These days I have been pondering what should be more preferable in my walk with Christ for the joy of magnifying Him by the power of the Holy Spirit for all! That is what should I give my life to.... converting people to some theological system (anything doctrine or theology NOT essential to become a Christian) or loving my brothers and sisters in Christ in practical deeds to glorify Christ for the lost to see and believe. I have pondered this and I am now confident that I feel that my life should be geared towards the latter for the following reasons!
1. Paul considered church unity to be vital in the Christian faith and he was sick and tired of the divisiveness that had plagued the Corinth church. Look at his marvelous logic here in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
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. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
Look at the incredible words of Paul here! He does not want people to be giving their allegiance to any other theology than Jesus Christ. Why should we say that we are this or that when we can give our lives to the gospel of Christ!!
2. Jesus considered the unity of oneness love to be the ONE thing that would best glorify God's love for all to everyone so that they would all believe that God sent Jesus not to condemn the world but to save it. In fact this is what Jesus Christ prayed for in the most famous prayer in the whole Bible!
John 17:20-23
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, SO THAT the world may believe that You sent Me. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, THAT they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
How I would long that we would all have our eyes opened to see that when we not get arguementative over non-essential theology or make it a hill to die on when we can rather realize that we are all Christians who want to glorify God! (Psalm 133:1, Ephesians 4:4-6)
3. Knowing all this theology puffs up but love edifies. (1 Corinthians 8:1)
To be blunt, I honestly do not believe that Jesus Christ is going to reward me at His judgment seat based on how much correct theology I have but rather even more so based on how much I loved my brothers and sisters in Christ (John 13:34-35) and how much I loved the lost! And I know that I can start by loving my mother and father who are not saved through action and deed. (1 John 3:18) I certainly need to watch my arrogance over knowing all these doctrines and I really just feel I need to keep them to myself and make my exegetical life private. So I respectfully ask that you guys not bring up these theological debates to me because I really do not want to get into it with anyone else anymore. I just want to be taught to love because that best represents who God is! Christianity is knowing all these doctrines but it is knowing a Person... God in the face of Christ which I saw when I became a Christian. (2 Corinthians 4:6) That's why Paul preaches Christ as he says just one verse earlier!
Striving for unity and not divisiveness over theology not essential to be a Christian for the joy of the world in Christ....
Kevin Chu
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