Ridgell's Originals

Churches have fought and split for years.  I grew up in a fellowship that split over music in worship.  Other fellowships fought with us over baptism.  Now my fellowship is fighting over the role of woman and men in church leadership.  As did almost every other group I know.  We were just a little behind everyone else.  Now the fight is over same sex marriage.  I know, most groups have already split over that issue, but it is just now being talked about in our fellowship.  Churches fight and split and decide fellowship over all sorts of issues.

But the issues are not really the issue.

The Bible is the issue.  What you beleive about the Bible and how you interpret the Bible is really what most churches fight and split over.  Not how you read the Bible.  I rarely hear anyone argue about what it says.  But how you interpret the Bible.  What it means when you read it.

So I am encouraging all Chritians to think through what you believe about the Bible.  That will be very helpful when you talk about issues.  And when you have to decide about what your church teaches about the issues.  

It is really easy to decide the issues on feelings, culture, tradition, or popular opinion.  Then go to the Bible to try and defend your position.  Then you end up using the Bible as a proof text to support -- or negate -- your view on any given issue.  

You can read the Bible.  Maybe that should be your first guide to deciding what you believe.  Not what a preacher tells you.  Or even what a church tells you.  But what God tells you.  

But don't people have to interpret Scripture?  Of course.  Some things are not spelled out in the Bible, so leaders have to teach Biblical principles and make informed decisions.  Leaders should be able to explain the Bible principles for those decisions.

I would be very careful of two approaches.  One is the decision about an issue that insists it is what God says.  Even when there is not a Scripture that says it.  Kind of a "God didn't say it but I know He meant it" view of some issues.  Almost as if you were adding to the Scriptures to clear up what the Holy Spirit missed.

I would also be very careful about decisions that directly contradict what God says in the Bible.  Kind of a "God said it but He didn't really mean it" approach.  As if the Holy Spirit couldn't quite get it right.  Almost as if you were taking away some Scripture to better explain what the Holy Spirit got wrong.

Revelation 22:18-19

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 

Most people I know don't actually edit the Bible.  And this passage may just mean not to mess with the Revelation of John.  But everytime I read this, it reminds me to be very careful about how I use Scripture.

So what is my point and what am I trying to prove?

Your church is going to make a lot of decisions about a lot of issues.  I want to remind leaders to start with Scripture first.  

And I want each of us to react to those by first reading Scripture.  

I believe it matters.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM