Grey areas in the church
There are some grey areas, and by areas I mean doctrines, that surround the church. The church or body of Christ has split many times over these doctrinal differences. There are two categories of doctrine within the church. There are major doctrinal beliefs and minor doctrinal beliefs. What are major doctrinal beliefs? These beliefs are doctrines that have to be true, that everyone must agree on in order for the gospel of Christ to be true and necessary for salvation. Such doctrines would include that Jesus is the Messiah, that He came to us as God in the flesh to save us from our sins, that salvation comes through faith and faith alone, that the God of the Bible is the one and only true God, that God exist in three persons as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, that sin separates us from God. These doctrines are foundational in our beliefs as Christians regardless of the denomination. What are minor doctrines? Minor doctrines are those doctrines in which Scripture isn’t necessarily black and white. These would include beliefs about baptism, church government, drinking. Sadly most churches that have split into different denominations because of the minor doctrinal differences or because of man made traditions and rules that most could not keep.
The overall point of the church…
If I were to ask you what the overall point of you going to church was…what would you say? Most of us could agree that we go to church or at least should go to church to meet with God. We first came to church because of an invitation from a friend, from family, from parents, or curiosity. We initially came, learned we were sinners in need of salvation, repented then accepted that salvation through Christ work on the cross. What kept us coming to church is my question? Did we keep coming because now that we have salvation we should study real hard, figure out these minor church doctrines, have a nice social gathering twice a week, quarrel about which is right and which is wrong? You know in your heart the answer is No, we come to meet with God, to worship God, to give Him thanks for all He has done, to relate with God through learning more about his moral character. We keep coming so that we can get a portion of the bread of life that will strengthen and encourage us to go out and make disciples of all nations. Jesus in Matthew 28: 18 -20 said “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. So why are we to come to church? Jesus gave the church a mission, Go [literally meaning as you are going, He is assuming you will be going throughout your daily life, to work, to pick up your kids, to school, to the grocery store, to friends houses] therefore and make disciples of all nations. We are to be making disciples of all people that we contact, the church is a living moving breathing organization of Christ followers. Church does not consist of a building on a Sunday or Wednesday. Churches go because churches are people. Notice, Jesus did not say in Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore, sit in a building, socialize among yourselves, quarrel about minor doctrines that have very little affect on the kingdom of God, I’ll be back to pick you up later. Tu-da-loo” I’m obviously being sarcastic but are we not doing what Jesus said 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Jesus is saying to the religious elite of His day, you sit around quarreling over things that have no real influence of the kingdom of God, what God is doing in the earth, you are blind!
This happened to the church in Acts 15….How they solved it.
I will post the part of Scripture first then expound on the point afterwards.
Conflict over Circumcision
15 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” So we have quarrel among the church, a few men are going around preaching that in order to be saved you must have faith in Christ plus be circumcised. Circumcision is apart of the Jewish law from God to Abraham that all Hebrews would be circumcised to show they belong to God. Well since then Jesus has come and God has included the Gentiles [non-Jewish] in His salvation plan. This is a problem with Paul and Barnabas so they confront these men and have a large argument over who is right. They decide that they can’t solve it among themselves so they take the issue to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders for a ruling. The Pharisees [prominent religious business men] stood up and said “They must be circumcised!” So needless to say all the new member classes were full of women and children.
The Jerusalem Council
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” The apostles all came together to talk it over. Then Peter stands up and says that God has chosen the Gentiles to also hear the word of the gospel, they also have the Holy Spirit. He says that “God purified their hearts by faith.” This point is huge, Peter didn’t say God purified their hearts by faith and something else. Some within the church were trying to add to the gospel, the addition of circumcision allowed them at that time to have an element of control over certain people. They could decide who was in and who was out. However 1 Samuel 16:7 says man looks on the outer appearance and God looks on the heart.
Peters point…..
Peter says why do you test God by putting a yoke on the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Peter is essentially saying before Christ we had the law all 613 of them and I know our fathers could not keep them, we have never done so good at keeping them, why are you adding to the simplicity of the gospel, something we couldn’t keep anyhow. This issue could have divided the church, this could have caused a huge ripple for the church down through the ages, the church today might be drastically different had this issue not been handled how it was. Peter, Paul, Silas, Barnabas knew the religious mindset of the Sadducees and Pharisees. They used man made rules and traditions, to bind heavy burdens to lay on the necks of men as a form of control. They wanted to keep the law to perfection and have others say look how great they are.
