Coming Up: Sonday October 5, 2014
Romans 14:1-15:22. Tolerance in the Church
Read Romans 14:1-4
There are many things that potentially divide the Christian church - issues which really ought not to be issues at all. Things like musical instruments, the issue of smoking (I’ve heard that some people like to cast out the demon of smoking if you’re a smoker), styles of worship in church, song choices in church (whether we sing choruses, hymns or a balance of both) and even the existence of other denominations have all caused division in the church.
The principle laid out in Romans 14 and 15 covers disputable matters, matters as described above and other matters including food and holy days. Rather than condemning these people and relegating them to the back of the church, we are commanded to accept or receive those who are weak in the faith.
When the Bible talks about being weak in the faith it is talking about those who have not come into the full freedom of the glorious Gospel. And we are not to see it as our solemn sworn duty to bring them up to speed or to educate them or to set them right. It is our duty, as per verse 1, to accept them fully as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul gives an example of a person who desires to eat only vegetables. The man who can eat everything with a clear conscience is not to look down in judgement on this other person. The Lord will make this person stand and all are to accept him/her in the congregation of believers.
Unfortunately the word ‘disputable’ has spread in the modern day church to include almost every single doctrine and belief. In the New Testament Scriptures we see an acceptance in ‘disputable’ matters but a total anathema towards those who would seek to water down the genuine Gospel. As such Paul would rather have a false gospel preacher condemned than accepted into the church (Gal 1:8). He commands the church to expel the immoral and unrepentant brother in the Corinthian church (1 Cor 6:13). Jude reveals to us that only the blackest darkness awaits those who change the grace of God into a licence for immorality (Jude 12-13). Paul tells Titus and the church in Crete to avoid the brother who continues to create division (Titus 3:10).
The kind of tolerance that accepts all teaching is simply not tolerated in the churches of the New Testament. The Apostolic witness is unanimous - we must protect the Gospel at all costs. We must not allow false teaching to infiltrate the church.
But within that Gospel there are disputable areas. There are areas where we can hold a difference of opinion. It’s in these areas that we are to show loving, Jesus-reflecting acceptance to our brothers and sisters in the church.
Prayer:
Use today’s Bible reading and notes to pray along the following lines.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¨ Ask the Lord to bring depth and maturity in your church so that it will be an accepting and loving Church that repudiates false teaching.
¨ Pray for the various cells that meet and ask God to mature them, bless them and use them for kingdom growth.
Jesus said, ‘By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another. Love and acceptance communicates Jesus clearly to a broken world.
1. Draw up a list of topics that you think are tolerable within the church and state your reasons why you think they are tolerable.
2. Draw up a list of commonly held beliefs within the wider church that are intolerable and state your reasons why you think they are intolerable.
Intro: It’s possible to love other Christians and to serve with them even though we don’t agree with everything they believe about the Bible. But some parts of the Bible we have to defend at all costs.
Discuss a time when you had to work beside another believer who held different beliefs to you. How did it go? How did you cope?
Read Mark 12:28-24
What are the two great commandments that Jesus draws out?
Discuss ways that you could show love to a believer who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, for example.
Pray together: that your church would be a loving and receiving church that carefully guards the Gospel.
Intro: Boys like to settle things by fighting. But it’s possible to love other Christians and to serve with them even though we don’t agree with everything they believe about the Bible. But some parts of the Bible we have to defend at all costs.
Discuss a time when you had to work beside another believer who held different beliefs to you. How did it go? How did you cope?
Read Mark 12:28-24
What are the two great commandments that Jesus draws out?
Discuss ways that you could show love to a believer who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, for example.
Pray together: that your church would be a loving church that carefully guards the Gospel.
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