Noteworthy News

(Current events in the light of Scripture)

Local congregations focus on ‘Common Calling’ (The Bellingham Herald, B2, 3/8/98)

by: John Harris

Three Christian denominations will gather today to celebrate what they hold dear and to affirm what they share in common.

“For so long, we’ve been interested in describing differences instead of what we have in common,” said the Rev. Jim Stender, pastor of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. “It’s getting in the way of our common witness.”

“Lutherans, Presbyterians and Congregationalists will meet on three Sunday afternoons to celebrate “A Common Calling,” in which each denomination professes that it’s in communion with the others.

A Common Calling is the basis of an official agreement between Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ, of which Bellingham’s First Congregational Church is a member.....

As part of the pact, the denominations:

· Recognize each other as churches in which the Gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered.

· Withdraw any historic condemnation of one by the other.

· Continue to recognize each others’ baptism and authorize and encourage the sharing of the Lord’s Supper among themselves.

· Recognize each others’ ministries and make provisions for the exchange of ordained ministers.....

”In the Christian church we have the model: We can disagree and still be in fellowship,” he (Stender) said. “There’s a whole lot more that holds us in common than separates us.”

The New Testament model of Christianity DOES NOT teach us that we can “disagree and still be in fellowship” and remain in fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ. Read 2 John 9-11; Galatians 1:6-9 and Ephesians 4:4-6 to see the model Christ’s apostles gave us. It teaches there is one body (church), one faith and one baptism (Eph. 4:4-5). Denominationalism itself is contrary to New Testament Christianity!

The “Common Calling” of denominationalism is the wisdom of men, since they were begun by and are sustained by human creeds and man-made doctrines (cf. Matt. 15:7-9). To search for unity is good and right, but it will only be accomplished to God’s satisfaction by eliminating human creeds and man-made doctrines. Only by returning to the New Testament of Christ as our model for faith and practice will be have “one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4; Col. 3:17).

No matter how much different denominations CLAIM to have a “Common Calling,” they are still DIFFERENT from each other! And, none of them have Biblical authority to exist in the first place! Jesus did not build the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America or the United Church of Christ! Jesus built His church, of which there is only one (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:5). By returning to the New Testament model of Christianity, true unity will be achieved! -joe-

Assignments: Sunday - March 15, 1998

Announcements: Ed DeWispelaere

Opening Prayer: Ed DeWispelaere / Jason Holt

Closing Prayer: Charles Fair / Willie Golightly

Song Leader: Rick Holt / Gary Bass

Scripture: Ray Hollister / Clarence Gardner

Lord’s Supper: Shane Bass / Jess Bass / Jeremy Price

Bldg. Cleanup (Mar. 21): Rusty & Roberta McGrew

T HE SPIRIT’S SWORD

“And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17)

The Northside church of Christ

Meeting at the North Bellingham Grange Hall · 5201 Northwest Road · Bellingham, WA

Visit our Web Site on the Internet: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/northsidecofc

Volume II, No. 5 March 15, 1998

Biblical Principles of Unity (Part 9):

Efforts to Defend Unity in Doctrinal Diversity

by: Joe R. Price

Several rationales are being presented in an effort to persuade us that the people of God must agree to disagree upon at least some parts of the revealed faith if we are to accomplish unity of the saints. (See page 4 for this approach among the denominations.) Here are two which deserve scriptural attention so that we may put our faith in the power of God and not the wisdom of men as we are “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3; 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

Common Sense

The common sense appeal to convince us that we must agree to disagree upon some matters of the revealed faith of Christ goes like this: “Common sense tells us that some things in the scriptures are clear and some things are not so clear.” And of course, on the surface, such reasoning appears sound. There are indeed some parts of inspired scripture which are “hard to understand” when compared to other parts of scripture (2 Pet. 2:16). But that distinction is never used to endorse the “agree to disagree” philosophy of fellowship! To do so is to twist the scriptures in the very way Peter was warning against when he described the writings of the apostle Paul (2 Pet. 3:15-16). More difficult passages require more diligent study to show ourselves approved - not before the bar of man’s common sense - but before God (2 Tim. 2:15).

Whose common sense will determine the clarity of Bible subjects for us so that we can then decide what we must agree upon and what we can disagree about and still maintain fellowship with God and each other? The common sense of a Mormon? A Baptist? A Pentecostal? A Christian who advocates “no arranged Bible class, no located preacher?” Whose? Those who plead “common sense” as a guidepost for fellowship on Bible subjects want us to accept their common sense - make no mistake about it. But why should their common sense be elevated to such a level of authority instead of mine or yours?! This approach to fellowship in doctrinal diversity is bound to fail because its foundation is man, not God.

