Is Consent really King?

In America today, what's right and wrong is governed by consent (aka permission). When everyone involved is consenting to the behavior, it is regarded as right. If anyone involved is not consenting, it's wrong.

But is this always the case? Let's consider some examples:

1. A bachelor and a bachelorette have consensual sex. Both parties are consenting, so it is generally viewed as right.
1. This is not universally true. An example where unmarried consensual sex is NOT viewed as right is when one of the consenting partners is only 13 years old.
2. A homosexual couple has consensual sex together. Consent is deemed right, even if the law of the land forbids homosexual behavior.
3. Residency and citizenship equate to consent to be governed by the law of the land. However, "the devil is in the details." If a 435-member gang unanimously steals from a man, this is not right. Even if the man is extremely wealthy and the gang only steals a little, it is wrong. 
4. A president may be elected without a simple majority. Those who voted against the president say consent standards are violated on two counts:
1. They themselves did not consent.
2. They believe that fairness requires a majority of participants concur. Since the will of a minority rules in this case and the majority's will was denied, this is regarded as a violation of accepted ethicals standards. However, citizenship does equate to consent. The law of the land has established rules regarding electing a president, so that consent to be a citizen supersedes the majority-rules ethic.
5. Suppose a family with five children is divided on what activity they should do on Saturday: all five kids say they should go to the circus. The parents say they should catch up on homework and chores.
1. Simple majority rules suggest that what is right is for the family to go to the circus.
2. However, this is not an egalitarian group where everyone's voice counts the same. The voice of the parents is (or should be) louder than the voice of the children. That is, the parents provide the boundaries within which the children may develop consent. If the parents outline that Saturday must be spent doing chores, the children do not have the right to decide to do something different.
6. Suppose a sergeant orders his unit to do something they do not wish to do. Like the family situation, the sergeant is invested with authority that transcends the will of his men. They are to obey or face penalties.
1. Similar to the citizenship-consent principle, soldiers have generally consented to be under the command of their superior officers.
2. The sergeant, and even the entire chain of command above him may be in error, and a conscientious objector may feel compelled to disobey. Even if the objector believes they are right, they must understand that their rectitude does not exempt them from the established consequences for disobedience. 

Christians take their understanding of the role of consent a step further and believe that in every situation, there is one more participant involved: God. And while God doesn't generally voice his preferences and directions real-time, he has already done so in the Bible. God's role is not an egalitarian role. He is not a peer in the decision-making process. He is an authority (like parents or a sergeant). So then, even if every person involved is in agreement, their agreement is bounded by what Scripture expresses to be God's will of the boundaries of acceptable choices.

In a pluralistic society, introducing God and Scripture into the decision-making mix is complicated. For example:

1. It is difficult to respect the other side's perspective when non-Christians believe the Bible is irrelevant while Bible-believing Christians sincerely believe that what God says transcends what every man says. "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). "Let God be true and every man a liar." (Rom 3:4, KJV)
2. Worse, even among Bible-believing Christians, there is not unanimity about their understanding of what Scripture directs in every situation. For example, on the topic of homosexuality, some believe the Bible's principles of love transcend the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality as sin.
3. When Christians interact with non-Christians, both sides believe their view applies to the other:.
1. Christians believe non-Christians should comply with Biblical ethics (understanding them to be universal and mandated by the one true God).
2. Non-Christians believe Christians should abandon the Bible in favor of generally accepted principles.
3. When a Christian baker refuses to make a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding, on the grounds that he believes the Bible teaches that homosexuality is wrong, this violates the expectations of the homosexual couple.

How do we resolve the stalemate arising from holding different convictions regarding consent? Here are a few ideas:

1. In commercial interactions, all parties must agree to the terms of engagement. Explicitly state the terms at a practical level and get both sides to agree to them. If agreement cannot be reached, this prevents the engagement from continuing. The parties must find satisfaction elsewhere rather than compelling the other to violate their principles.
2. In personal matters such as a person's sex life, all will generally feel strongly about their own perspective, until that matter becomes a point of engagement, it is best to leave it alone. 
3. Are there areas where compromise can be made? Can the baker make a regular cake for a homosexual couple?

May the dialog continue.

This post was originally drafted 11/18/2017.

Baptism Quick Reference

Baptist churches are literally named for this rite they perform that has been their hallmark distinguishing trait separating them from other denominations arising out of the Reformation. Originally regarded as "Anabaptists", that is re-baptizers, Baptists insist that the rite is exclusively by immersion, and exclusively for those who have given their lives to Christ.

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. 

The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833

We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a Church relation; and to the Lord's Supper,...

What is baptism? Simply, baptism is the initiation ceremony symbolic of conversion to the Christian faith. It is THE rite by which one is recognized to be a believer in Jesus Christ. The notion of baptism signifying conversion is so common in God’s Word that, when one was told to be baptized, he was told, really, to convert to Christianity.

Baptism is the first step of faith of the believer. It is the believer’s way of identifying with his buried and risen Lord. Going through the rite of baptism declares before all the witnesses:

-that the one being baptized has been saved.

-that the candidate is sincere about his commitment to Christ

-that the candidate is submitting to the authority of the baptizing church.

For baptism to be “scriptural,” four things must be in place:

1. The candidate: saved, sincere

Mk 16:16

-baptism does not save (1Pe 3:21)

2. The mode: by immersion

-etymologically

-historically

-NOT sprinkling, pouring, etc

[NOTE: Every baptism in the NT was in running water (a river)]

-It reenacts death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:1ff)

3. The administrator: Not an individual, but a church

-Jesus expressly gave the church the right/responsibility to baptize. (Mt 28:19)

-Not just any group, but churches recognized as being of like faith and order.

Why? 1) Because baptism also identifies you with that church, and symbolizes

your commitment to Christ as expressed by the practices and teachings of that church.

2) Because Jesus commissioned the CHURCH to baptize.

-Not necessarily an ordained minister

Why? 1) Because Jesus commissioned the CHURCH to baptize.

[NOTE: Everyone who administered baptism in the NT was an ordained man.]

4. The objective:

To commemorate

“for the remission of sins” - "For" here is not the word "in order to obtain", but the word "in view of".

Acts 2:38 - for the Jews especially, baptism and identification with Jesus represented a huge step of faith. As circumcision never saved anyone, baptism never saves anyone. But if someone, who knows that baptism == acceptance of, and identification with, Jesus Christ, refuses to be baptized because he does not want to accept Jesus Christ, nor be identified with him, that person is lost.

To identify

Baptism is recognized as a means of identifying one’s self with someone/something.

The question is often asked in Scripture, “Whose baptism do you have?”

To commit/obey

Baptism is for those who are following the Lord in obedience, not for those who are in defiance.

Immersion represents total surrender, totally “presenting your body a living sacrifice.”

This Is an Apple

Have you seen the CNN ad that shows us an apple on a white background, and the announcer tells us, “This is an apple”? When some wind-up teeth chatter across the screen, the voice tells us, “This is a distraction.” The ad is persuading us that CNN can tell the difference between news and distraction and that they deliver us the real news that we need.

During the holidays, we could use some of that CNN discernment because the sales and decorations and crowds and get-togethers seem to take center stage and distract us from the real news of Christmas.

And so this is the apple, the real news: Christmas began as a birthday celebration for Jesus Christ. Scholars tell us this is a historical fact. And it’s the best news we will ever hear.

The best place to go to find out why the birth of Jesus is such great news is the Bible. And perhaps the one sentence in the whole Bible that best explains it is this:

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Have you heard this before? I heard it lots of times before it finally sunk in. And when it finally clicked, it made all the difference in the world to me. When before I was muddling through life, making it up as I was going along, now I have a clearer sense of purpose and direction. Before this, I was worried about dying at a youngish age (I’ve had cancer and both of my parents died in their 50’s). Now I am excited about the future because I took God up on his offer of eternal life.

If you haven’t already, I want you to have God’s gift of eternal life, too. In hopes that you might also discover this best gift, let me flesh out this key sentence.

God loves the world

The universe is a magnificent creation and we are amazingly lucky to be a part of it. Of course, God loves the stars and planets that he made (that completely obey his laws of physics). And he loves the plants and animals he made (that obey his laws of nature). But much more than these, God loves the peoples of the world, including you and me, despite the fact that we don’t really obey his laws for us.

Isn’t that amazing? Who are we that God would care about us? If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we’re not as good as we think we are. We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions, but we can only judge others by their actions. So we end up unfairly comparing our first-rate intentions against our neighbors’ second-rate actions and come away with passing marks for ourselves while looking down on our neighbors.

When it comes down to it, we’re pretty self-absorbed. We would rather do things our own way. And we resent it when people attempt to offer guidance that goes against what we want, even when in hindsight what they said was right.

Have you ever thought about how many of the bad things that happen in this world are because of selfish choices? The fudged resume or tax return, the crash of a drunk driver, the yelling and hitting of a bad marriage, turning a blind eye to the plight of the needy, hopeless debt, child abuse, racism, sexual harassment, STDs, lying, stealing, murder…

So it’s quite an amazing statement that God loves a world of people like this. He loves people who, on the whole, are pretty unlovely. God doesn’t love you and me because we’re wonderful. He loves us because he’s wonderful.

And he demonstrated his love for us by sending his son to set things right in the world.

God gave his only son

God’s only son

It is vitally important to understand that, in a miraculous way, Jesus is a man and at the same time, he is the son of God (and not some half-man, half-God).

He is fully human. He was born, grew up, and had a job as a carpenter. He felt sorrow, hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. He didn’t take any magic shortcuts to make his life or death easier, but he experienced it all as completely as we do.

As God’s son, Jesus uniquely possesses all of God’s characteristics wrapped in a living breathing person. One trait of being the son of God is that he is sinless, which means he always does what is right in every situation.

Another trait of being the son of God is that he is of infinite value to God. One man or woman is more or less the same value as another. But in God's sight, Jesus is of greater value than all humanity put together.

Since Jesus is of supreme value, it’s astounding that God would give Jesus in exchange for the world.

God gave

In what way did God give his only son?

It wouldn’t do for God to give Jesus as some kind of ultimate example for us to follow, because the example of Jesus is way out of our reach. That would be like sending me to the national ballet and saying, “Watch how they do it and do likewise.” I’m not capable of doing what they do. Likewise, we are not capable of following Jesus’s example very well.

God gave Jesus to be more than an example. And he gave him to be more than a teacher. There are plenty of teachers and gurus out there giving plenty of instructions for how to live, and we don’t even follow them. God knows we needed something more than another teacher.

More than an example or a teacher, God gave Jesus as a substitute for us before God’s own law court. If God is going to be just, he must punish the wrongdoing in the world. It is you and I who are guilty of countless wrongdoings. We are the ones who are earning his punishment. But because he cares too much to let that happen, he allowed Jesus to take on our guilt as though he were the one who committed our crimes.

Jesus volunteered to take upon himself all our guilt. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, he paid the full price for all of our wrongs. He was punished in our place so everyone who believes in him could be set free.

We know that God accepted Jesus as our substitute because he literally raised him up from the dead a few days later.

“Everyone who believes in him”

This is an unlimited invitation. It doesn’t matter how naughty or nice we think we are. It doesn’t matter how religious we are or even what religion we hold. God’s gift of eternal life is for everyone. It’s available to me and it’s available to you if we believe in him.

We use the word “believe” in so many ways, but if you want to know what believing in Jesus means, think of what you mean when you say “I believe in my doctor”. You’re saying, “Doctor, I believe you can take care of what’s hurting me. I am trusting my body into your care.” You sign papers giving the doctor the authority to give you anesthesia and render you unconscious, paralyzed, and totally helpless in hopes that he would do to your body what needs to be done to make you less miserable or even to save your life.

And when you say you believe in Jesus, you’re saying, “Not only do I believe you were that baby in a manger, I believe the Bible is being honest. I believe you are who you say you are, the son of God, and everything that goes along with that.”

