MuddyPuddles

I was discussing the Bible with some brethren who interpret the scriptures from what I would call a “more legalistic approach” to biblical interpretation than what I believe is correct.  During the course of our discussion one of the brethren asked me if I was a part of the “unity in diversity” movement (I can’t remember his exact wording but it was something like that).  When he asked that I got the impression that there was some specific movement out there that I was not specifically familiar with and I hesitated to answer the question because I wasn’t sure what all was included in that label.  Since then I have thought a great deal about the question and am more fully prepared to give a more complete answer.
As I look back at the first century church I see passages which seem to me to be talking specifically about unity in diversity.  For example, 1 Corinthians 12 is full of verses that talk about diversity as in different kinds of gifts (v. 4), different kinds of service (v. 5), different kinds of working (v. 6), but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.  

 

That sure sounds like unity in diversity to me—but wait, there’s more!

 

12 The body is a unit (as in unity), though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 

So he’s talked about the diversity in roles that members of the body fulfill.  He’s talked about the diversity in racial make up, religious backgrounds, and slave/freedmen status.

 

That sure sounds like unity in diversity to me—but wait, there’s more!

 

We see in 1 Corinthians 8 that in this body there were very diverse opinions about doctrinal issues—specifically, eating meat offered to idols.  This chapter not only reveals the facts about those doctrines but it also points out that the church is diverse in that it is made up of a wide range of spiritual maturity in it’s members.  Some are weak brothers, some are not.  Some are correct in their thinking and some are not.  Paul does not require either side of this differing doctrinal opinions to change before they should accept or be accepted by the other.
Then in chapter 11 he talks about the diversity in incomes and financial status.

 

In spite of all this diversity—in gifts, roles, backgrounds, status, maturity and doctrinal positions—God, through Paul, tells them they can have unity and that this, in fact, is what he is asking them to strive for.  They each have an important role to play.

 

If you listened to my more legalistic brethren, they would say that the only way to have unity is through perfect agreement on doctrinal issues—specifically “the five acts of worship.”  This is not biblical.  As my friend, the Middleman says, “Unity is not the same as conformity” and if someone has become a child of God through belief in Jesus as the son of God and has put him on in baptism, we have no biblical right to reject him based upon his unwillingness to conform to our interpretation on worship regulations—even if he’s wrong.  That is up to God (Romans 14).

 

So to answer the original question, yes, I do believe in unity in diversity, because that is what the Bible teaches.  The more I think about it, how could I believe otherwise.  God Bless, Dennis

 

I have a friend with whom I have been studying the Bible recently.  He is very “conservative” in his understanding of scriptures.  I would even describe him as somewhat legalistic.  To his way of thinking, we should all be able to agree on what the scriptures teach and that we should use command, example and necessary inference to make those determinations as well as the principle of the “Thundering silence of scriptures” (meaning that things not specifically authorized in scripture are necessarily unauthorized and therefore forbidden).” 

This approach seems very reasonable if this is the way you are first taught by seemingly wise and knowledgeable men for whom you have great respect.  But the reality is that those guidelines are not commanded.  Nor are they exclusively exampled.  And they are not necessarily inferred.  In fact the scriptures are “Thunderingly silent about how to interpret the scriptures.”  Well, maybe there are clues here and there, but historically we’ve “strained out the gnat and swallowed the camel” in this regard.  And, even after exhaustively examining the poop, some of us haven’t realized it yet.

 

What’s good about my discussions with this young legalist is that, though he is a legalist, he still seems to be open-minded.  What I mean is that he seems to genuinely consider the things that I say.  Most legalists that I’ve dealt with in the past few years remind me of the Pharisees that stood there and watched Jesus heal the man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years and then complained that Jesus had done it on the Sabbath.  They totally missed the point.  They focused on the wrong things and felt threatened by anything that didn’t fit their preconceived notions.  In short, they were not open to the possibility that they had been wrong or that they had been majoring in the minors for all those years.  They read the scripture, (1 Cor. 10:12 (KJV)),  “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall,” but didn’t consider the possibility that it might apply to them.

 

I am hopeful that this young man will not be a legalist one year from now.  In fact, because of his open mind, I feel optimistic that his legalistic days are numbered.  Legalism and open-mindedness cannot co-exist in one person for long.  I believe they are incompatible when it comes to studying the new covenant (which is written on men’s hearts rather than on tablets of stone).  Maybe that is why it is so rare to find an open-minded legalist.  They can’t stay that way for long.  If correctly challenged with scripture, they must either close their minds (like the Pharisees) or move toward grace, like the Galatian brethren.  

Please pray for me and this young man as we study the word together.  Pray that God will open our eyes and lead us both to the truth. Thanks in advance,  Dennis

I’ve spent several days this week on the road and doing family research for my book.  I’ve interviewed several people who are in their 70’s or 80’s and who knew my grandparents and my father when he was a boy.  I have discovered quite a bit about my grandparents that I hadn’t known before. One of those things was about the fact that my grandmother was a very devout member of the Church of Christ .  I knew she was a member, but I didn’t know how “devout.” It became obvious that everyone knew exactly where she stood in those matters.  I got the idea that her mother was even stricter than she was and was even a little obnoxious and judgmental about it. 

One of the couples I interviewed was my 82 year old cousin, Royce, and his wife, Jewell Dean.  Jewell Dean said that when she started dating Royce, her mother warned her about dating a Church of Christ-er .  (One of the other interviewees, Leonard, informed me with a grin that the term that she probably  used was more likely to be “Cambellite” rather than “CofC-er”.)  She said, “Don’t be dating a Cambellite or you will start going to the Church of Christ .”  Jewell Dean assured her mother that she would not convert to the C of C, and she didn’t. 

I took the opportunity to ask her “What was it about the C of C that made you and your mother feel this way.”  She said that she had visited there a few times and they told her she was going to hell if she didn’t become a member of the C of C.   They even told Royce, who was a member, that he was going to hell if he continued to date this girl who was not a member.  He said he thought that was a little harsh.

The other couple I interviewed, Leonard and Rita, had similar experiences.  During the course of our discussion Leonard, with a grimace on his face as he shook his head side to side, said, “They drove away countless numbers of people with this condemning attitude.” And I think he is right.  There is no telling how many people “we” have driven away by our self-righteous, judgmental, “two by four between the eyes” approach to evangelism. 

Our “good news” has often been, “You are going to Hell if you don’t become a member of the Church of Christ .”  I can barely contain the joy that wells up inside me as I think about this approach (for those of you in Rio Linda, I’m being facetious (in other words, I’m joking about this approach bringing me joy.  It actually discourages and frustrates me.)) 

As I look back over my own experience in the Church of Christ and think about what caused us to take such a confrontational approach to “evangelism” I think it was about the fear we had about missing any opportunity to spread the “truth”—not so much because of our desire to spread the truth but more out of the fear of our own guilt if we didn’t.  We thought about “What if I don’t say something and that person gets killed on their way home?”  So, to cover ourselves from this possible guilt and sin, we would choose to force-feed this “gospel” on anyone who came into our sphere—whether they wanted us to or not.  That way we were covered and if the person didn’t respond appropriately, then the guilt was on their shoulders instead of ours.  If they die on their way home we can say we tried to reach them and they just wouldn’t respond.  In reality, if they didn’t physically die on their way home, they may as well have in regard to our ever being able to reach them with the true gospel.  We’ve totally turned them off.

I still see some of that attitude today.  There is this uneasiness that creeps in to many of us if we allow anything unusual to slip by.  When someone visits the assembly and does something a little unorthodox, we generally have someone who is willing to “straighten them out” that same day—even if it means that this person will never set foot in that building again.  We are willing to lose their soul for the sake of our traditions or orthodoxy and in the name of “defending the faith” or in the name of doing things “decently and in order”.   And that’s just wrong. 