(continued on page 2)

As the controversy over sponsoring churches and church support of human organizations raged, B. C. Goodpasture argued for “sanctified common sense” to defend his teaching and practice. My question is, who sanctified anyone’s common sense so that we can trust it rather than the revealed word of God? (cf. Jer. 17:5, 7)

Do we no longer accept the truth that “there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12)? Has Jeremiah’s expression become foreign to us: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23)? Our common sense must conform to revealed truth, else it is merely human wisdom which may or may not happen to conform to the truth which God has revealed.

Individual and Collective Matters

Another approach which is being used by some brethren to support and defend diversity in doctrine is that some things are individual matters and some things are collective matters.

Yes, some things are individual matters and some things are collective matters. But where is the Bible authority which gives us the right to “agree to disagree” about individual matters of morality and doctrine, but not about collective matters (passage please)?

Those who make this appeal will not universally apply their own guidelines. For example, fornication is an individual action, yet in 1 Corinthians 5 its presence in a Christian’s life demanded that collective action be taken. Paul rebuked the Corinthians because they believed the individual’s sin did not and would not affect the collective (v. 2, 6). The same leavening action of sin occurs today, and brethren must be warned not to take the same approach toward sin and error. Those who do as the Corinthians were doing fall under the same rebuke given to the Corinthians by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 5:2, 6, 13).

Trying hard to justify this faulty approach to unity, brethren are appealing to Romans 14 to support their misguided conclusion that individual action should not affect collective action. Here is how the argument is presented:

“Paul spent an entire chapter on this in Romans (ch. 14). But even without this chapter, the principles of humility, forbearance and grace lead us to the definite and unequivocal conclusion that we must show grace (‘agree to disagree’) toward one another in at least certain areas of doctrinal disagreement.”

My dear brethren, nowhere in the Scriptures does grace mean that we may ‘agree to disagree’ over the revealed doctrine of Jesus Christ. This is not the oneness shared by the Father and Son, and it is not the oneness we should promote.

Romans 14 establishes the basis for unity among Christians in the realm of authorized liberties. In such a context, individual conscience is to be respected (14:1, 5, 13). Romans 14 addresses issues which are clean and pure before God (v. 14, 20). The activities under view in Romans 14 could be practiced or abstained from with God’s acceptance, provided one did so with a clear conscience (v. 1-5, 23). This cannot be said of sinful doctrine and conduct, since they violate the truth of the gospel.

2 John 9 still stands as a warning for us to not take comfort in going beyond the teaching of Christ.

(Sunday night’s lesson) Notes

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

(Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 10:1-10)

1. 1 Kgs. 10:1-10 - Queen of Sheba embarked on a long journey to verify

what she had heard about Solomon's wisdom & acts.

2. Jesus regarded this event as historical, and used it to teach important

spiritual lessons.

I. AN UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT HEAVENLY WISDOM REBUKED BY JESUS

- Matt. 12:38-42.

A. Rejecting Son Of God Brings Condemnation.

B. We Should Seek The Wisdom From God - 1 Cor. 1:21-24; 2:6-7, 13, 16;

Jas. 3:13-17.

II. PRACTICAL LESSONS FROM THE QUEEN OF SHEBA.

A. We All Have A Reputation Which Others Hear About - 1 Kgs. 10:1;

Prov. 22:1; Phil. 1:27; Act 6:3; 1 Tim. 3:7.

B. We Should Seek Wisdom From The Proper Sources - cf. 1 Kgs. 3:9,12;

Psa. 119:97ff; Prov. 11:14.

C. Take The Time You Need To Serve God.

1. Take time to hear God - Eph. 5:15-17; 2 Tim. 2:15.

2. Take time to speak to God - Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Ths. 5:17; Matt. 26:41.

3. Plan our week so attendance is a prior­ity in our life - Heb. 10:25; Matt. 6:33.

4. Take time to help others - Matt. 25:34-40.

D. Nothing We Need Is Hidden From Us - 10:3; 2 Pet. 1:3-4; Prov. 1:7.

E. We Must Respect The Wisdom Of God - 10:4-8; Lk. 11:27-31.

F. Others Should Have More Respect For God As A Result Of Knowing Us - 10:9;

Matt. 5:16.

SUICIDE: Bible Endorsed?

_In an unbelievable statement, Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
suggested that suicide is endorsed by the Bible! He said, "The stories of four suicides are noted in the Old Testament--Samson, Saul, Abimelech, and Ahithophel--and none is treated as an act worthy of censure. In the New Testament, the suicide of Judas Iscariot is not treated as a further sin, rather as an act of repentance" (National Review, March 24, 1997). This stretches credulity. Saul and Abimelech considered themselves mortally wounded when they killed themselves. Saul, Abimelech, and Ahithophel lived lives of despair and sin. Suicide is not repentance--unless one contends that Judas changed his mind about living! That leaves us with Samson whose life was also not a paradigm of godliness. Furthermore, his purpose was not to commit suicide, per se, but to kill as many of his enemies as he could--which he did.

-(Oscar Miles, “Ruminations,” 3-15-98)