The End Result of the Jerusalem Counsel….
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 ‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’
18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
The Jerusalem Decree
22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.23 They wrote this letter by them:The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”[f] —to whom we gave no such commandment-- 25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.[g]If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.
Essentially they heed the advice of Peter and James. They agree that God has included the Gentiles in His salvation plan. They conclude that salvation is by faith alone. They decide to write a letter and go around preaching the good news trying to correct false doctrine that has been spreading around causing the Gentiles to turn away. You have to imagine how hard this is for the Gentiles, they have no knowledge at all of the customs of the Jews, they initially believe that all they need is faith for salvation, then some preacher comes around saying “Oh ANNNND you have to be circumcised.” This from my perspective would have been troubling to me.
Don’t we do this today....?
I agree that we in this day and age do not go around preaching circumcision and salvation. But churches at times directly or indirectly substitute other things for circumcision do we not? Sometimes it is good works, how you dress, abstaining from alcohol, speaking in a certain way. These are all things that we measure a good Christian by is it not? Churches never put posters up on the wall saying that you can’t drink alcohol. They never verbally say that you must dress the way they do. It’s never spoken that you must be on the mission team, do good works, serve at VBS but if you don’t…if you don’t, then what? Isn’t it clear though, even though it goes unspoken, you know if I don’t dress like that, I’m not in, if I drink I’m not in, if I’m not involved like they are, I’m not in, if I don’t speak like they do, I’m not in.
The focus….
What did the early church do in order to solve this issue of adding man made tradition [circumcision] to salvation? Verse 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God. He says let us not make it hard for the Gentiles who are turning to God. What does he mean, not to make it hard? Imagine as an unbeliever you hear the gospel and you hear repent and have faith in Christ, but then they go on to say and….you’ve got to be circumcised, you’ve got to dress like us, you can’t drink alcohol, you have to stop cussing, you have to carry a KJV bible, you have to adhere to these other rules we have. If you have never grown up in a church background this is going to seem like an unobtainable list of burdens you know you can’t carry. Don’t make it hard for unbelievers who know nothing about God to turn to God. The point of the church is bringing unbelievers into a relationship with God, not getting unbelievers to adhere to a bunch of external rules and traditions that have no bearing on salvation.
What am I saying….or not saying
I am not saying that drinking is not bad. I’m not saying that dressing up for God is a bad idea. I’m not saying that speaking without cussing is bad. I’m not saying that good works are bad. All of these things are good things, they are not the measure of salvation though. They are not the measure of someone's heart to God. Some of these church traditions/ rules are good ideas, but make it hard for unbelievers, especially those who have no knowledge of God to turn to God. Why…because they view God’s acceptance based on cleaning up your life first then coming to God. One you come to God, He cleans up your life. Faith in Christ comes before change in life. Have you ever heard anyone say I was such a terrible person but I went to church and they made me feel so guilty that I decided to change my ways?
Trusting Jesus with our grey areas….
I’m am not going to go on to try and prove that these grey areas are either wrong or right. I just want to get you to think, what is the bigger issue. Grey area #1… Drinking, this subject is within the Bible a grey area. The Bible says many negative things about drinking especially getting addicted or drunk. Most people or churches that are heavily against drinking are completely and totally against drinking alcohol of any form. So people that are unbelievers may come to church, hear a sermon about how terrible alcohol is, how you are a terrible person if you drink it and assume “well I guess this isn’t the place for me, maybe I’m not good enough for God.” Trust me I know, alcohol ruins lives, but churches that preach so heavily against it say one out of six people who drink become addicted to alcohol, one of every ten children grow up in homes where alcohol is abused, last year 100,000 deaths were attributed to alcohol. All of these are good reasons for not drinking, and if you don’t because of this then I commend you, you are setting a great example, but you should not impose your opinion on others and make it hard for them that are turning to God. Food is abused, should we totally quit eating. Last year 300,000 people died of obesity but no one is advocating for only one meal a day. Sex is abused, no one is advocating for completely stopping that? Instead of picking a side and making it law for those that are coming to God, why not leave this as matter of conscience for people once they have completely surrendered to God. Picking a side and making it law within the church shows that we don’t really trust God, so we feel like we have to step in for God and do what we aren’t sure he’ll do in the hearts of those who turn to Him. Doctrinally we know that change only happens internally, but our actions show otherwise. We try to apply external rules to change a person rather than trust that God will change the persons heart regarding the issue. #2 Dress…. I’ve never been specifically in a church where how you dress was a spoken rule but I have noticed that the stigma that how you dress is a sign of you relationship to God. Does this not make it hard for Gentiles [unbelievers] to come to Christ if they know nothing about church or God? If they walk in and everyone in there looks like they stepped out of a magazine what are they to think…I don’t fit in, I don’t dress like that, I don’t measure up, I can’t be good enough? 1 Samuel 16:7 man judges the outward appearance but God judges the heart. God doesn’t want your best dress, He wants your heart.We shouldn’t put barriers between people that are trying to come to Christ. #3 Speech… This obviously goes right along with how Christians dress, Christians have a certain way we talk right? I try not to cuss or use crude language but I don’t want to judge a person, especially a new person who may not talk like we do, why….because he doesn’t know, he’s never been taught.