Our efforts should be more about loving those with whom we come in contact.  It should be about treating them the way we would like to be treated if the roles were reversed.  It’s about meeting needs.  God Bless you as you reach out in love to those around you this week.  Dennis      

Over the past fourteen months as I’ve written this blog I’ve come to the realization that there are going to be some people who are so deeply entrenched in the traditions and the legalism of the Church of Christ that I will never reach them.  They will never change.  And for many of them I know that no matter what I do or say they will always think I’m evil.  I’ve come to the conclusion that for many of these people their faith is more in their religion than it is in Jesus Christ.  Their “salvation” is more in their works than it is in God’s grace and mercy.  Their knowledge is based more on what they were taught than what’s in the Bible.  I don’t think this about everyone who disagrees with me, just the most radical among them.  And I don’t believe there is anything I can do or say to change their minds.  Believe me I’ve tried.  So why have I continued to blog?
The reason I’ve continued to blog is because there is a segment of the population who has grown up in the Church of Christ but have not felt completely comfortable with the more extreme attitudes of those who are the most legalistic.  Or, there are those who had no problem with those views until they left home and started having discussions with others who have been negatively impacted by Church of Christ attitudes.  There are also those who have “married into” Church of Christ families and went along to get along or didn’t want to cause family problems.  Then there were those who, like me, were raised in those traditions but have gradually started seeing how some of the things we were taught were not exactly lining up with the truths of the Bible.  It is for all of these people that I have continued to blog.  It is to encourage the seekers and to give them confidence to question what they’ve been taught.  It is to reassure them that they are not alone in their questioning and that many others are going through the same growth process (and it is a growth process). 
When one starts questioning something as serious as their religion, it’s easy to have doubts about their own worthiness.  It’s easy for them to feel guilty about their lack of “commitment”.  It’s easy to wonder if they are “falling away” rather than growing.  No doubt if they let some of their more legalistic brethren know they were questioning some of the longstanding traditions, those brethren would deal harshly with them or would chide them for having “liberal” thoughts.  I’ve seen cases where adult children who had moved away let it slip to their parents that they were having “liberal” thoughts and they were scolded by those parents.  The children didn’t stop having the liberal thoughts but they were more careful to not let their parents know about it.  That way there was peace.
Occasionally I will get an email from someone who has stumbled on to my blog or has done a Google search on various Church of Christ topics.  They will send me an email or a private message (from the blog site) with words of thanksgiving.  They usually include the phrase “breath of fresh air” in their message. 
The truth is that it’s not what I’m saying that is making the difference because I am saying the same thing to the legalists that I am saying to the seekers and the legalists are only digging their heels in deeper.  The truth is that change is already taking place in the seeker before he or she finds my blog.  My blog just gives a little bit of voice to what they had already started sensing is right.  I think that the Spirit is already moving in them and my blog just adds a little more validation to their thinking.  Regardless, it has been so gratifying to get those occasional words of thanks and of encouragement.  It has been so uplifting to interact with so many people who are willing to take second and third looks at what they have been taught with the goal of growing in the knowledge and understanding of God’s word.
May God Bless all you seekers and searchers with super success in your searches and sojourns.   So Long for now.  Dennis           

I was listening to the weather this morning so I would know what shirt I should wear today.  Should it be long-sleeved?  Should it be the thick long-sleeved or the thin one?  The weather man told me that at 10:00 the temperature would be about 50 degrees, at 1:00 it would be about 57 and in the afternoon somewhere around 60.  He then proceeded to tell me what tonight’s low temperature would be and the highs and lows for the next seven days.  He even told me what the wind speed would be on those days and from which direction it would be blowing.  He showed me which days were going to be partly cloudy, which days sunny and the percent chance of rain for each of those days.  He told me that it was likely to be foggy in the morning and why.  He showed me a full-size action map of thunderstorms and exactly where they were and their progression over the last couple of hours.  And he did it all in about 3 minutes. 

I remember when I was in high school in the panhandle.  From our house we could pick up three stations on the television.  On one of the stations there was a weatherman named Dan True.  At school we all called him “Dan True or False” because the likelihood of him being right about the weather predictions was only slightly better than a monkey throwing darts at a weather prediction chart.  He seemed to mean well but the weather was so unpredictable that you had to take his (and all weather forecaster’s) predictions with a large grain of salt.  The Farmers Almanac was just about as good. 

As I contrast these two weather forecasting eras it occurs to me that the weather has not changed the way it behaves from then to now.  Though some would say global warming is changing the weather somewhat, it is our ability to more accurately forecast the weather that has changed the most.  With today’s ever improving technological advancements the accuracy of weather forecasting has risen exponentially.  Every second, thousands, if not millions, of pieces of data are being inputted into powerful computers which take the data and project what will happen based upon the constant principles of physics.  Though the weather has not changed, because of technology, out ability to study it and understand it has changed completely.  I don’t know of a single person who would disagree with this truth.  But if you try to transfer this exact same principal of understanding to our understanding of God’s word you will sometimes be labeled as a heretic.

I remember studying my Bible in the days of “Dan True or False” and having to use the little concordance in the back of my Bible to research a topic.  When I was in college I purchased the “Youngs Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Authorized Edition, Revised”.  It was about 1200 pages long and had an incredible amount of information in it.  I was told “no serious student of the Bible would be without it”.  And I wanted to be a serious student of the Bible.  I also bought a few commentaries and Bible dictionaries, as well.  Again, I wanted to be a serious student of the Bible.  As I would study a topic I would write down various passages and thoughts.  When I had compiled a lot of information I would have to organize the information and re-write it and eventually would file it in a folder in my filing cabinet.  It was a cumbersome and time consuming process.  A lot has changed since then—not about me being a serious student of the Bible, but about the methods of Bible study and of filing and editing and organizing. 

Now, due to computer technology and Bible software and access to the world wide web, I can find out more about any topic, biblical or otherwise, in a few hours than it would have taken me weeks (or longer) to find out about in the “good old days”.  I have access to new findings (like the dead sea scrolls) and about historical information (based upon archeological research and discovery) that was not even available to the common man thirty years ago.  In less than 5 minutes I can pull up every verse in the Bible about faith or any other topic and can read from several commentaries and “copy and paste” it into my word processor and print it off for later study.  With the right software I can read the same verse from dozens of translations of the Bible so that I can compare the way the verse has been translated.  I can have in-depth online Bible discussions at any time of the night or day with people from all over the world.  At any hour of the day or night I can download sermons and lessons from the most knowledgeable preachers in our brotherhood.  I can listen to these lessons as I drive or walk or run or rest.  I can store all this information with the click of a mouse.  As I later discover new truths I can simply pull up the old information and easily add to or revise it.  I can email it to others for their consideration and discussion.  It is exponentially more efficient than the old ways.

Like the weather, the Bible has not changed.  God’s word is eternal.  His principals remain.  But like the understanding of the weather, due to the technology that is available today, the ease with which we can obtain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of God’s word has grown exponentially as well.  Now, instead of spending so much time looking for information and trying to find the verses and compiling the verses and their surrounding contexts and writing and re-writing, I can spend the bulk of my time reading, digesting and applying the information.

I have tremendous admiration for those dedicated brethren from the past who spent so much of their lives in the study of God’s word without the benefit of modern technology.  You can’t question their dedication and their love for God’s word.  And it would be wrong to ignore what they discovered and believed.  It would also be wrong to assume that just because you have technology that you have the correct understanding of God’s word.  If you approach God’s word with a preconceived agenda you can be just as tainted with or without technology.  You can be set in your ways with or without technology.  You can be a blind fool with or without technology.  But imagine how great it could be for someone if they have the dedication of the men of old combined with the advantages of modern technology combined with an open mind and an open heart which is truly seeking to understand what God’s will is for them.  Imagine how great it can be if we are willing to study with each other and be open to a point of view that is different than what we have been accustomed to.  Imagine how great it can be if we are willing to discuss these things with one another without passing judgment on one another.  Wasn’t it Jesus (through Paul) that said in Romans 14:12-13 (NIV)  “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.  [13] Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”

(I opened my Bible software and found that verse, cut and pasted it into this post in about 30 seconds.  I could have also cut and pasted it in King James Version or other versions in another 10 seconds.)

Unfortunately there are still a few people out there who are more eager to condemn others than to listen or to teach or to consider another way.  There are some who are still locked into what they were taught as a child and they have been unwilling to even consider that there might be some legitimate need to take another look.  It is their loss.  A better way is to “test everything, hold on to that which is good.”  And now, with the advancement of technology and the wealth of information that has been made readily available by the internet, we can do so all the more efficiently and beneficially.  God bless us all as we seek to do his will.  Dennis

Recently I’ve been in discussions with several people about salvation.  We’ve been discussing the question about “Once saved, always saved”.  I decided that I wanted to open this discussion up to everyone through this blog.  I’m going to give you a few verses that seem to indicate to me that someone who has been saved can turn away from God and then be lost.  I know that not every one agrees with this and so I would like to hear the reasoning behind the opposing view if you are willing to share.  I know that some would say that they never were really saved in the first place even though we might have thought they were.  I will really try to be open minded about this so join into the discussion with your thoughts—even if you don’t feel sure about where you are.  Let’s learn together.

