Unity in Diversity

The picture God gives of the body of Christ is one of unity in diversity (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-16). I am convinced that this principle applies beyond the limits of the church. This avoids two of the dangerous pitfalls to which our culture is prone. The one is pure individualism, the idea that each individual is to be their own person and to consider others only to the extent they fit in with their purposes. It also leads to the belief that if we just follow our own selfish purposes, it will somehow come together for the greater benefit of all. But one does not see a hand or an eye walking about on its own. The opposite error is seeing people as interchangeable counters. This fits with the concept that equality is the same as interchangeability. Biblical equality is an equality of value that results from being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27; 9:6; James 3:9). This holds regardless of a person’s identity or station in life. Nowhere are the destructive tendencies of these two forces seen more strongly then in the relationship of men and women.

In this are we are frequently handed a false dilemma. We either regard the two sexes as interchangeable, or we claim that one (usually men) is superior. But I am convinced that the idea of unity in diversity gives us another option.  But one of the issues that becomes enmeshed in this is the whole issue of authority.  Scripture does speak of authority, but it sees it as a position of service (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:3-17; Philippians 2:5-11). This is not an issue of superior versus inferior. The Son, even though He is God (John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:8; John 20:27-29), is subject to the Father (1 Corinthians 11:3; 15:28; John 5:19). All believers are on the fundamental level equal in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29; Colossians 3:10,11; Ephesians 4:3-6); nonetheless, God has put in place an authority structure (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians  5:12,13; 1 Timothy 5:17-20). Authority does not prove the superiority of the person who has it: Nero  was the governing authority the apostles said to be subject to and pray for, and he was hardly a good example (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:13-17).

Now Scripture does say that wives are to be subject to their husbands, but it requires the husbands to be servant leaders who love their wives as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:22-30; Colossians 3:18,19; 1 Peter 3:1-7). This does not amount to some type of oppressive authority structure, but is an ingredient of the functioning body of Christ, which weaves together different people to accomplish the will of God in their own lives and to encourage it in the lives of others (Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:28,29; Hebrews 10:24,25). How all this shakes out in the details is a complicated and controversial question. But making people into so many cogs in a machine or into self-centered individuals looking out for their own interests are not good alternatives.

A Touch of Humor - Another Agreement

How important is religious liberty? How should we go about preserving it?

Old Erich Proverb -

When all else fails, the love of God is our lifeline.

A Voice from the Past - Chrysostom

But not so Paul; rather both soul and body did he use to give up, that they who stoned and beat him with rods, might obtain the kingdom. "For thus," saith he, "Hath Christ taught me to love;" who left behind Him the new commandment concerning love, which also Himself fulfilled in deed. For being Lord of all, and of that Blessed Nature; from men, whom He created out of nothing and on whom He had bestowed innumerable benefits, from these, insulting and spitting on Him, He turned not away, but even became man for their sakes, and conversed with harlots and publicans, and healed the demoniacs, and promised heaven. And after all these things they apprehended and beat him with rods, bound, scourged, mocked, and at last crucified Him. And not even so did He turn away, but even when He was high upon the cross, He saith, "Father, forgive them their sin."

John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD, Homilies on First Corinthians,  Homily XXXII, 14 (The Oxford Translation, revised by Rev. Talbot W. Chambers, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff, Henderickson Publishers, 2012, First Series, 12, p. 194).

How can Christ's example help us to love others? How can we build this into our lives?

Leaving the Mountaintop

It is easy to have a mountaintop approach to Christianity. To be on a high, right after a holiday or a good conference or something else that stirs us up spiritually. Then right afterward to fall back into our normal, everyday rut like nothing had happened. How do we avoid getting caught in this type of up-and-down experience? To begin with, we need to focus on the facts rather than the experience. God has instituted various things to remind us of who we are in Him (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Joshua 4:1-7). Even things that God did not institute, like Christmas, can have this function in our lives. They can remind us of the fact of what God has done for us in sending His Son to pay the price for our sins (John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9-15). But if I focus, not on what God has done, but on what I feel , it distorts the picture.

