Articles
Why I Didn't Leave the Church / Scripture and Wisdom
(by Matthew W. Bassford)
The posts appear pretty regularly on my Facebook feed. Some poor soul, simmering with hurt and anger, explains why they left the churches of Christ. The explanations are generally long and filled with accusations of bad behavior by brethren. I get it. Like many preachers, I have suffered at the hands of other Christians too. Far be it from me to insist that disciples can’t be jerks!
However, I have never considered leaving my religious tradition behind. I will allow others to explain why they left. I want to discuss why I didn’t.
Mostly, I didn’t leave because I agree with the core convictions of the churches of Christ about the Bible. These are twofold. First, we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Second (and this one, though much less discussed, is equally important), we believe that ordinary people can read and understand the Bible for themselves.
I find this idea compelling and beautiful. The Bible isn’t some mystical, incomprehensible tome. You don’t need a doctorate in divinity to comprehend it. Instead, anyone of ordinary intelligence can sit down with a Bible, figure out what a text means, and figure out what they ought to do about it. This is especially true of groups of ordinary Christians studying the Bible together. Collectively, a village of believers possesses great wisdom!
Admittedly, Bible study is a skill, but all of the churches with which I have been associated have been good at teaching it. Furthermore, these congregations have been willing and able to put their skills to use in learning more about the text.
As a preacher and writer, my blessing and my curse is my unique perspective. I don’t spend a lot of time keeping up with full latest in brotherhood thinking. Rarely do I read books about the Bible. Instead, I read the Bible, meditate on and pray about what I have read, and speak and write accordingly. Frequently, I have found that my conclusions do not align with those of most brethren.
I have also found, though, that Christians are almost always willing to give me a hearing. This is not necessarily true online, but it is true in person. If I say something they haven’t heard before, they’ll press me on it. They’ll want me to show them Scriptures. They’ll ask me to explain my reasoning so they can test it. However, unless they are emotionally committed to an alternate explanation already, once I have done those things, they are willing to be persuaded.
This is vital. Without such willingness, the work of the Holy Spirit in revitalizing disciples and churches is impossible. Under a religious veneer, people will do what is right in their own eyes.
With it, the work of God can continue. People can become better disciples. Churches can adhere more closely to the example of the first-century church. All of us can grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Thus, I’m still here. I’m not here because Christians and churches are perfect or ever will be. The devil certainly has not given up yet! Instead, I continue to labor among my brethren because I believe that they are uniquely open to the one thing that can help them become better.
Scripture and Wisdom
(by Doy Moyer)
Scripture shows that God’s concerns are not just for what is technically good or bad, right or wrong, allowed or disallowed. We could argue over what is technically sinful or not, but that’s essentially a legalistic approach that misses the essential element of wisdom, especially in matters that are not specifically given. Of course we need to know what Scripture says about right and wrong, but God’s intent was not just to provide a list of do’s and don’ts. He wants us to learn how to think. He wants us to know principles by which we make wise decisions that glorify Him. It’s not just about what we can do legally, but what we should do in any given situation that would glorify Him.
If we push what a text technically says but don’t consider how to apply it with wisdom, we’ve lost the spirit of what God wants from us. We are to discern good from evil as we mature in Christ (Heb 5:12-14). Something might not technically be wrong, but a lack of wisdom in application could be disastrous.
Wisdom is a way of living, a learned skill in what it means to serve the Lord. We cannot reduce that to a mere list. This is one reason why reading a book like Proverbs regularly is vital. Through it we learn discernment. “To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding…” We can learn to walk in wisdom (Eph 5:15-17; Col 4:5-6; Matt 10:16).
“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Prov 4:7).
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