I’ve got several scriptures that I’ll share with you and I’ll go ahead and write them out so you won’t have to dig quite as much.  I have others as well but won’t put them all down up front.

This first passage seems to indicate to me that God, who has grafted in the Gentiles to the branch (Christ) can also “regraft” in those who have been broken off.  They were a part of the branch, then broken off and “lost”, but can be regrafted in if they repent.   

Romans 11:13-24 (NIV) 
    I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry [14] in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people(Jews) to envy and save some of them. [15] For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? [16] If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
    [17] If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, [18] do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. [19] You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” [20] Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. [21] For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
    [22] Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. [23] And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. [24] After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
If we believe and then later, because of life circumstances revert back to unbelief, wouldn’t we be cut off according to this passage?
This next passage seems to indicate to me that you are saved by the gospel, if….
1 Cor. 15:1-2 (NIV) 
    Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
The last passage I will use initially is where the Galatians were initially converted to the gospel of being saved by grace through faith and then who reverted back to being saved by works.  Paul tells them in
Galatians 5:1-4
    [5:1] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

    [2] Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Doesn’t this passage indicate that we, like the Galatians, if we revert back to trying to earn our salvation by works have fallen away from grace.  

I look forward to your answers (or questions) or discussion in general.  dennis

This unhappy gentleman is representative of a category of people who place their hope in a particular religious organization or in a system of man-made doctrine and whose allegiance naturally follows their hope. Missing is an understanding that Jesus really is our Savior, that he took our place in his own perfect doing and dying to set us right with God, and that our energies now are devoted to responding to God’s grace and not to cobbling together some kind of personal righteousness with which we hope to barter or bargain with the Almighty. In the view of my friend, salvation depends on being in the “right” church and reaching all the “right” conclusions in studying the Bible. Because this understanding of salvation provides no room for error, those who advocate it must pretend that they are now correct on every doctrinal point and persuade themselves of that illusion.

Laboring under this impossible burden, its carriers also feel logically obligated to condemn all who differ with them, who — since they themselves are definitely right — must be absolutely wrong. Wearing these blinders, one might acknowledge that another person generally lives a godly and upright life (as my friend would say of me), yet not hesitate to conclude and to announce to others that the person who differs from himself is willfully twisting God’s Word, knowingly teaching fatal error and consciously misleading others into what he clearly knows to be wrong.

I wrote back to this gentleman and assured him that my theological differences with him resulted from intensive Bible study over many years and are truly spoken in all good faith. I expressed regret that he seemingly trusts in something that can never provide hope or salvation. And I prayed that the God who spoke light out of darkness in the beginning would now shine in this friend’s heart to show him the divine glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). I understand where my friend is in his thinking. I was there once myself — and still would be, but for the grace of God.

_______________________

Copyright 2008 by Edward Fudge. Permission hereby given to copy, reprint or redistribute this gracEmail in its entirety (including this copyright notice) and not for financial profit.

 