That’s what I did. I signed my life over to him, giving him authority to do in my life what needs to be done to prevent me from perishing and to give me eternal life. And that’s what I’m asking you to consider doing, too.

This isn’t outpatient surgery. We are signing ourselves over to him forever.

“Will not perish”

We don’t need the Bible to tell us that we’re going to die. The holidays are only a brief distraction from the suffering we see and experience. The bills will come. There will be conflicts and accidents and cancer and countless other tough things that hide for a while in the shadows of the holidays.

How awfully sad it is that after a life of suffering, people will perish. In the Bible, to perish is to be utterly destroyed. And if there’s no rescuer, perishing is the plight of all humankind.

If the situation were not so grave, God would not have had to send his son. But the situation is that grave, and so that’s why God did give his son. Although we all must die, thanks to Christmas, all who believe in Jesus won’t perish but will have the opposite: eternal life.

“Eternal life”

Would it be eternal life if you could get older and older forever without dying? Every year, more aches and pains. It wouldn’t be long before that was eternal misery.

What if eternal life meant living forever in a body that never grows old? That’s better, but after a few dozen thousand years, the empty repetition would have to become agonizing.

The eternal life the Bible talks about is good because it is life forever in the presence of the one whose imagination and power is the source of the universe. We get to live forever with the one whose love is so gigantic that he sacrificed his only son so that he can have you with him forever.

That’s why Christmas is a big deal. Every year, Christmas reminds us of the lengths God went to demonstrate his love for us. He loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him would not perish but have eternal life.

What do you think?

I would love for you to say, “Right on! Sign me up!” but I know there’s a chance you’re thinking “Keep this stuff away from me!”

Or maybe you’ve never thought of it this way before and you’re intrigued. If so, I welcome the opportunity to talk about this some more with you.

Or maybe you have heard all this before and now you’re ready to accept God’s offer of eternal life. In that case, tell him so.

Remember that CNN ad? This is the apple. And may the good news of Christmas make this your merriest Christmas ever!

A Biblical response to BBC article "I am gay, but I wasn't born this way"

“I am gay, but I wasn’t born this way” - an article on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160627-i-am-gay-but-i-wasnt-born-this-way)

In 1977, just over 10% of Americans thought gayness was something you were born with, according to Gallup. That number has steadily risen over time and is currently somewhere between 42% and 50%, depending on the poll. Throughout the same period, the number of Americans who believe homosexuality is “due to someone’s upbringing/environment” fell from just under 60% to 37%.

…

Take, for example, Cynthia Nixon of Sex and The City fame. In a 2012 interview with New York Times Magazine, the actress casually mentioned that homosexuality was, for her, a choice. “I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me.”

…

The question of what leads to homosexuality in the first place, however, is obscure, even to the experts. The APA, for example, while noting that most people experience little to no choice over their orientations, says this of homosexuality’s origins:

“Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation [and have made claims to a genetic basis], no [current] findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors.”

Similarly, the American Psychiatric Association writes in a 2013 statement that while the causes of heterosexuality and homosexuality are currently unknown, they are likely “multifactorial including biological and behavioral roots which may vary between different individuals and may even vary over time.”

