Friday of Trinity III - Devotion in semi-Exile

Lection for Friday after Trinity III 
Joshua 8:1-28      Acts 11:1-18

I am again recycling something I wrote awhile back. Why? Good question! Right now I am in Oregon, Ohio. (Good question, I do not know if there is an Ohio, Oregon - google it!) I am there to as part of the marriage ceremony wedding of Bethie Williams and Christopher Genszler - rejoice with me as these two ask God to bless them with many years together as one flesh. So, like I said, not knowing whether I'd get time to do this yesterday considering I spent the day driving here from Wisconsin or at the rehearsal. (It is really weird trying to write in the past tense, about future events, which might or might not come to pass.)

What do you believe?  Does it matter?  Some would say that it doesn’t.  There are those who would have us believe that all the different forms of Christianity are all the same, “We all worship the same Jesus,” they claim.  Personally, I pray on a daily basis, “For the well being of the church of God, and for the unity of us all...”

So, is there unity?  Do we all worship the same Jesus?  Furthermore, does it matter?

All those who are bound for heaven are in unity of the faith.  In the most simple terms, those bound for heaven believe that they are sinners, believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins, rose on the third day, and that in Him, they are forgiven.  There are believers in the many different denominations that bear the name Christian churches.  While this is true, there are many in the differing churches, including some pastors, who do not confess the truth of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.

I’d like to give you just a few of the erroneous statements that are being made by some who claim to have faith in Christ. These are actual statement that some are teaching, and some are believing, about the Christ faith.  Considering these different confessions of Christianity, is there true unity in the Christian church?  I’ll let you decide for yourself, and you can ask, “Does it matters or not?”

(The statement is italicized, I make a comment after which is not.)

First statement.  Jesus was not born of a virgin.  We are not sure who his physical “father” was, perhaps Joseph or an itinerant Roman soldier. They claim that Joseph lied and they had “relations” before their marriage, or Jesus is the by-product of Mary’s being raped by a Roman soldier. Either way, this would mean that Jesus is not the very Son of God, and is not Himself divine.  Does it matter? 

Second statement.  The doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the Bible, but was developed by pious early Christians.  This means that Jesus didn’t say, “I and the Father are One.”  While the word ‘TRINITY’ isn’t used in the Bible, what must we do with Jesus’ command to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?  Does it matter?

Third statement.  Jesus “died for us” in the sense of a man dying for his friends, not to suffer the punishment of God for the sins of others. So what is the point? They are attempting to say that either Jesus didn’t die for my sins, or I don’t have any?  Does it matter?

Fourth statement.   The tomb was not empty on the first Easter morning.  Jesus did not “physically” rise from the dead.  Perhaps we may speak of some kind of “spiritual body,” not our earthly remains.  Job really isn’t going to rise and see God with his own body and with his own eyes? (Job 19:25) This means that the entire New Testament is a lie. How does Paul address this? Read 1 Corinthians 15 (click the link to read), focus especially on 1 Corinthians 15:12-19  Does it matter?

Fifth statement.  Jesus Christ is not the only way to heaven.  Sincere followers of non-Christian religions may also get to heaven.  Does this mean that in Peter’s first sermon he lied when he said, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."? (Acts 4:12 ESV) If their understanding is true, then we do not need missionaries and we do not need to spread the Gospel.  If I can believe whatever I want, as long as I’m sincere, I do not need to hear the Gospel either.  Does it matter?

Sixth statement.  Holy Scriptures were written by well-intentioned men of God who wrote what they “believed to be” from God, but their writings were affected by their cultural beliefs and the influences of their times.  Therefore, the Scripture contain error and contradiction.  If Scripture is not the final authority of all faith and life, then what is?  My reason?  My opinion?  Does it matter?

True unity doesn’t come by simply closing our eyes and denying that there are differences.  True unity comes when we continue steadfast in the true faith, confessing the truth as revealed to us by God in His Word.  I ask you therefore to pray with me for, “the well-being of the church of God and for the unity of us all.”