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It is truly amazing to me how vastly differently well meaning people can interpret the scriptures.  You can find people justifying almost anything with the Bible.  You can find others condemning almost anything with that same Bible.  I think that to some degree our human nature and our personal experiences seem to cause a prejudice in the way each of us view things—including doctrine. 
When I was in college, I witnessed a couple of the most knowledgeable and loving men I have ever known (Bible professors) as they publicly disagreed on certain doctrinal issues.  In spite of their differences, they were respectful and loving toward one another.  I heard each of them, in a public forum in the presence of the other, good-naturedly say, “I don’t see how such and intelligent man can be so misinformed on such a clear issue.”  And each of them took the jab in the loving spirit in which it was given.  They were role models of unity in diversity as long as they lived.
Because of the nature and ramifications of biblical interpretations, it is most difficult for the more conservative members to accept the more progressive members.  (Even those more conservative members are rejected by those who are even more conservative than them.)  To the conservative way of thinking, accepting progressives is condoning error and error should not be condoned.
To the conservative, progressives don’t interpret the scriptures strictly and correctly.  Instead, they “want their ears tickled”.  Conservatives believe that progressives disregard scriptures rather than apply them.  Without specifically saying so, the impression left is that the more regulated you are in your interpretation, the more accurate you are in your interpretation.  Conversely, the less regulated you are, the less accurate you are.  But I believe this is flawed thinking.
If Jesus taught that you should not be strictly regulated, wouldn’t the most accurate interpretation of scripture coincide with that same teaching?    In Matthew 15:9 (KJV), Jesus said,   “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”   I can assure you that these men of which Jesus speaks, thought they were accurately teaching the words of God because they were even counting out their spices to give a tenth to the Lord. 
Throughout the New Testament, well meaning Pharisees who were strictly interpreting the law felt like those who were not enforcing the strict laws were in error.  But in actuality, it was they, the “strict” interpretationists who were in error.  Interpreting too “strictly” is just as bad as interpreting too “loosely”.  Neither is acceptable if it is done intentionally. 
So it behooves us, I believe, that we focus like a laser, whether conservative or progressive, on God’s word and what he is trying to tell us in that word.  It also behooves us, I believe, in light of the fact that we are just human and that we do make mistakes, that we allow some latitude—a “margin of error” in our brethren.  Because they disagree with us is not good reason, in and of itself, for us to assign improper motives or ignorance or slothfulness or rebellion or error to them.
I hope we can have great discussions on biblical issues in the year ahead.  I hope we can disagree agreeably.  I hope we can each, with open minds, have our knowledge and understanding of the scriptures expanded.  And finally, I hope we can do it in love.
God Bless.  Dennis

I’ve been pondering lately about the mindset of “legalists”.  They would consider themselves to be “strict interpretationists.”    They would consider themselves to be “defenders of the faith.”  They would consider themselves to be leaning wholly on the word of God.  On the other side of the coin, they also believe that I have basically abandoned scripture in favor of an “anything goes” mindset.  They would have you believe they have more respect for God’s word than I (as well as those that agree with me) do.  In their way of thinking, strictness and rigidity equals rightness.  In their mindset, grace and freedom equals chaos and slackness.  And yet the scripture is full of references about grace and freedom as the true way—not strictness and rigidity.  Notice the following:

2 Cor. 3:17 (NIV) 
    Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 2:4 (NIV) 
    This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

Galatians 5:1 (NIV) 
    It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13 (NIV) 
    You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Ephes. 3:12 (NIV) 
    In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

James 1:25 (NIV) 
    But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

James 2:12 (NIV) 
    Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,

1 Peter 2:16 (NIV) 
    Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

John 1:17 (NIV) 
    For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:14 (NIV) 
    For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
 
Romans 11:5-6 (NIV) 
    So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. [6] And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

1 Cor. 15:10 (NIV) 
    But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

2 Cor. 4:15 (NIV) 
    All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Galatians 1:6 (NIV) 
    I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is no gospel at all.   (They were going back to legalism)

Galatians 2:21 (NIV) 
    I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Galatians 5:4 (NIV) 
    You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

And there are many more scriptures I could post. 
The reality is that if you follow the word completely, you will not be a “legalist”.  If you follow the word completely, you will live in freedom and grace and joy.  Legalism is not the desired direction that is taught in the Bible.  It is the exact opposite of what God teaches.  And yet, the legalists hold fast to that way of thinking.

The good news is that there is hope for the legalists.  Personally, I know several people who used to be legalists (including myself) (see “How I Got From There to Here”, 4/13/07 post) but have gradually seen the light.  They now live in freedom and joy.  Personally, I don’t know of anyone who has gone the other way—and that’s a good thing.

