Unity of the Faith

"Doctrine divides. We just love people and follow Jesus." I understand the sentiment. "Can't we all just get along?" etc. Unity. That's what Christians need. And I agree. So does the Scripture. The fourth chapter of Ephesians deals with church unity and urges God's people to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Paul then goes on to list the grounds of our unity. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. That's a lot to be united over. We can disagree about a great many things that don't amount to much in the grand scheme, but I can walk a long way with a kindred Spirit who shares these pillars of unity with me.

But is doctrine the cause of disunity? Doctrine is teaching, and in Ephesians 4:7-12, just after the call to unity, Paul tells us the risen Christ has given gifts to the church, which he urged unity. For us, it's the pastor and teacher. Christ blesses His church with men who can know, understand, and teach doctrine. This doctrine aims to build up the church to the point where we come together in "the unity of faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God." Unity in the faith and unity in the knowledge of Christ.

Unless everyone in the world believes precisely the same thing, then doctrine will unite and divide. It has to. When a pastor or teacher teaches doctrine, you define it according to Scripture. That, in turn, will unite those who believe what the Scripture says and draw a dividing line for those who don't. You will also have men who willingly deceive and preach a dangerous doctrine. Wrong doctrine is hazardous to your soul, so it's essential to learn sound doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). The unity of the faith is the doctrines of Scripture, and to put a finer point on it, it's the knowledge of Christ. If you get the gospel wrong, what you believe about the church doesn't matter to me. If you get the gospel wrong, what you think about baptism doesn't matter.

Doctrine does divide, but the answer is not to shun doctrine but to learn and teach the truth. For example, to say we will unite around love, what do we mean by love? Biblically speaking, to love God and neighbor is a law. There are specific ways we must love and ways we cannot love, so even to say the grounds of our unity revolve around loving God requires some understanding both of love and God. How can we stand together if we have different interpretations of love and different views of God? Much disunity comes not from doctrine but preferences, or even worse, preferences in doctrinal disguise. Standing for "the truth" is much easier when the truth is defined by what you like and dislike. Unity is pleasant when faithfulness is measured by friendships rather than a commitment to Christ.

Hating Yourself?

When I was young, I heard many sermons deriding the concept of "self-esteem," saying that it was unbiblical pride. Being prideful and caring for your own soul are different categories. The Bible warns us against hating ourselves in an ungodly way. Proverbs 15:32, "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

People ignore instruction and correction because of pride because they love themselves. No one likes to be wrong. It's even worse when and when someone wants us back on the right track and tells us how to get there. The natural response of our fallen nature is to fight back because no one wants to be wrong. We feel like we are being attacked and then defend ourselves. We look for holes in their argument, excuses for our wrongs, blaming others for their evil intentions and malicious attacks on us. We think we are "protecting" ourselves, but the fact is, we are destroying ourselves. Out of twisted self-love, we hate our souls.

What would you give in exchange for your soul? If you despise your soul, you are trading it off for something, or you regard something more than your soul. When you refuse correction, you exchange your tender feelings for your soul. Sure, you might admit that you have done wrong or are capable of doing wrong, but no one living is in the position to tell you that. But the fact is, most people will see through it, and it backfires. The ego you think you are protecting by never admitting fault is damaged more by never admitting guilt. When it comes to your soul, despising the correction of the law is to hate the cure of the gospel.

When someone tells you that you are wrong, what should you do? The first thing you need to do is to listen. Try to understand what the person is saying to you. A helpful hint here is to reiterate what the person is telling you. Not in a snarky, over-the-top way, but in a way that fairly represents their argument against you so that you completely understand what they are saying. Don't put words in their mouth or look for ways to dismiss it outright. Listen to what they are saying to you. Next, try and disengage from the situation and look at it objectively. That way, you can get your pride out of the picture. David could see the wrong of the rich man who took the poor man's lamb when he wouldn't see what he did to Uriah. Don't accuse the person of attacking you. Look at the situation and see if they are right. Next, find forgiveness in Christ and make corrections if you are wrong. You have grown in understanding and grace, and are now better off than before. And, if the person calling you out really was doing so to hurt you, their plan backfired because now, with their correction, they made you better.

Royal Wedding

Psalm 45 is a unique and captivating Psalm about a wedding. It's a love song. There are a lot of different views about the identity of the happy couple. In the first verse, the Psalmist sets the scene by introducing himself. "My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer." We find him sitting at his desk, pen in hand. He's deep in thought, and his heart is full and overflowing with a good topic.


