“Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” (Romans 14:1)
Division in the Church of Jesus Christ grieves me. A new Christian once asked me “Why are there so many different churches and denominations?” It was hard to answer! There is a lot of quarreling among different Christian groups.
“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)
Are you seeing that? I see some, but not as much as I would like. What did Jesus say would be the result of Christian unity? “That the world may believe.” Now, I’m not saying we should abandon the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. If we cannot unify around these, such as that Jesus was God, that He died on the cross to defeat the power of sin and death and make it possible for us to be reconciled to the Father, that He was resurrected, etc. then we cannot be in unity. The big question is, what is an essential doctrine and what is a disputable matter?
I believe that the role of women in the church is a disputable matter. My personal conviction is that women can Biblically take on a variety of roles in the church, including being a pastor, and I would defend my position with scriptural support. I know and am friends with other people who believe that women can Biblically take on only certain prescribed roles, also based on their understanding of scripture. I have seen some very severe division and fighting between the two sides over this issue. I wish both sides would agree to disagree on this issue so that we could be in unity “that the world may believe.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Beth, thrilled to see you posting again. Your voice of wisdom and insight has been silent way too long. There are a number of things I like to call irreducible (no less than these) maximums (the foundation stones of our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior). Other than that-we need to take a deep breath and pray for one another as we walk out our callings in Christ, as we understand them. Much love and steadfast prayer for you, my friend!
Kathy, thanks for the encouragement! After I wrote this I thought of a Christian friend and realized that I was judging him. It can be easy to be critical. Your gentleness is something that I admire about you.
No one has all the answers. Is judging different from assessing a situation or an individual? Sometimes I have to make a "judgement call" about someone,(or assessment) and that's where discernment kicks in. I too can come to conclusions that are not well founded. How great to journey on with you, Beth.
Kathy, thanks for the reminder about discernment! I am going to meditate on Matthew 10:16 "Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" and probably post on it next, but right now I gotta study :-)
ok....I read your comment to Marylee, and yes, I too should try hissing. I thought initially with the kids, but it doesn't sound like they'd get it, not like a cat would get it anyway! :) We might be getting ANOTHER dog. Lady would still be the best dog. I'll keep you posted.
Beth, I don't facebook much, so email me or post here and let me know how nursing adventures are going. Blessings, Kathy
Hey, We looked for this blog on Bing and just wished to state thanks for the superb study. I would need to trust it, thanks once again!
Post a Comment