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NASB | 1 Corinthians 1:10 ¶ Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 1:10 ¶ But I urge you, believers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in full agreement in what you say, and that there be no divisions or factions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your way of thinking and in your judgment [about matters of the faith]. |
Subject: Labels? My church just goes by the Bible |
Bible Note: Good questions. There will not be 100 percent disagreement between now and when we dwell in the age to come. We even see disagreements and church councils in the apostolic church, such as in Acts 15, where specific situations had to be addressed by what God had revealed. Did everyone abide by the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem? Paul's rebukes in the book of Galatians would seem to indicate that the answer would be "no." "So how are we to know which is truth and which is error? Both opposing views cannot be true, either one is correct and the other wrong, or both are wrong." Absolutely correct. God has provided us with safeguards against SERIOUS error, however. The primary one is the church. The historic, universal church has been God's means through which the traditions of Christ and the apostles (as found in the Bible) are interpreted. While the church is not infallible, when she stays within the boundaries of interpreting revelation rather than claiming to give additional revelation, she tends to be right on the essentials. When the early church devised creeds like the Apostles and the Nicene, it was for the purpose of standing together in affirming what the Bible says. While I do not hold the ancient creeds and confessions to be inspired or infallible, I do consider that God worked in and through the church so that they would be accurate interpretations of what the Bible says. "The same Holy Spirit CANNOT be claimed to be leading the churches in truth today when they disagree with each other." The Holy Spirit definitely leads in churches devoted to Jesus Christ, even those that disagree on certain issues. The question is to what degree individual denominations and congregations and members FOLLOW His leading. I would contend that every church today contains a mixture of truth and error, because our sinful selves constantly try and remake God in our image rather than conform our theology to His revelation in Scripture. The leading of the Holy Spirit does not insure infallibility of doctrine. Genuine, productive, mutually respecting and loving Christians will genuinely and passionately disagree about certain doctrines. Which brings us to the question of whether Jesus was praying for our doctrinal unity (which certainly is important, but has never, EVER existed in the church) or our unity in love and purpose (i.e. glorifying God and His Son). The Holy Spirit leads. True believers and true churches stumble after Him, sometimes tripping over one another in the process. The good news is that thanks to God's grace we will get to the same glorious destination. The bottom line is that Christianity has never been a solo experience. Too many modern-day Christians are completely ignorant of their heritage and have effectively cut off the theological branches they claim to stand on from the trunk. God has given us His infallible, inerrant word. He has also given us his fallible and sometimes-errant yet Spirit-led church to spend the remaining centuries to collectively teach, dwell upon, and live out what the word means. To disparage the latter is to disparage the former upon which she is founded. --Joe! |