I am blessed to be a part of a small group of brothers on WhatsApp where beliefs and opinions can be expressed without fear. Although most of what is written is harmless, every now and again it has been a good place to vent frustrations and question the Sacred Cows of life.
In my little corner of Facebook, I have seen but a few men publicly express their hard and fast opinions as if doctrine—they are, of course, preaching to their choir. On rare occasions, I have commented on their non-Biblical logic, and then have been surprised that some brothers, who know better, have refused to correct their “speaking where the Bible does not speak.”
Looking to the past, it is an indictment against the Brotherhood that we have had brothers willing to make trouble over honest questioning. Brothers armed with a judgemental spirit have napalmed the Lord’s church. With poison pens they scrawled forth pages of spite and division. A wise man would have had more sense than to engage such troublemakers in debate.
However, as easy as it is to call for open and sincere discussion, the fact is, we all have our own personal “Choirs” who support (or at least tolerate), our own personal “Sacred Cows.” Often the pressure brought to bear is unspoken; locked up in time-worn prejudices that exclude discussion on subjects outside defined limits.
Jesus did not flinch from calling out the hypocrisy of the self-proclaimed Bible experts. He condemned those who bound everyone to the Law except themselves.
The only real way forward, apart from challenging each other in our small groups, is to rid ourselves of the fear that comes from those who kill honest enquiry; “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
After all, the only possible way to grow as a Christian is by the process of trial and error. We read the Word of God, we pray and meditate over it, we talk about it, we watch others, and we do what it says.
Consequently, we use the best knowledge available to us to move forward with a sincere heart. Mistakes will be made, but…
“Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you” (Philippians 3:15).
John Staiger
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