This is a time when to be offended is to have power. There is a culture of compliant. All corporates have a department that encourages such feedback: the benign reason is that it allows for services to improve. The less benign reasons are that it makes people cautious, as they do not want such a compliant on their record.
In Christ we have liberty, but we have to use this carefully. Paul starts with that principle, and then applies it to an issue — where do you buy meat.
23“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. 25Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, 26for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.” 27If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience – 29I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.
The systematizer in me notes that the two principles that we have: look for the other’s advantage and do everything to glorify God — fall into the two great commandments of the old Law — Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself.
Well and good. We should live not to give offense. We should dress in such a way, eat in such a way…
But this is Paul. Paul offended people. Paul caused riots. He was described as the person who turned the world upside down. Because… what he said was offensive, and it is offensive. Our actions should glorify God. We should not flaunt our liberty foolishly.
But we should not stop saying that in Christ and Christ alone is there entry into the kingodom of God and live everlasting. All other ways lead to the pit. We need to say this despite the fact if offends, it is intolerant, and reminding people that they, like us, are sinners, containing and doing evil, on a road to perdition will decrease their self esteem.
The truth is not tolerant of error. Nor should we be.
But this is Paul. Paul offended people. Paul caused riots. He was described as the person who turned the world upside down. Because… what he said was offensive, and it is offensive. Our actions should glorify God. We should not flaunt our liberty foolishly
I have a vintage [Evangelical] comic book that depicts St. Paul living in a modernized world where Christianity never took off & most people practiced paganism. Long story short: he caused a lot of riots & the pagan temples tried to get him sent to jail. At first I thought it sounded unrealistic [why would pagans be so intolerant?] but then I realized that’s what happened in the Bible.
What is then to correct falsehoods in the church? For instance I have issue with prayer to saints which catholics do not characterise as worship even though dead saints cannot hear prayer. The very existence of a pope is also a heresy as christ and Christ alone is the head of the church and there is no mediator aside from christ who redeemed us with his blood.I am pretty sure “Hebrews” make this clear
Jehovah’s witnesses as well as mormons also have errors and preach a false gospel which I fear is misleading the sheep away from the narrow path.
I do not intend to be a troll or be obnoxious but I fear that the eternal security of people are at stake and false teaching is surely the devil’s ploy to lead people to hell.
Well. yes.
In part. Let’s take the Bishop of Rome. I don’t consider episcopal succession has validity — I amreformed, let alone the Bishop of Rome holding the keys. But… Ratzinger has balls, and defends the fundamentals of the faith. Unlike the current person sitting in Canterbury.
The first question is does one have an orthodox faith. We have sufficient people within our respective branches preaching errors to deal with. The very reasons I am not Roman are Saints, the worship of Mary, and the theology of sacraments rather than a theology of grace.
But I will stand with the Pope when he is threatened by evil. I will still argue with my Catholic friends, but I will defend them. Because in the end, on the last day… Christ will have harsh words for all of us.
For we are all fallen, all in error, and all need his grace. None of us have our systematic theology fully sorted, or fully correct.
Look… when a priest stops a woman living in blatant sin from approaching the host — we should defend him because he is protecting the fellowship. The theology of the host we can disagree with… but he is correct to withold the bread and wine from the unrepentant. The Gospel is too serious.
)Yet… if the same woman comes with tears and repentance, we should let her in. She was our equal in perdition: she will be our equal in grace)
Now this leads me to respect the functional unity between believers and not go into a fully presbyterian anti papist rant. It’s rude, and it does not build them up. But if one speaks arrant nonsense (particularly the gnostic trash that permeates the discovery channel and the new age bookshops)… the cluebat will come out.
I believe in the holy Catholic church. but the fullness of that is hidden. And I don’t want this blog to grieve the spirit of God. Which would happen of the papists and the ultra-Calvinists re-litigate the sixteenth century.
Scripture the word of god is the determiner of the thoughts of man and the sword of division. Idolatry is a worrying thing and alarms me somewhat. That’s why I am up in arms about this. Just as feminism somehow subverted the christian church through the effort of deceptive cultural-marxists. We must be discerning in knowing the ploys of the devil and his attempts to destroy the church and lead believers astray.