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Doctrinal Discussions
These studies examine the traditional doctrines held by the Church of Christ to see if they are actually taught in the scriptures. This is not an "anti-Church of Christ" site. I was reared in the Church of Christ and have preached in the Church of Christ since 1968. My desire is that we walk righteously before God, not according to traditions of men. Bernie Parsons
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Doubtful Disputations
Bernie Parsons April 03, 2002
There is a major problem in the Churches of Christ regarding fellowship (read "Communion & Fellowship") and the common practice of "disfellowshipping" (read "Disfellowshipping"). At the root of this problem are several cause, one of the greatest culprits being the love of debates. Preachers and members love to argue, debate, contend, and disagree. This leads to destruction of the church and its membership, and not to the edification of the church.
Debating is condemned in scripture, because it is damaging to participants and audience alike.
2 Corinthians 12:20-21 "For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."
Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."
Proverbs 22:10 "Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease."
Proverbs 26:2-22 "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."
The contentious are not righteous, they are unrighteous. The contentious call down God's wrath upon themselves.
Romans 2:6 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;"
Apostle Paul wrote that the Lord's churches are not contentious people.
1 Corinthians 11:16 "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God."
It is important to note that the Greco-Romans loved a good debate. They formed schools of debate and contended with one another over what constitutes the "truth". In fact, Paul found himself engaged in such debating in the school of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:9-10 "But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks."
He also used such a forum to preach Jesus to the pagan Gentiles.
Acts 17:19-21 "And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)"
Contentions lead to schisms--divisions--in the body of Christ. Paul condemns this practice of the members fighting among themselves when he addresses the Corinthian church--Corinth being a "Greek" city, and used to the practice of debating and contending.
1 Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"
He warns against the wisdom of men as he continues addressing the problem.
1 Corinthians 1:18-2:7 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: "
1 Corinthians 3:3 "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"
Paul warned Titus to reject and avoid those who cause contentions in the church.
Titus 3:9-11 "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."
Proverbs 22:10 "Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease."
He also had similar words of warning for Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:3-6 "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain."
James condemned strife as a fleshly attribute, a sin, and not from God in heaven.
James 3:13-16 "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
He explains that strife and fighting results from fleshly lusts, not spiritual edification.
James 4:1-5 "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?"
The wisdom that comes to us from God, through His Holy Spirit, leads us into peace.
James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
Intreated is an archaic use of the word we now know as entreat. Entreat springs from the roots that mean "to treat". Treat means to deal with, to handle, to lead about. In other words, Christians should be easy to deal with, easy to have discussions with, ready to listen and reply civilly and rationally. That is the opposite of adversarial, argumentative. and hard to deal with.
In the first Corinthian letter, after Paul had dealt with the wrongness of contention and division, he then went on to point out why it is wrong. We are to simply follow God, and it is not open to discussion. (He remarked on this as he discussed authority and the hair as a sign of subjection.)
1 Corinthians 11:1-3 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
1 Corinthians 11:16 "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God."
Disputing about many things is destructive, especially to those who are new to, or weak in, the church of our Lord. Rather than arguing with them, which may destroy them, we need to assist them in their growth in Christ. When God speaks, we listen--and obey. It is as simple as that. End of argument!
Romans 13:14-14:8 "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."
Romans 14:13 "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."
Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
Debates, doubtful disputations, arguments, and strifes all lead to destruction of the church. They are born of fleshly lusts, and do not emanate from God's Holy Spirit and are not a mark of God's people.
2 Timothy 2:22-26 "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."
1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." (Read "That Which Is Perfect".)
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
