How do we know which things are disputable?

The Greek term, ἀδιάφορα (adiaphora, meaning "not differentiable") refers to those issues of faith and practice, as well as ethics and morality, which are not essential to the Christian faith, and are thus a matter of conscience for individual Christians (and by extension local churches and denominations).  In other words, when we're not talking about the essentials of our faith, (a typical definition of which might be the Nicene Creed and the authority of Scripture, plus salvation by grace through faith) we as Christians are free to agree to disagree without straining the bonds of Christian fellowship.  This is of course in theory, in practice things can get real messy and even violent {see: The Thirty Years War for a brutal example}.

Which leads to a fundamental question that should concern all Christians: How do we define what is disputable/debatable and what is not?  Striving for agreement on what is "essential" to our faith is helpful, but not nearly enough as we might disagree strongly about what ought to be on that list, an outside arbiter is necessary to help Christians keep their disputes in perspective.  The primary answer is rather simple in the abstract although often difficult in practice: The adiaphora are those things which are "neither commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God" (as the 1577 Formula of Concord puts it).  If the Word of God commands that we do something, it cannot be a matter of conscience for a Christian to choose to obey, we must do so.  If the Word of God forbids an action/attitude, it also cannot be a matter of conscience for a Christian to fail to obey, we must do so.  For example, does the Bible teach about marriage, divorce, extra-marital sex, or homosexual behavior?  It does indeed, in many places.  Therefore it is not for the Church, nor for individual Christians to choose whether or not they wish to obey in these areas, it is a matter of faithfulness to God, a requirement of discipleship.  Does the Bible teach about voting, Bible translations, music choices in worship, art/statues in our worship spaces, the viewing of movies/TV, or social media?  It does not, not directly.  Therefore it is incumbent upon the Church, and individual Christians, to apply Biblical principles (i.e among others: respect for Truth, the pursuit of purity, the Fruit of the Spirit) in these areas, following the example of Jesus and seeking the will of God as best we can in accordance with our God-given wisdom, our conscience, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  

In the end, our list of essential ought to be shorter than our list of that which is disputable/debatable.  The core of Christianity we ought to be able to list on one piece of paper, and is not open to debate (although many have tried, historically and today as well).  At the same time, we ought to view each other with love and charity regarding those things about which we disagree which are not essential to our faith.

Treat fellow Christians with whom you disagree with love and charity?  Won't that shock the world.  What an amazing opportunity to show the Lost the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at work among the people of God.

Sermon Video: "He is not here, he is risen" Matthew 28:1-10

As the faithful women came to the tomb seeking to care for the body of Jesus on Sunday morning, they encountered a remarkable sight: An angel sitting atop the stone which had been rolled away from the entrance to the now empty tomb.  At that point, fear and confusion predominated, but thankfully the angel soon turned their sorrow to joy by proclaiming that, "He is not here, he is risen".  This was the first proclamation of the Good News, a message of hope and joy that would soon be spreading towards the ends of the earth.  For indeed Christ had risen, death could not hold him for it had no claim upon his sinless life, and in rising from the dead Jesus had forever broken the power of sin and death over humanity.  This is the turning point of history, the historical fact toward which God's prophets had pointed, and upon which the future would hinge.  What did the angel tell the women to do with this Good News?  Go and tell his disciples; share it, spread it, let it be known; and so it is for us today as well, let us share the Good News: Jesus is alive.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "The blood of the covenant" Matthew 26:26-30

At the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, and utilized that commemoration of God's fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham to declare a new covenant.  The old covenant had been sealed with the blood of animals, but this new covenant would be sealed with a far more precious blood; that of Jesus himself.  Why the change?  The shed blood of Jesus would be "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."  As the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice, Jesus would pay the penalty for the sins of those who both had trusted in his future arrival (i.e. Old Testament saints) and those who would in the future put their hope in him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "My house will be called a house of prayer" Matthew 21:12-13

When Jesus entered the outer court of the Temple, after his recent triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he encountered something that had no place in that sacred space: commerce.  What was supposed to be a place for worship and prayer, in particular for Gentile converts to Judaism, had been transformed into a place of business.  Zeal for the purity of the worship due to God led Jesus to drive the merchants from that space, in the process quoting Isaiah's warning that God welcomed outcasts among his people, and Jeremiah's warning that impure worship/immorality would cause God to expel the people from the sacred space in which they had put their trust.

The most readily apparent parallels for the Church, today and throughout its history, are the twin pursuit of money and power, both of which have infected portions of the Church, tainting the worship of God's people and blunting the effectiveness of their ministry.  We too have failed to make all welcome with us as we worship, and we have certainly in some cases allowed the pursuit of money and/or the desire to influence political power to creep into both the ministry of the church, and even more alarmingly, for some churches the worship time/space as well.

If both the temple in Jeremiah's day, and the one that Jesus walked in, were destroyed because of impure worship on the part of the people, ought not churches whose worship is diluted by their own interests and priorities and hence not wholly devoted to God be fearful that they too will face God's displeasure?

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video - Judas: The Hopeless Sinner, Matthew 27:1-10

Peter disowned Jesus, repented of his failure with bitter tears, saw the empty tomb and believed, and was finally restored by Jesus and made useful again for the kingdom.  Judas betrayed Jesus, was remorseful and admitted his guilt, despaired of the future, and killed himself.  Have you ever wondered, why Peter's outcome was so different from that of Judas?  In the Gospel of Matthew, these two episodes are consecutive, highlighting the commonalities of the failure of these two disciples of Jesus.  In the end, the attempted repentance of Judas, for all we can tell sincere, failed because he didn't seek mercy and forgiveness from God, instead giving in to hopelessness and committing suicide. 
Hopelessness is a major issue in our world, it always has been, the numbers of suicides annually are staggering.  So many people without hope, and yet, the Church has hope, we have been given hope through the Holy Spirit and can therefore share that hope with those around us in desperate need.  The priests turned Judas away when he expressed his remorse saying, "What is that to us?"  May the people of God, his Church here on earth, not make the same mistake.  It is our solemn duty to make it easier, not harder, for the Lost to find Christ, helping those living in darkness to see the light.

To watch the video, click on the link below: