How can we be positive about disagreement?
An issue can be seen from so many different angles. No one can possibly see eye to eye with another on every issue. As such, those who are saved by God’s grace ought to demonstrate grace towards those who disagree with them.
People, in general,
tend to be opinionated by virtue of their upbringing—family or religious background—and exposure to different schools of thought. They think they are
right until another viewpoint is presented: “The one who states his case first
seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).
There
is no point trying to split “theological hairs”. We should stay away from
divisive issues if they serve no purpose: “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and
arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and
useless.” – Titus 3:9.
However, there are some issues which have an
important bearing on our destiny in the hereafter. For example, entertaining a distorted picture of God in our
minds may have deadly consequences. Thinking erroneously that God is always
meek and mild—that He is a Santa
Claus—may prove disastrous
when we’re confronted by God the judge at the end of our life journey or when
Christ returns (Hebrews 9:27, 1 Peter 4:7, 17).
In
the above instance, sincerity is not enough. "Faith
is good only when it engages truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood it
can and often does lead to eternal tragedy." – A. W. Tozer.
At
this juncture, I would like to say hello to all my social media friends. Whatever your views, I do hope to hear
from some of you. Ever since this blog, PORRIDGE FOR THE SOUL, started in
April 2012, I have noticed from the blog statistics that its visitors include
those from USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Sweden, France, Canada, Indonesia,
Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, China, S. Korea, Taiwan, Russia, India,
Belgium, Hungary, Ireland; and even countries I least expect such as Belarus, Botswana, Columbia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia,
UAE, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Romania, Trinidad and Tobago, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Kenya and Nigeria. Thank you for your feedback and encouragement.
Everyone is free to believe what he or she
wants. You are free to voice your views. But let us be courteous and keep in
mind this saying: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it.” – Voltaire.
Like a parachute, our
mind works only when it is open. So let us be more open-minded.
“And
the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in
Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if
Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”
(Acts
17:11)
Just
because we have been teaching the Bible for many years or have several
theological degrees under our belt, it does not necessarily mean we are
infallible. We can certainly LEARN from others who may not share our viewpoints
on certain issues. And we may even need to UNLEARN many things we have so long taken
for granted as the truth as part of our tradition or habit.
Let those who profess the name of Christ understand this: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).
While it is important to be humble and tolerant to get along well with others, we should not compromise the truth for the sake of unity.
Let those who profess the name of Christ understand this: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).
While it is important to be humble and tolerant to get along well with others, we should not compromise the truth for the sake of unity.
We also need to remember that one may win an
argument but it is useless if one loses a long-term relationship.
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