Overall point….
We could go down the list of grey areas in the Christian faith, but what is the main thing? Bringing unbelievers to a place of repentance and faith, then making that person a disciple of Christ afterwards through teaching in love and compassion and with the Spirit of God in their heart. You can preach all day long to an unregenerated heart and the may nod and listen carefully but when they leave those church doors they will snap back into the shape of their original heart and do what you specifically forbid. Man made rules, traditions, and laws are not external signs that you are right with God, a heart of flesh and not stone is. The only external sign that God says is a measure of what is on the inside is the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Bring those who are lost to Christ, let Him change their heart and don’t try to change it by making them conform to your ideologies. Let the minor issues be minor and let Jesus change their conscience on these things supplemented with discipleship teaching, but don’t make it the major thing. Don’t exchange the major thing for a few minor things. The minor things should never be a gateway for the major thing. You should not have to conform to fit through the gate to get to salvation in Christ. Be more concern with what is in peoples heart than what is in the fridge, or how they dress, or how they talk.
There are some grey areas, and by areas I mean doctrines, that surround the church. The church or body of Christ has split many times over these doctrinal differences. There are two categories of doctrine within the church. There are major doctrinal beliefs and minor doctrinal beliefs. What are major doctrinal beliefs? These beliefs are doctrines that have to be true, that everyone must agree on in order for the gospel of Christ to be true and necessary for salvation. Such doctrines would include that Jesus is the Messiah, that He came to us as God in the flesh to save us from our sins, that salvation comes through faith and faith alone, that the God of the Bible is the one and only true God, that God exist in three persons as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, that sin separates us from God. These doctrines are foundational in our beliefs as Christians regardless of the denomination. What are minor doctrines? Minor doctrines are those doctrines in which Scripture isn’t necessarily black and white. These would include beliefs about baptism, church government, drinking. Sadly most churches that have split into different denominations because of the minor doctrinal differences or because of man made traditions and rules that most could not keep.
The overall point of the church…
If I were to ask you what the overall point of you going to church was…what would you say? Most of us could agree that we go to church or at least should go to church to meet with God. We first came to church because of an invitation from a friend, from family, from parents, or curiosity. We initially came, learned we were sinners in need of salvation, repented then accepted that salvation through Christ work on the cross. What kept us coming to church is my question? Did we keep coming because now that we have salvation we should study real hard, figure out these minor church doctrines, have a nice social gathering twice a week, quarrel about which is right and which is wrong? You know in your heart the answer is No, we come to meet with God, to worship God, to give Him thanks for all He has done, to relate with God through learning more about his moral character. We keep coming so that we can get a portion of the bread of life that will strengthen and encourage us to go out and make disciples of all nations. Jesus in Matthew 28: 18 -20 said “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. So why are we to come to church? Jesus gave the church a mission, Go [literally meaning as you are going, He is assuming you will be going throughout your daily life, to work, to pick up your kids, to school, to the grocery store, to friends houses] therefore and make disciples of all nations. We are to be making disciples of all people that we contact, the church is a living moving breathing organization of Christ followers. Church does not consist of a building on a Sunday or Wednesday. Churches go because churches are people. Notice, Jesus did not say in Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore, sit in a building, socialize among yourselves, quarrel about minor doctrines that have very little affect on the kingdom of God, I’ll be back to pick you up later. Tu-da-loo” I’m obviously being sarcastic but are we not doing what Jesus said 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Jesus is saying to the religious elite of His day, you sit around quarreling over things that have no real influence of the kingdom of God, what God is doing in the earth, you are blind!