We aren't given clues as to which historical king this would be. Many people think it's Solomon, but it would just be a guess. Solomon wasn't a man of war, and verse five doesn't seem to fit a man of peace. If it were important, it would be in the text. It would be a mistake to assume it's Solomon and Pharoh's daughter and interpret the Psalm from there. And since I can't get into the author's mind, we need to go by what the Bible does give us. Hebrews 1:8 tells us that Psalm 45:6 is about Jesus, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre." It's hard to go wrong by letting the Scripture interpret the Scripture, so the best way to view the Psalm is to see it as a Messianic Psalm, one about Jesus.

I can't say for sure, but imagine the Psalmist was at a king's wedding. He watched the ceremony and was overcome with joy and happiness at the occasion. Everyone dressed in their finest apparel. The happy smiles of the bride and groom. Weddings are a joyful occasion, and the Psalmist's heart was full of good things, and his mind went to Heavenly things. Carried along by the Holy Ghost, he picked up His pen, meditating on what he had seen, and wrote about what would be. God made an eternal covenant with David, and His throne would last forever. The Messiah would come from His line and sit upon His throne. A marriage of one of David's sons had far more significance and meaning than weddings do because from this marriage would come the Son (Matthew 1:1).

The king is praised for who He is all throughout the Psalm, and the queen is praised for her connection to him. Her glory, as it were, comes from her union with the king. The Psalm is about the King of Kings and the bride He came to save (Ephesians 5:32; Revelation 19:7-8; 21:2). 

When Prince William married Kate Middleton a few years back, I preached on the Lord Jesus and His bride. I saw some of the coverage on television about a royal wedding, and it made me think about THE royal wedding. When you read Psalm 45, think of Jesus, His glory, His love, and His grace.

The bride eyes not her garments, 

But her dear Bridegroom’s face; 

I will not gaze at glory 

But on my King of grace; 

Not at the crown He giveth, 

But on His pierced hand; 

The Lamb is all the glory Of Immanuel’s land.

Samuel Rutherford

Stay on the Field

There is no "I" in team, as the saying goes. It's a cliché I heard a lot from coaches trying to get the players all playing together. Like all proverbs, even hackneyed sports proverbs, it depends on what you mean by it. A team, by nature, is a group of people working together for a common purpose. There can't be an "I" in the overarching objective for a team to work together. A quarterback, who is gunning for a high completion percentage, might not throw a higher-risk pass, even if it would be the best option for the team's sake. But, tell me that there is no "I" in team when the MVP is being carted off the field with an injury. Of course, the individual matters because the team is made up of individuals.
 
The church is a body, but it's made up of individual people. We should have the same desire for the glory of God, the same mind about our Lord Jesus, and the same love for one another. A member who is more concerned with their program than Christ's will not be on the same page as everyone else. But that doesn't mean the individual doesn't matter. Jesus gave us the commandment to love one another. But that doesn't mean we are not to also take care of ourselves. Paul said, in 1 Timothy 4:6, that Timothy (and by extension, all pastors) need to "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." Why should a pastor, and every member of a church, want their pastor to keep a close watch on himself?
 
One reason Tom Brady lasted so long is that he cared for himself. He took care of his diet, his body,  mind. Because what good was a player to the team if he wasn't physically able to play? The pastor needs to look to himself and do what's necessary to "stay on the field." Paul isn't saying being selfish, but that Timothy is a man, not a machine. How can a pastor help others if he's not in the word? How can the pastor warn others of sin if he isn't forsaking sin himself? How can the pastor preach without watching his doctrine by reading and studying? A man who thinks he's been in the ministry long enough to stop studying and be watchful for his soul is in great danger, not only to himself but to the church he pastors. When a pastor stops watching his doctrine, he either goes off on some crazy doctrine, or he just starts repeating himself with the same sermon over and over.
 
There is no "I" in church, but there are many members. Pray for your pastor because it's to your benefit that he does well. I never understood why church members fight against their pastor and do their level best to make him miserable. It's more advantageous to you if he's doing well, even if he's not doing what you want. As part of the team, the pastor must take care of himself, in season and out.

Discerning Discernment

 It's funny to think about how many "communities" are based on esoteric knowledge, hobbies, or interests. I'm in no way disparaging this, but there are groups of people who spend the better part of their entire existence involved in groups, events, and research that many people don't even know exists. There are hierarchies, leaders, politics, dirty pool, back-room deals, infighting, traditionalists, and progressives. Somewhere, there is a "foremost expert" on the Mothman, and somewhere else, there are people who want to be the foremost expert. 