 

Also, we need to focus on what God wants to do in our life, rather than on the things we want. God has a plan that He is working out in all our lives (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28; Colossians 1;28,29). We can trust Him for it, or we can live looking for the time when we can reach some sort of consistent spiritual high so we can serve God. Therefore, we are to present ourselves to serve God in whatever way He requires, no matter how big or how small (Romans 12:1,2; Titus 2:11-14; Galatians 5:13,14). But sometimes we get the impression that we need to be some kind of spiritual giant to serve God, and this is not true.

We need to live life in view of Christ’s return. While we are strictly forbidden to set dates (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), we are to live always prepared but never certain of the exact time (Matthew 24:42-51; 2 Peter 3:10-13; 1 John 3:1-3). The problem is that it is easy to become mired down by this present world (1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Ephesians 4:17-23). We need, therefore, to set our eyes on Christ and to run the race of the Christian life focused on Him (Hebrews 12:1-3; Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-10). Therefore, if we focus, not on spiritual good times but on what God has done for us, is doing in us, and will do for us, we can enjoy the spiritual good times without being dragged down once they are over. And the focus will not be on our experience, good or bad, but on the power of God (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Love Believes All Things

Love believes all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). I have struggled with this one. I do not believe it means being naive and gullible and accepting things as true which have no rational basis. I see nothing in Scripture to commend such an attitude. But I do believe it is speaking against an attitude of skepticism and cynicism that too easily dismisses people when they do not live up to our expectations.  With God it means trusting Him even when things do not turn out our way  (Proverbs 3:5,6; Hebrews 11:13-16; 2 Corinthians 5:7). With people it means encouraging them and helping them to follow God rather than dismissing at the first sign of failure (Hebrews 10:24,25; Colossians 3:12-14; Matthew 18:21,22). A good example of this is Barnabas who gave John Mark another chance when he had failed earlier (Acts 12:13; 15:37-39; 2 Timothy 4:11). There can sometimes be a thin line between this and being gullible, but we need to walk that line.

What We Divide Over

Who do you feel uncomfortable around? Is there a real Biblical basis for this, or is it just your personal prejudice? And even if certain behaviors are Biblically wrong, do we love the sinner though not the sin? Or do we try to avoid any contact with such people? But more often than not, the things that make us uncomfortable are things that have nothing to do with real Scriptural issues. Therefore, to start with we need to recognize that God speaks of the unity of the church (Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; 4:3-6). In this there were many possible distinctions that are set aside. There was Jew versus Gentile, the original people of God versus the new additions. The Jews could look down on the Gentiles as newcomers to the truth of God, and the Gentiles could look down on the Jews as being set aside so they might be adopted in (Romans 11:11-24). There were the Greeks, who saw themselves as the cultural elite versus the barbarians (non-Greeks), who were inferior. The Scripture even mentions the Scythians, who were traditionally the extreme barbarians who drank blood out of men’s skulls. (I imagine they were somewhat more civilized by Paul’s day, but they evidently maintained some of their reputation.) There were also cultural distinctions such as slave and free. We face many of the same kinds of divisions in the church today. There are racial divisions, generational divisions, economic status divisions. We divide over music, dress, worship styles. How much of this is really division over Biblical issues, and how much is background and personality?   

Now it needs to be recognized there are genuine doctrinal disagreements and genuinely sinful behaviors. But we need to be careful of confusing our preferences with God’s standards. Also, even where there is real disobedience to God involved, we need to correct people lovingly with a goal of bringing them to repentance (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:15). And we must remember that Jesus associated with sinners, as those who needed a physician (Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 7:36-50; John 4:7-26). Now there does come a time for rejecting those (specifically those who claim to be Christians) who persist in sin (Matthew 18:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14,15; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13). But this should be done when efforts to correct them have failed. But there is a temptation to lightly divide over things that are of lesser importance or even things over which we should agree to disagree. We seem to have fallen into the error of the Corinthians, of dividing into factions over everything (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). And how much of that is issues of substance and how much methodology and personality? We need to reconsider what we divide over.