This happened to the church in Acts 15….How they solved it.
I will post the part of Scripture first then expound on the point afterwards.
Conflict over Circumcision
15 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” So we have quarrel among the church, a few men are going around preaching that in order to be saved you must have faith in Christ plus be circumcised. Circumcision is apart of the Jewish law from God to Abraham that all Hebrews would be circumcised to show they belong to God. Well since then Jesus has come and God has included the Gentiles [non-Jewish] in His salvation plan. This is a problem with Paul and Barnabas so they confront these men and have a large argument over who is right. They decide that they can’t solve it among themselves so they take the issue to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders for a ruling. The Pharisees [prominent religious business men] stood up and said “They must be circumcised!” So needless to say all the new member classes were full of women and children.
The Jerusalem Council
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” The apostles all came together to talk it over. Then Peter stands up and says that God has chosen the Gentiles to also hear the word of the gospel, they also have the Holy Spirit. He says that “God purified their hearts by faith.” This point is huge, Peter didn’t say God purified their hearts by faith and something else. Some within the church were trying to add to the gospel, the addition of circumcision allowed them at that time to have an element of control over certain people. They could decide who was in and who was out. However 1 Samuel 16:7 says man looks on the outer appearance and God looks on the heart.
Peters point…..
Peter says why do you test God by putting a yoke on the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Peter is essentially saying before Christ we had the law all 613 of them and I know our fathers could not keep them, we have never done so good at keeping them, why are you adding to the simplicity of the gospel, something we couldn’t keep anyhow. This issue could have divided the church, this could have caused a huge ripple for the church down through the ages, the church today might be drastically different had this issue not been handled how it was. Peter, Paul, Silas, Barnabas knew the religious mindset of the Sadducees and Pharisees. They used man made rules and traditions, to bind heavy burdens to lay on the necks of men as a form of control. They wanted to keep the law to perfection and have others say look how great they are.
The End Result of the Jerusalem Counsel….
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 ‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’
18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
The Jerusalem Decree
22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.23 They wrote this letter by them:The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”[f] —to whom we gave no such commandment-- 25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.[g]If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.
Essentially they heed the advice of Peter and James. They agree that God has included the Gentiles in His salvation plan. They conclude that salvation is by faith alone. They decide to write a letter and go around preaching the good news trying to correct false doctrine that has been spreading around causing the Gentiles to turn away. You have to imagine how hard this is for the Gentiles, they have no knowledge at all of the customs of the Jews, they initially believe that all they need is faith for salvation, then some preacher comes around saying “Oh ANNNND you have to be circumcised.” This from my perspective would have been troubling to me.
Don’t we do this today....?
I agree that we in this day and age do not go around preaching circumcision and salvation. But churches at times directly or indirectly substitute other things for circumcision do we not? Sometimes it is good works, how you dress, abstaining from alcohol, speaking in a certain way. These are all things that we measure a good Christian by is it not? Churches never put posters up on the wall saying that you can’t drink alcohol. They never verbally say that you must dress the way they do. It’s never spoken that you must be on the mission team, do good works, serve at VBS but if you don’t…if you don’t, then what? Isn’t it clear though, even though it goes unspoken, you know if I don’t dress like that, I’m not in, if I drink I’m not in, if I’m not involved like they are, I’m not in, if I don’t speak like they do, I’m not in.
The focus….
What did the early church do in order to solve this issue of adding man made tradition [circumcision] to salvation? Verse 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God. He says let us not make it hard for the Gentiles who are turning to God. What does he mean, not to make it hard? Imagine as an unbeliever you hear the gospel and you hear repent and have faith in Christ, but then they go on to say and….you’ve got to be circumcised, you’ve got to dress like us, you can’t drink alcohol, you have to stop cussing, you have to carry a KJV bible, you have to adhere to these other rules we have. If you have never grown up in a church background this is going to seem like an unobtainable list of burdens you know you can’t carry. Don’t make it hard for unbelievers who know nothing about God to turn to God. The point of the church is bringing unbelievers into a relationship with God, not getting unbelievers to adhere to a bunch of external rules and traditions that have no bearing on salvation.
