(1) This is an excellent use discernment as you read.
(2) There’s a number of excellent items now available in this week’s Friday Ligonier $5 sale! Especially recommended is the series “The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit” download, the CD set “The Assurance of Salvation” as well as the hardcover book “Theology in Dialogue.” especially in knowing what things are most vital and important for unity and Christian fellowship.
Maturity in Essentials and Non-Essentials
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.” – Augustine
Doctrine divides! It divides truth from error. It divides the true teacher from the false teacher; the spirit of truth from the spirit of error; and the true Christ from the Anti-Christ.
In the Church, Christians hold differing views about important, yet non-essential matters. Let me explain. There are doctrines in the Bible that while very important, are not essential to salvation. For instance, whether or not someone believes in the baptism of infants or whether or not God still heals today, I think are important issues; yet, what someone believes about these is not essential to someone being included or excluded from the kingdom of God. Someone is not a “false teacher” who takes a different position on these issues. The same is true for doctrines such as whether someone is “pre-trib,” “mid-trib,” or “post-trib” in their belief about the end times, or for those who take different positions on the millennnium – “a”, “pre” or “post.” Sincere, godly, dedicated believers believe different things about these issues, but it does not mean that one person is saved and another damned because they have a different view.
As Christians, what unites us, vastly outweighs what might divide us. In the essentials, such as the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, justification by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, etc., we need to be in agreement. As this quote, which historically has been attributed to Augustine states, “In essentials, unity.” We cannot compromise on these major issues of the Gospel. These are non-negotiables. In fact, to depart from these doctrines is to depart from the Christian faith itself.
Knowing the difference between the essentials and the non-essentials takes a great deal of maturity at times. Christians have been notorious for dividing over such very minor issues, and the Body of Christ has been less effective because of it. The boundary lines are drawn by the Gospel itself. We must be united in the Gospel for true Christian unity to exist. But where this does in fact exist, let us celebrate it, standing united for the cause of Christ.
Augustine went on to say, “in non-essentials, liberty.” Christians need to allow their brothers and sisters room to hold differing positions on some issues without breaking fellowship with them. This takes a great deal of maturity. Church history shows us that the Body of Christ as a whole has not been very good at this. We tend to disassociate ourselves from Christians who don’t have the exact same understanding of the spiritual gifts, the end times, Divine election, or even when a child is old enough to be baptized. These are important issues, of course. In fact, there is only one true biblical position on these issues – not everyone is right! There is a right answer and a wrong answer. In fact, there are many wrong answers. God is not confused on these issues, even if we are. We should note too that God doesn’t ever give us the right to believe false doctrine. If there are two people with differing positions on an issue, at least one of them is grieving the Lord in terms of what they believe. Yet the point is that both people can believe that, disagree on a certain issue with a fellow brother or sister and yet believe the best of the other – that if the other person could be convinced by sacred scripture concerning the truth of the matter, they believe the other one would change their beliefs immediately. But disagreement on these important but non-essential things should not divide us, if we are united in the Gospel.
This is not to minimize doctrine. In a local Church it is entirely right for eldership to state in categorical terms, just what it is that they believe Scripture to be teaching. This is part of their function as elders. Yet, in doing so, we must all recognize our fellow brothers and sisters in the entire Body of Christ, and know that God embraces many who hold differing positions to us on some issues.
The scripture commands us to “maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3) “until we all come to the unity of the faith.” (Eph. 4:13). For God to tell us to maintain something, it shows clearly that we already have possession of it. For instance, we cannot maintain a photocopier unless we first have the photocopier in our care. We are called to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This we are to do “until we all come to the unity of the faith.”
Augustine’s quote ends by saying, “in all things, charity (or love).” Let love be chief amongst us, His people. May we unite for the sake of the Gospel, while God, the Holy Spirit continues to lead all of His people into all of His truth.
(1) If you missed any of the blog entries here this week, you might have missed the hurriedly arranged radio interview I did on Tuesday. 000 miles a year; that’s 300 hours! Brian Tracy taught me early to turn my car into a mobile classroom. Listen to instructional CDs as you drive and each year is the equivalent of two semesters of an advanced degree. Combined with a reading routine, you can separate yourself from the herd of average, CD by CD, book by book!”
Back in June I was interviewed by Pastor Kevin Boling about my new book “Twelve What Abouts” on the “Knowing the Truth” Radio broadcast. The 50,000 watt radio station originates in Greenville, covering all of South Carolina and parts of North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
(1) Some quotes worth pondering:
(1) A Reminder – in case you were not aware (the blog has been down for 5 of the last 7 days): I was interviewed by Pastor Kevin Boling on the “Knowing the Truth” Broadcast about my book “Twelve What Abouts” (and the subject of Divine election) last week on a radio station covering all of South Carolina and parts of neighboring states. Dr. R. C. Sproul’s CD series The Promise Keeper: God of the Covenants is available in the Ligonier Friday $5 sale (normally $38). In this series, Dr. Sproul demonstrates that the one, true Promise Keeper always keeps His promises. He explains how God, throughout history, has fulfilled His promised plan of redemption in and through His people.
I would greatly value your prayers for Thursday morning.
(1) For those who disdain the use of any theological labels but who say “I follow no man but Christ” you might find or 3) causing division. Rather, there is a flurry of naked assertions that assume the moral, theological, and biblical high ground without a shred of evidence. What’s worse, their position is actually an untenable one. Shunning labels like Calvinist and Arminian under the guise of “refusing to follow a man” is at best naive, and at worst flat out dishonest.”
In light of this, I wish to make a strong recommendation. Its a series of messages designed to help each of us grow in the things of God and there happens to be a VERY special offer on this today. In these lectures from Ligonier Ministries’ 2005 National Conference, Drs. Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan III, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and Derek Thomas discuss the five key disciplines of Bible study, prayer, stewardship, service, and worship.
(3) Another recommendation: