Expert: John Fields - 9/20/2010

Question
Hi John,

Is it possible for EVERYONE to understand the Bible the same on EVERYTHING?  Every member of the church that I know agrees to the plan of salvation.  But, so many do not agree on other issues such as fellowship meals inside the building,  giving to widows and orphans out of the church treasury, etc.  Do you think that it means that some are not studying the Bible properly?  Can you please share your thoughts with me using scripture?

Answer
I thank you so much for a wonderful question. I believe it is largely on the basis of misunderstanding this very thing that denominationalism is so rampant.

First, it is IMPOSSIBLE that we ALL understand and agree on everything in the scripture. Points of view are like fingerprints, we all have them and they are all different. Aren't we glad of this? How boring and strange would life be if each of us were identical in faith and practice? I get insights all the time from people I don't necessarily agree with. Though we may not agree, because of my respect for them I try to see where they are coming from. Even people who are wrong about a topic may help me better define and verbalize where I am coming from since my desire is for all of us to come to truth. I want truth for them, and in humility I must accept that there will be times when I am (gasp) actually wrong about some things myself (said with tongue planted firmly in cheek).

Secondly, I ABSOLUTELY believe that it comes from not studying the Bible properly. Our study of scripture should bring us to our knees in humility not to our feet in foolish pride.

I have confidence and certainty in my salvation not because of what I know but WHO I know. As Christians we are saved and THEN we seek to learn how to live lives pleasing to God. As one person sagely pointed out, "We must first be born into a family before we learn how to act within that family."

The rampant division that is prevalent in our world today (35,000 plus denominations) is largely a result of people defining faithfulness to God in unbiblical ways. If we are faithful we are saved and if unfaithful lost. So if someone has a standard or line of faithfulness defined upon their understanding of God's law then what they are each going to have are several different standards. They each draw their line of faithfulness in the sand and tell others not to cross it. In the mean-time, not only can they not keep other's standards, they cannot even keep their own lines. They shouldn't be drawing lines in the sand but taking a stand on the Rock.

For example: there are some people who legalistically claim that one is not scripturally baptized unless it is literally in the name of Jesus alone. Others will take the view that it is the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit alone. Then these two groups may take their standard of faithfulness and apply it to each other. So each believes the other lost for not understanding or following the scripture according to their respective party lines. There are MANY ways people divide if they have this mindset. Where did Cain get his wife (all joking aside I heard of a church which split over that)? What is a woman's role within the church? Is it a literal thousand year reign or not? Is there a rapture or not? Should women have their heads covered when praying? Does the Holy Spirit actually indwell us or does he only operate through the word? Is a woman who left the first husband who abused her sinning by remaining in her new marriage? Do we still speak in tongues or not? Is instrumental music sinful or allowed?

People have divided over countless issues. Why does this happen when there are MANY commands in scripture for us to be unified and non-divisive. How can we be unified when we all have different points of view?

Would God command something we could not do with His help? There are many commands to be unified. This means that He expects unity.

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.

Scripture says we can and MUST be unified and not divide. Yet, ANY time people try to unite around law to claim faithfulness it leads to fighting and division with no exceptions. So keeping God's law CANNOT be the way the command to be unified was intended to be kept. Law is not what sets us free it is what causes us to be condemned. Look at what we do with law, when we think we know what it means we condemn others and divide over it when the others don't "get it." James 2:10 says that those who are attempting to be justified by law will be guilty of the whole thing if they fail to keep it in just one point of error or departure. And if we sin JUST ONCE we are guilty enough to die. So how can we be unified and faithful if law is not the means?

We must unite around a person rather than a law. Jesus Christ is the means of unity.

The scripture says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and that the active striving to do that is the fulfillment of the Law of Christ. That can be plainly shown in scripture. We are not to condemn our brothers but are to leave them in the competent hands of our righteous God. If we err, it should not be on the side of judgment but of mercy. In the book of Jude it is recorded that Michael and the Devil had a dispute over the body of Moses. What did Michael say to this UNDENIABLY guilty being? He would not judge him. Instead he said "The Lord rebuke you." If the Devil could not be condemned should we condemn one another?

We are saved by the Gospel of Christ. Paul said what was of first importance in the Gospel of Christ in our salvation. He then did not name anything else of secondary importance. What is ALL important?

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Jesus took our sins and died in our place. He met the full penalty of God's wrath and died as a result. He was then buried and afterward rose from the dead. THIS is the Gospel. Seek with all your heart to depend upon God through this sacrifice and you will come to Him in the way He has given that will bond you to this sacrifice.

Romans 6:3-4 (3) Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

In faith we are baptized and therein join with Jesus' death, burial and rising so that it becomes ours as well. Baptism is when we die, are buried and resurrected with Him. We have died to sin and are risen to new life TOTALLY based upon what Jesus has done for us.

After being saved we continue in salvation from God through trust and reliance of His Son Jesus. Our gratitude leads us to do ALL we do out of gratitude for Him saving us. Thus our works are as a result of having already been saved NOT so that we can be saved.

When we add law to salvation we get a lot of bad things, division, hatefulness and damnation. Yes, a lost state of condemnation comes from trying to be justified by Law.

Galatians 1:6-9 (6) I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;  7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

These people Paul was talking about were asking Gentile Christians to follow the law by being circumcised. So they were adding works of law to the gospel. They were teaching the lie that works WITH the Gospel saves, that salvation issues forth from works rather than the truth, that works issue forth from salvation. What Paul said about this was that adding works to the Gospel of Christ invalidated it. A person who preached works as being needed to salvation was to be treated as accursed. This was the same as saying they were lost.

Paul says the same thing in a different way in Galatians 5:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Can that be any more plain? We must not stand in the foolish pride of believing ourselves capable of keeping a law that must be kept perfectly in order to be saved. Instead we must fall to our knees in humble repentance at the nail scarred feet of the one who is able to count us righteous through Himself. Jesus is the Way, the ONLY Way.

Thanks so much for the kind words and wonderful question. I would love additional questions from you.