An Interesting Week

For the past few years, I have been answering questions for a local ministry and posting my responses here on my blog. Unfortunately, due to a disagreement regarding my answer to the last question I received, my duties were terminated. The problem originated from my comment that I thought James did not have a full understanding of the Gospel when he wrote his letter because of his putting forth the idea that works is required for salvation or, at the very least, evidence of it. Rather than having a dialogue regarding my position, the ministry representative labeled my belief as "dangerous" and that I was putting my "opinion" over that of the Lord. Of course, I totally disagree with their observation, but my real problem is that I was dismissed and disrespected rather than being given the courtesy of a dialogue on the matter in which to explain myself. Personally, I feel that the response I received did more to damage their position than it does mine. Plus, it shows an absence of a loving attitude towards myself. However, here is a synopsis of my feelings towards what I believe regarding the response I received. It touches on some areas in the Bible that I believe clearly show members of the early Church who were in disagreement with each other and didn't have a full understanding of the Gospel, but were still used mightily by the Lord to get His message out.

"Are there disagreements in the Bible amongst the Saints? Absolutely, there are. Do we see early Christians who are immature in their knowledge of the Gospel and the full understanding of it? Yes, we do. Does the existence of these things call into question the authority and inerrancy of God’s word? Not one bit. I say, that to ignore these things is dangerous and can lead to the Bible being called into question. In Acts 11:16, Peter says, “Then I remembered what the Lord had said,” when recalling his experience at the home of Cornelius. This is evidence that something he didn’t previously understand was now revealed to him. In Acts 15:1, some believers stated, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” Well, this isn’t true, but it is in the Bible. In Acts 18:26, Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos into their home and “explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Here is another example of someone who didn’t have a full understanding of the Gospel and needed correction, but God still used him. Paul said, “a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Romans 3:28),” but James said, “a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone (James 2:24).” 

Assuming Paul and James disagreed on what saves a person, as it would seem they did, doesn’t call into question the authority of God’s word, but helps us to understand it. Why?  In Galatians 2:12, when Paul recounts why he opposed Peter, he says, “For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.” James, who apparently believed people were justified by what they do and not by faith alone, had influenced a group of men who subsequently influenced Peter into acting like a hypocrite.  Having the letter of James in the Bible helps us to understand what Paul writes about in his letter to the Galatians. They complement each other and, therefore, bring harmony to the Bible as a whole. Besides, do all Christians agree on every subject today? No. Do we vigorously debate about subjects like Law and Grace, the fullness of the Gospel and how we live as Christians? Yes, we do, just like the early Church. But, just like the early Church, we all agree that salvation is only found through faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible is the word of God. It should encourage us that God used fallen people, from diverse backgrounds, different influences and various levels of maturity, to get His message of salvation in Jesus Christ out to the world, just like He does today."

Ultimately, there are two things I hope we can take away from this. The first is that we should be able to reason from the scriptures, disagree without resorting to name calling and allow the Lord to teach us His truth. Secondly, and just as important, is to ponder what really is dangerous; my position regarding the maturity of James or ignoring all the areas of scriptures that are there in order to hang on to our point of view? Trust me, the lost see these things in the Bible. Immature Christians see these things in the Bible. I, personally believe that everybody who has studied the Bible to some degree sees these things in the Bible, including the representative of this particular ministry. They have to be addressed and not ignored or having a spin put on them because we are afraid that acknowledging them will diminish the Bible. God put them there for a reason and we should not shy away from them. Yes, it may be difficult to address, but if we have the living God of the universe here to teach us and guide us, I believe we can trust that what He put into His word can be explained without us having to fear having it questioned. If the Bible has stood up against scrutiny for thousands of years, I am confident that it will continue to do so without the body of Christ separating over a disagreement some of its members are having over it.