What am I saying….or not saying
I am not saying that drinking is not bad. I’m not saying that dressing up for God is a bad idea. I’m not saying that speaking without cussing is bad. I’m not saying that good works are bad. All of these things are good things, they are not the measure of salvation though. They are not the measure of someone's heart to God. Some of these church traditions/ rules are good ideas, but make it hard for unbelievers, especially those who have no knowledge of God to turn to God. Why…because they view God’s acceptance based on cleaning up your life first then coming to God. One you come to God, He cleans up your life. Faith in Christ comes before change in life. Have you ever heard anyone say I was such a terrible person but I went to church and they made me feel so guilty that I decided to change my ways?
Trusting Jesus with our grey areas….
I’m am not going to go on to try and prove that these grey areas are either wrong or right. I just want to get you to think, what is the bigger issue. Grey area #1… Drinking, this subject is within the Bible a grey area. The Bible says many negative things about drinking especially getting addicted or drunk. Most people or churches that are heavily against drinking are completely and totally against drinking alcohol of any form. So people that are unbelievers may come to church, hear a sermon about how terrible alcohol is, how you are a terrible person if you drink it and assume “well I guess this isn’t the place for me, maybe I’m not good enough for God.” Trust me I know, alcohol ruins lives, but churches that preach so heavily against it say one out of six people who drink become addicted to alcohol, one of every ten children grow up in homes where alcohol is abused, last year 100,000 deaths were attributed to alcohol. All of these are good reasons for not drinking, and if you don’t because of this then I commend you, you are setting a great example, but you should not impose your opinion on others and make it hard for them that are turning to God. Food is abused, should we totally quit eating. Last year 300,000 people died of obesity but no one is advocating for only one meal a day. Sex is abused, no one is advocating for completely stopping that? Instead of picking a side and making it law for those that are coming to God, why not leave this as matter of conscience for people once they have completely surrendered to God. Picking a side and making it law within the church shows that we don’t really trust God, so we feel like we have to step in for God and do what we aren’t sure he’ll do in the hearts of those who turn to Him. Doctrinally we know that change only happens internally, but our actions show otherwise. We try to apply external rules to change a person rather than trust that God will change the persons heart regarding the issue. #2 Dress…. I’ve never been specifically in a church where how you dress was a spoken rule but I have noticed that the stigma that how you dress is a sign of you relationship to God. Does this not make it hard for Gentiles [unbelievers] to come to Christ if they know nothing about church or God? If they walk in and everyone in there looks like they stepped out of a magazine what are they to think…I don’t fit in, I don’t dress like that, I don’t measure up, I can’t be good enough? 1 Samuel 16:7 man judges the outward appearance but God judges the heart. God doesn’t want your best dress, He wants your heart.We shouldn’t put barriers between people that are trying to come to Christ. #3 Speech… This obviously goes right along with how Christians dress, Christians have a certain way we talk right? I try not to cuss or use crude language but I don’t want to judge a person, especially a new person who may not talk like we do, why….because he doesn’t know, he’s never been taught.
Overall point….
We could go down the list of grey areas in the Christian faith, but what is the main thing? Bringing unbelievers to a place of repentance and faith, then making that person a disciple of Christ afterwards through teaching in love and compassion and with the Spirit of God in their heart. You can preach all day long to an unregenerated heart and the may nod and listen carefully but when they leave those church doors they will snap back into the shape of their original heart and do what you specifically forbid. Man made rules, traditions, and laws are not external signs that you are right with God, a heart of flesh and not stone is. The only external sign that God says is a measure of what is on the inside is the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Bring those who are lost to Christ, let Him change their heart and don’t try to change it by making them conform to your ideologies. Let the minor issues be minor and let Jesus change their conscience on these things supplemented with discipleship teaching, but don’t make it the major thing. Don’t exchange the major thing for a few minor things. The minor things should never be a gateway for the major thing. You should not have to conform to fit through the gate to get to salvation in Christ. Be more concern with what is in peoples heart than what is in the fridge, or how they dress, or how they talk.