Lines
We all have lines. A place we won’t go. An imaginary point in the sand we are unwilling to cross. How do we develop such lines? What leads us to draw them and what could happen that would lead us across?
The church has always had lines. The early fathers and the Bible talk about heresy. They warn about those who deny the divinity of Christ and they call out those who claim you can do whatever you want, the soul and body are separate. We all have to admit that lines exist, the problem has always been how we mark them.
Most of us draw lines based on our own experiences. We base what we deem to be proper on what we feel is proper. I hope that in reading that we can see the problem. The dividing line is no longer Christ but instead swings to my personal preferences. In this scenario I become god.
Now we humans are good at realizing this deep within and so we typically find some scripture or verse that we hope will cover our selfishness. Several years ago I was working at a church that was thinking of taking out their pews to add chairs. The facility was small and it would have been nice to use the sanctuary space for more than that one hour a week for worship. Our fellowship hall was very small and class rooms were at a premium.
When we began to discuss the idea one older gentleman who didn’t want to lose the pews brought up 1 Corinthians 11:22. He said we couldn’t eat in the sanctuary. Was that really why? Actually he used the pew in front of him for leverage to help him get up. We needed to know that because we should be thinking of others, but did bringing Paul into it help? Suddenly a matter of opinion was backed by the very word of God. Is that healthy?
Several years later this man went to a church where they had chairs and discovered they were not only more comfortable but the interlocking nature allowed him plenty of leverage to get out of his seat. Suddenly God wasn’t so vocal about chairs.
I don’t share this to be mean, I love and respect him and appreciate this man, but what happened is an example of the danger of this thinking. When we start saying God said so the lines get drawn and they solidify very quickly. One mans concern about getting out of his chair becomes a God who hates to have people eat in the sanctuary. That is not good.
In the end I think the church would look a lot different today if we actually followed what Paul said instead of turning his words into a defense for personal preferences. In the end it would be good to understand that every house church wasn’t the same, that the early church didn’t even gather on the same day let alone in the same way. If we understood that Paul was working to keep such different groups united maybe we would be willing to put more effort into true unity. Instead many use these words in an attempt to force their way on others. How far could we be from what Paul intended?
We all have lines. A place we won’t go. An imaginary point in the sand we are unwilling to cross. How do we develop such lines? What leads us to draw them and what could happen that would lead us across?
The church has always had lines. The early fathers and the Bible talk about heresy. They warn about those who deny the divinity of Christ and they call out those who claim you can do whatever you want, the soul and body are separate. We all have to admit that lines exist, the problem has always been how we mark them.
Most of us draw lines based on our own experiences. We base what we deem to be proper on what we feel is proper. I hope that in reading that we can see the problem. The dividing line is no longer Christ but instead swings to my personal preferences. In this scenario I become god.
Now we humans are good at realizing this deep within and so we typically find some scripture or verse that we hope will cover our selfishness. Several years ago I was working at a church that was thinking of taking out their pews to add chairs. The facility was small and it would have been nice to use the sanctuary space for more than that one hour a week for worship. Our fellowship hall was very small and class rooms were at a premium.
When we began to discuss the idea one older gentleman who didn’t want to lose the pews brought up 1 Corinthians 11:22. He said we couldn’t eat in the sanctuary. Was that really why? Actually he used the pew in front of him for leverage to help him get up. We needed to know that because we should be thinking of others, but did bringing Paul into it help? Suddenly a matter of opinion was backed by the very word of God. Is that healthy?
Several years later this man went to a church where they had chairs and discovered they were not only more comfortable but the interlocking nature allowed him plenty of leverage to get out of his seat. Suddenly God wasn’t so vocal about chairs.
I don’t share this to be mean, I love and respect him and appreciate this man, but what happened is an example of the danger of this thinking. When we start saying God said so the lines get drawn and they solidify very quickly. One mans concern about getting out of his chair becomes a God who hates to have people eat in the sanctuary. That is not good.
In the end I think the church would look a lot different today if we actually followed what Paul said instead of turning his words into a defense for personal preferences. In the end it would be good to understand that every house church wasn’t the same, that the early church didn’t even gather on the same day let alone in the same way. If we understood that Paul was working to keep such different groups united maybe we would be willing to put more effort into true unity. Instead many use these words in an attempt to force their way on others. How far could we be from what Paul intended?
posted by Darin L. Hamm at
12:54 PM
6 Comments:
Darin,
Great post...Oh, I mean good post. Just joking..Wonderful thoughts.
As a Christian I think we should draw the line with the what God has to say about it. And as we asked that question and search his word that we look at his word in the context it is written. What is God saying. Why was it written? What was the context? Am I taking it out of context? I understand that as a Christian we shouldn't prove text. That is taking scritpture out of context to prove our point of opinion. I that is very dangerous.
Preacherman,
But how? One person’s proof text is the next person’s context.
What historic principles should help us avoid such extremes? It just seems that when we turn to my search of scripture I tend to see what I want to see because the focus is me.
Any thoughts?
Darin,
I don't know.
I need to think about your question for a while.
Thanks for asking these questions.
I think the problem being highlighted here is (hang on a second and let me put my big boy theologian cap on): anthropocentric hermeneutic vs. theocentric hermeneutic.
In other words, we're reading the Bible and asking the wrong question first. Instead of asking, "What does this say about me?" (that's anthropocentric or human-centered), we should ask, "What does this say about God?" (that's theocentric or God-centered).
The Bible wasn't written primarily to tell us how to live but to reveal God's character and nature.
JAT,
I hear what you are saying and I am glad you brought this my way but aren't we going to have to at some point say how does this impact me?
You make a good point but if I am called to reflect Christ won't I have to ask how does God's character play out in my life?
Looking for more thoughts. Thanks again.
Darin,
Yes, you are going to ask that question. But it's not the first question.
And what you'll be asking is not "How can I live a more biblical life?" but "How can I live a godlier life?"
Godlier is always better than more biblical. We can all tell stories where the latter did not always equal the former.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home