The other day I spoke with a woman who seemed to be bound up with concern. When I first saw her she seemed to be rather preoccupied, but I chose not to dig into her business because, quite honestly, I thought maybe that's how she normally was. But then she stopped me to ask a serious question: "What do you think about ______________ and his view of salvation?"
I am not going to reveal the identity of this person about whom she was asking because I have found his writings and teachings to be very helpful and beneficial for the kingdom. But someone else in her life, a friend who was trying to push her in a new direction, was using this person's interpretation of Scripture and twisting them so that, if you did not hold to it as they did, then she believed you do not know Jesus. Seriously, that is what she was told.
As our conversation progressed I began to feel the blood rising in my face and my anger starting to simmer. I have many friends in and out of Christian ministry who hold to different theological viewpoints than I do, yet we all agree on the sovereignty of God, the absolutely authority of Scripture, and salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Not once would I look at co-laborer in Christ and tell him or her that their theology was bad and question their salvation if they did not believe exactly as I did, but that is precisely what was continuing to happen to this woman to whom I spoke. Not only did it hurt my heart to hear this but it was also incredibly painful for her as well, for doubt was creeping into her heart over a theological opinion that had no bearing on her salvation.
It wasn't all that long ago when I was a young seminary student being inundated with a myriad of opinions, theological teachings, and biblical interpretations. I can remember listening to the many debates that would take place amongst students across campus as to whether they held a pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation view of the rapture or whether the rapture even existed at all. Then there were the debates over Calvinism and Arminianism, not to mention which professors might still be considered liberal or moderate in their theology (and therefore you were told that you would have to avoid their classes at all costs). The mount of information was staggering and I often took it in without first processing it and comparing it to the teaching of Scripture. As a result, I can remember times when I came across as rather dogmatic and arrogant about my interpretation of certain biblical doctrines. How many people did I injure with that my-way-or-the-highway perspective?
As I finished my brief conversation with this woman I asked her about her salvation. She articulated very clearly that she had turned from her sin and that her faith was in the saving work of Christ on the cross. She was visibly relieved when she realized that her salvation was in perfect line with the teaching of Scripture. "But what should I do about this friend that keeps telling me that my salvation is in doubt and that I need to go to a church that teaches proper doctrine?" she asked. Because I was familiar with where she attended on Sundays, I assured her that her church was led by godly men who treasured the word of God and did not teach false doctrine. I then encouraged her to search the Scriptures for herself to determine truth from error under the direction of the Holy Spirit (in other words, were these things her friend was feeding her substantiated in the Bible). Then, if what she had discovered from the Scriptures did not mesh with what her friend believed, I suggested that she graciously relay to her friend that, while she respects the convictions that she holds, she does not share those same interpretations of Scripture. If her friend could not handle that, then their contact should no longer continue in this same vein.
I left this conversation still a little hot under the collar over what this woman had been subjected to by a fellow believer. While it is certainly not wrong to hold to a certain conviction or interpretation of Scripture, it is a whole other ballgame to demand that your view is the only one that is true and damn fellow believers to hell if they refuse to follow it. I certainly have my own interpretation of Scripture and I hold strongly to those convictions, yet I also understand the danger in force feeding my views on others while totally ignoring the validity of what they hold so dear (unless of course they hold to false doctrine). We must tread lightly in the kingdom issues lest we find ourselves tying millstones around our own necks.
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