Dealing with Differences

I just got back from a fantastic seminar with Stuart and Jill Briscoe, where I deeply benefitted from the ministry of this godly couple and fellowshipped with Christians from a variety of backgrounds. Which brings up a question: how do we, as believers who hold to conservative doctrine and lifestyle, interact with those who hold different doctrinal or lifestyle stands? I mean, they are obviously and probably intentionally opposing Scripture, aren't they? Or maybe they just aren't as spiritual as we are?

Umm…   [Awkward pause]

The issue became real for me when I was the sole conservative Wesleyan-Arminian attending an interdenominational seminary. There were a number of areas in which I disagreed with my teachers. For example, most if not all of my professors believed and taught that in the New Testament era, Sunday is a day of worship rather than a day of rest, and so there are no biblical restrictions on working on Sunday. In my understanding, the Old Testament restriction on working on the Sabbath is still in effect, since the New Testament never specifically abolishes it (as it does the food laws in Mark 7:19). We cannot both be right, so which of us is following the Bible and which is following man's rules?

Actually, that question is misleading. We are both following the Bible.

But how can that be, when the two views contradict one another?

To answer that, let's step back and look at the issue from a different angle.

Every Bible-believing Christian must start from the same point: absolute surrender to the authority of God's Word. The starting point has to be "I will obey the Bible" rather than "I will obey the Bible when I like what it tells me" or "I will obey the Bible when it says what I think it should." The extent to which we don't submit to Scripture is the same extent to which we are living by man's rules. (Living by your own rules is still living by man's rules, BTW. Assuming, of course, that you are human.)

When we are committed to living by Scripture, things get more interesting: we have to interpret what Scripture means. I don't mean that we try to find some strange or hidden meaning, but that we do our best to understand what it means and how it applies to me. This is where the differences come in, because we bring to Scripture our own unique viewpoints, emphases, theological backgrounds, and spiritual understanding. And we are influenced by the viewpoints, emphases, theology, and spiritual understanding of our friends, mentors, teachers, and pastors. So one who honestly believes that the Bible OK's Sunday work will be open to working on Sunday, while another who believes that the Bible restricts Sunday work will not. Both, though, are following the Bible to the best of their understanding. And the same thing applies to a wide range of life issues and theology.

So what's the right response? Wash our hands of the whole thing and say "Just do whatever you think you should. It's between you and God anyway"? That's a common response, but it's a cop-out. The underlying assumption of this view is that one interpretation is just as good as another, which suggests that no one really knows what the Bible means.

Or do we retreat back into our theological tradition? After all, if we are right, then everyone else has to be wrong, don't they? And who are we to disagree with [fill in the name of your favorite old-time saint]? But again, this response is a cop-out. It ignores the human (and therefore fallible) part of Bible interpretation. Whenever we take one interpretation as the ultimate interpretation that must never be questioned, we thereby exalt the human interpreter over God's Word. Which explains why this approach tends to ignore whatever bits of Scripture don't seem to fit its particular viewpoint.

So what do we do? The biblical answer is:

1. Be sure of your own interpretation.

How do you do this? First, pray for the Spirit's leadership. But recognize that the Spirit usually works through human means, so engage the best Bible teachers that you have access to. Actually listen in church (what a concept!). Find and read good books, like commentaries or devotional works. Not just the easy reads that make you feel good. Dig into the books that make you think about Scripture. Learn to love expositional preaching--the preaching that really explores and explains the Bible. Examine everything in the light of Scripture. Wrestle with the hard passages. Study until you are certain before God as to what Scripture teaches. And bathe the whole process in prayer. Paul's exhortation to the Romans concerning eating meat also applies to all of the Christian life: "Let every man be fully convinced in his own mind."

Sounds like work, doesn't it? Yep, it is. Anything worth doing takes work. Get used to it.

2. Follow Scripture wholeheartedly.

You'll find that there are multiple interpretations on almost every issue. Once you've realized that, the temptation is to just adopt the easiest interpretation, the interpretation that requires the least commitment, effort, or change. But that's not following Scripture--that’s using Scripture as an excuse to do what you want. What you must do is to study until you are as certain as you can be as to what the Bible teaches, then follow it. If it requires change, then change. If it means holding to what you already believe, get a bulldog grip on it and don't let go. First, last, and always, follow Scripture.

3. Proclaim Scripture boldly.

Jesus commanded us to go and teach all nations; Paul instructed Timothy (and us!) to preach the Word; Peter says that he who speaks must speak the words of God.  What we proclaim is not a fearful "Maybe this is what it means," but a bold "Thus saith the Lord!" We can boldly proclaim truth only after we have carefully, prayerfully come to understand Scripture.

4. Leave others to God.

Yet what we preach is, in fact, an interpretation of Scripture. A human act, fraught with human fallibility. Since I am human, it is certain that my understanding is wrong in some areas. So the boldness of proclamation must be wedded with personal humility. It is my job to proclaim (my best undestanding of) truth and to present convincing evidence for it. But it is not my job to try to enforce my interpretation or to unchristianize those whose own study leads them to disagree with me.

So what we do is to examine everything--including our own beliefs--by Scripture. We pray and depend on the Spirit to illuminate our understanding. We study. We preach, teach, and live the Bible according to our best understanding. We hold to what is biblical while rejecting what is unbiblical. At the same time, we understand that others will interpret Scripture differently, and we leave them with God. I will answer to God for how diligently I have studied, proclaimed, and followed Scripture. You will do the same. I'm enough for me to worry about. How about you?