If you are a legalist, I know this post has probably made you mad.  You can rant and rave and think and say all manner of bad things about me if you want.  But before you dismiss what I say, I hope you will put your frustration with me aside and look at those scriptures again.  What if I’m telling you the truth about what God is trying to teach you?  What if you’ve been wrong about this?  You’ve been wrong before, haven’t you?  Is it more important to stay mad at me or to make sure what you’ve been believing is justifiable in light of the above scriptures. 
Just so you will know, I actually do know that I have a lot to learn (you don’t have to tell me).  And, there are many things in the scriptures that I don’t understand.  But I do know that when I believed in legalism I was in error—just like the Pharisees were in error when they believed in legalism.  As I look back at it now, I can’t believe it was so hard for me to see it.  It will be the same way for you.  Set yourself free.  Grace and peace to you.  Dennis    

Last night I watched lesson three of a series on Heaven by Rick Atchley.  Something he said made me think about the concept of how when we get to heaven that God will look into our eyes.  There is something special about someone looking into your eyes.  It made me think of the time I was in Paris, on a potential business venture, just strolling along the crowded sidewalks looking in the store windows, observing all of the hubbub, taking in the atmosphere and watching the people.  There was plenty of street noise with the horns honking and the brakes squealing as cars and vans and buses and delivery trucks started and stopped along the way.  The street venders were out selling their newspapers and hawking their watches and jewelry and hotdogs and candy.  You could hear the sound of footsteps in every direction as people bustled on their way to their various destinations.  Most were bundled up in their long coats with scarves wrapped around their necks to keep the chill out.  Others were waiting patiently at the street corners for the light to change or at the bus stops looking up the street to read the numbers written on the oncoming buses.  The occasional filthy homeless street person was laying up against a building or in an abandoned doorway.  Others, the crippled or blind, were sitting to the side with a hand out or a cup or a hat hoping for a little financial charity.  Steam appeared to come seeping out of many of the vents in the streets where the warm moist air collided with the cool dry air and caused condensation.  The sidewalks were dirty with bits of trash scattered around—much of it handouts from some world cause campaign that had been passed out by some zealous believers and then dropped a few steps later by some of the less than zealous non-believers.  The store windows were pristine with their brightly lit goods prominently displayed.

As I made my way along the path, I decided to cross the street at the next intersection.  It was a busy, six or eight lane, divided street which was packed with cars and people.  I began to cross just as the warning sign was beginning to indicate that the light was about to change so I only made it as far as the center median where I would wait out the cycle.  Along with me on this island was one other man and his wife or girlfriend.  As I glanced over at him, he glanced over at me and our eyes met.  I then realized that he was Peter Strauss, the actor who starred in “Rich Man Poor Man” and several other television mini-series, as well as other shows and movies.  He was an actor that I liked and whose work I admired.  We both quietly nodded and smiled.  He could tell that I recognized him but we said nothing. 

It was a surreal moment because here we were, the three of us, standing on this little island with hundreds (or thousands) of people within shouting distance in the middle of this world class city of millions and he, this famous actor, looked straight into my eyes and I looked straight into his.  And that’s what I thought about when Rick Atchley said that God will look into our eyes. 

Can you imagine how great that is going to be when we sit down face to face with God and when he lovingly looks into our eyes and welcomes us home?  That is going to be such an awesome day.

The last two or three weeks have been kind of heavy weeks for me in some ways.  Though many things are very good and though I feel very blessed, difficult, life sapping things, have kept popping up in the lives of several of the people that I love dearly.  And I keep hearing of decisions and actions of small minded (supposedly Christian) people who are causing harm and distress on others for no good reason.  I’m continually reminded about how this world just doesn’t really work very well and about how Satan is just running rampant in people’s lives.  It just seems to me that the more I know, the more I look forward to sitting down with God and looking into his eyes.  I look forward to the final destruction of Satan’s powers over us.  I look forward to that time of complete joy and peace and contentment.

At the same time, I am comforted even now by just knowing that the heavenly welcome is really coming.  I feel a sense of peace by knowing this present distress is temporary.  Somehow, it makes it a little easier to take this garbage that goes on around me (and in me) when I know that something awesome is waiting at the end.  And somehow it makes it easier to think about helping others now if I can just keep remembering how this is all going to turn out.

I wish for you and for me peace in this troublesome world.  I wish for us joy in our trials.  And I wish for us comfort in our pain.          

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) 

God Bless you this week as you make a difference in the lives of those around you.  Dennis