There are groups of Christians who, we might say, specialize in certain areas of theology that many people would think odd or not even know existed. Good people spend the bulk of their lives studying and working in one area of theology. Some men may be particularly well versed in eschatology (the study of last things), or others may be very knowledgeable in church history. For the most part, Christians recognize and agree these are noble pursuits and are thankful for those who have this gift of expertise. One area that gets a bad rap is "discernment ministry," where people dedicate their time to defending the faith. When I was a kid, I heard it called "heresy hunters." 

Standing against false doctrine is essential work because the truth of Christianity is constantly under attack (Titus 1:9-11). Christianity is not defined by the culture or the times but by the Bible. The faith that we have received needs to be preserved and protected, according to the Bible. Discernment is a feature, not a bug. Jude 3-4 tells us that from the beginning, men "crept in unawares" to turn the doctrines of God's grace into tenets of loose living. The Bible, which testifies of Jesus, was twisted to deny Jesus as God, Lord, and Saviour. To be a Christian is to be discerning, to stand, defend, and protect the doctrines once received from those who attempt to change the historic principles found in the Scriptures.

However, one must be careful not to be consumed and thus become a full-time polemicist. The "communities" of discernment ministries focus on pointing out how people are wrong. It's a pastor's job to defend the truth, but it's not his only job. Jude wanted to write about the "common salvation," but he couldn't because of the false teachers. He wanted to talk about Jesus and His grace, but he had no choice but to defend the truth about Jesus from the heretics who tried to distort it. When people spend most of their time looking for polemics fodder, they get bitter, angry, and often self-righteous because they look for the bad, then find it. I went on a hike with a guy with the uncanny ability to spot a snake. He saw one in the leaves and it took me nearly a minute to spot it. I was thankful for his eye. But what if we got to the summit, he missed the view because he was looking around for snakes?

Christians are called to stand for the truth. To contend for the faith once delivered. But if that's all we do, or if that's all we are known for, are we really "great commission" focused? We cannot compromise on vital gospel truths, not even for a minute (Galatians 2:5), but how can we teach new Christians if we cannot tolerate someone not holding to everything we believe to be true (Matthew 28:20; Romans 14-15)? So we must fight for the faith and be patient and longsuffering with those who don't know the truth or know better. What's the balance? I'm not advocating a "third way" that makes everyone wrong but me. 

Some books in the Bible are controversial. Galatians, for sure, was written because false teachers had deceived the churches. It's very likely that in Colossians and 1 John, both were written to fight against a proto-Gnosticism that was gaining ground among God's people. The pastoral epistles, and Jude, deal more with the reality of false preachers and the need to act. Jesus was patient with the disciples, who were often wrong, but was harsh with the priests and Pharisees, who should have known better and were teachings of falsehood. 

No one at the church I pastor has an issue with being deceived by Kenneth Copeland. But that's not to say I've never talked to people that haven't. I knew what he believed and was able to warn and defend the truth, but if I spent hours listening to Copeland and preaching against him, what good am I doing to the people who 1) never hear him, 2) never come in contact with him, 3) aren't deceived by his teaching? Dealing with this type of situation, simply preaching the truth prepares the people to discern against an error they may encounter. There is so much heresy and false teaching in the world. How could you possibly correct everything everyone is teaching?  

Many of the other texts concerning false doctrine involve people in the church. Titus 1:9, Acts 18:28, and 2 Timothy 2:24-26 deal with trying to convince a person with the wrong doctrine to repent and believe the truth. A real person who is teaching lousy stuff in their midst. What do you do when they don't listen and keep dividing? Eventually, you must stop trying, deal with the matter in church discipline and move on (Titus 3:8-11).

The main goal is to defend the truth and protect the people in your church, not to go to war with everyone who attacks every church. The ultimate goal is for everyone in the church to be able to spot a snake in the grass for themselves (Hebrews 5:13-14; Philippians 1:9-11). I heard a famous pastor online talking about "the problem of the church today…." I thought, "maybe for your church, but that's not a problem where I am a member." Not every error is a problem in every church. 

I write this because of a situation in a church I've never been to, with a pastor I've never met. His primary focus was to point out heresy and false teachers. That's what he was known for and he was really good at it. But not only did this man destroy his ministry, but he also destroyed his family. I wonder if  he was looking to correct everyone for so long, he became angry and bitter against the world, as if there was no truth, no good, no sound Christians anywhere? If I'm not fighting for the truth because I love it, love God's people, and love Christ, then I'm just pugnacious. A man will fight for those he loves. But a man can also fight because he likes to fight. May the Lord help us all to see the difference. Perhaps that's the best way. Love your neighbor, the church you are a member of, and the Lord and His truth.