well as their direct exploitation of the marginalized leads to some of the harshest judgements God inflicts on them. They lose the blessing over them when they do not care for the least of these.
In Micah 6:8, the prophet says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Not mere belief. Belief... in action.
When Jesus walked on earth, He was constantly seeking out, loving on, and helping the marginalized. The vulnerable. The suffering. The outcast. He modeled for us what God kept telling the people to do in the Old Testament. Love the least of these.
Jesus says in Matthew 25 that the ones who will gain salvation are those who care for the least of these. It’s not just "I care about them so I’m gonna send thoughts and prayers". It is "I care about them so I’m going to feed them and clothe them and visit them in prison and welcome them into my community." This is where Jesus' heart lay.
If we want to be like Jesus, we must go where He went. To the marginalized. To the vulnerable. To the suffering. To the outcast. This is what He commands us to.
When asked the greatest commandments overall, Jesus named two, and said they summarized all the rest of the law.
First: Love God. Love God above all others, with no other idols, nothing else, above Him. Not yourself not your spouse not your kids not your wealth not your possessions not your country not your political party. God alone.
And: Love others. Serve others. Show your faith in how you speak and what you do and how you behave towards others. Be known by your love.
These are salvation issues.
Everything else is just... details.
So some people in the church believe Christ will return before the tribulation and others after the tribulation. Do we need to spend time arguing about that? I don’t think so. Does it really matter in the end? We will find out one way or another but that does not affect one's salvation.
Is one's salvation affected by believing Genesis is a literal account versus an allegorical account? No. It’s not.
Does one's salvation depend on if we play the organ versus a guitar in church? No!
Does one's salvation depend on if we vote red or blue? No.
Does one's salvation depend on who is the president? NO.
Does one's salvation depend upon how we treat others? According to Matthew 25, yes, yes, it does.
Not that loving others earns us salvation, our salvation is still by grace alone. BUT loving others is a product of our salvation. If we are not loving others, we may not truly be right with God.
Consider 1 John 4:20, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."
James says our "religion is worthless" when we hear but don't do.
Is your religion worthless?
I believe all issues of doctrine and practice should be viewed through the greatest commandments. Is this loving God? Is this loving others? If not, perhaps we have mis-stepped somewhere!
We need to stop fighting over things which do not matter and start doing the things that actually do matter.
I think too many churches and too many sermons are wasted on talking about things that simply do not matter. We need to focus on what matters most to God if we are ever going to see a revival in this country and in the world.
Teach people God's Word. Teach them how to read God's Word and study it for themselves. Teach them how to pray God's Word. Teach them the importance of knowing it. The majority of Christians never read it for themselves - this has to change.
Teach people to love God better and to put Him first. Teach them to identify their "idols" and cast them aside. They are not likely to be made of gold or stone in this day and age.
Teach people to love others better and to care for the most in need. Be practical. Take church field trips. Bring in speakers from various walks of life. Break people out of the comfort bubble. Talk about difficult issues. Share ways to make a real difference.
These are the salvation issues: Love God. Love others. Belief put in action.
In the end, not much else will truly matter.
Add comment
Comments