…

So what are we to do with the Born This Way rhetoric? I would suggest that it’s time to build a more nuanced argument — regardless of how good a pop song the current one makes.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, and most importantly, it’s just not the truth, as we currently understand it. The evidence to date offers no consensus that the Born This Way argument is the beginning and end of the story. We should stop pretending that it does.

~~~

This findings cited in this article agree well with Scripture: people actively disregard Biblical teaching in order to choose to pursue this behavior. And as they turn their back on God, God turns his back on them, allowing them to enjoy the fruits of their choices. (See Romans 1:24-28) Western society as a whole is now losing its grip on God and the Bible in favor of what they believe to be acceptable sexual license-- "It isn't hurting anyone." "What I do in private is of no concern to you." But the rest of that Biblical passage says that when we don't say no to our passions and allow them to lead us where they want to go, it snowballs into them abandoning other areas of God's instruction to us: becoming greedy, envious, contentious, deceitful, malicious, and so on.

The God of the Bible offers a better alternative: 

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

And in context:

 6 ¶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

What a deal! I'm so grateful that God overcame my helplessness to work my way back to Him, sending a special Someone--Christ--to intervene and pay the penalty for my waywardness.

Whoever and wherever you are, and whatever you or I have done or left undone, if you're feeling helpless to be right with God and others in your life, take Him up on His offer. If you'll acknowledge Jesus as the rightful leader of your life, He'll take you in, not as a mere servant, but as a son or daughter. Forever.

Applying "How Things Spread" TED talk to the church

I listend to a TED Radio Hour segment “How Things Spread” (http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/468877892/how-things-spread), featuring Seth Godin, “the Yoda of marketing”.

People ignore ordinary things. For example, if you see a cow while driving, you don’t care. Cows are boring and invisible. But if the cow was purple, you would notice it. The thing that's gonna decide what gets talked about, done, changed, purchased, built: is it remarkable—worth making a remark about. The BlendTec “Will It Blend” videos sold a lot of blenders by blending not just food, but many other things like a rake handle, an iPhone, and cubic zirconia.

Getting an idea to spread isn't an exact science. There are tricks, but they don't always work. The success of great ideas, even sliced bread, isn't just about the goodness of the idea, but also about getting the idea to spread. People who can spread ideas regardless of the goodness of the ideas win. 

It's not always the idea with the loudest voice that spreads. Instead, you have to pay the price to be in the right place at the right time often enough that people will tend to see you as the regular. Starbucks is a great example. Things spread when people you know and like are talking about them.

~~~

Application for the church:

1. We ourselves need to recover the truth that the gospel is remarkable.

2. In order for the gospel to spread, we need to talk about spiritual things with people we know and like.

Sin pressure (aka temptation)

I've been to the beach lots of times, but I'd never been to Key West before. My heart was hurt to find that the island had become a Bohemian Mecca--a tropical Bourbon Street, Las Vegas. A party atmosphere with free-flowing alcohol, unabashed sexuality ("Clothing Optional" bars and beaches).

A bartender on our dinner cruise beautifully proclaimed "Live Free" in a tattoo on her right forearm. I asked her why she had that and she said she has a free spirit. Should she have right to do whatever she wants? (What happens when her live free bumps against my live free? Legislation!)

I no longer question whether tattoos are intrinsically immoral or not. They are so mainstream and unescapable. Christians my age are no longer appalled (except at the quality and permanence of some of the atrocious "artwork").

And that illustrates the first force in sin pressure: cultural legitimization. If I enjoy an activity that is very prevalent and generally does not hinder successful participation in society, it's not sin. It's normal.

Women sunbathing topless is 'normal' in some countries while it is agains the law in America. But if enough women do it, it will be normalized. And anyone who takes a stand saying that is wrong will be considered a prude--judgmental and morally out of touch.

The cultural legitimization that helps transform "sin" to "normal" is dependent upon moral relativism: "What you believe and do is right for you, just as what I believe and do is right for me." This is America, a free country, where we are entitled to hold any dogma we wish. And it is an intrusion to question another's view. I don't have the right to ask you to question your principles because we are all equivalent.

Or are we?

Cultural legitimization and moral relativism flourish where conviction about the absolute truth of the Bible is lost. Instead of making life's small and big decisions based on some absolute standard like Scripture, we simply choose what seems good to us. Choosing whether or not to engage in pornography is as weighty as choosing whether to wear a beige shirt or whether or not to add cheese to a hamburger.

With all this moral relativism, society is a soup of ideas and values. And none of it is labeled 'safe' or 'dangerous', 'harmful' or 'helpful'. When unguided curiosity encounters an appealing opportunity to sin, because the opportunity is so appealing (gratifying, possibly beneficial), the sin catches the unwise just like the lure catches the fish. Previous generations are letting the younger generations down because, although the previous generation may have a higher moral standard, that standard is based on tradition rather than Scripture. The younger generations don't care about tradition because the older generation has also lost its conviction about truth. All of life is PG-13!

Artists who make a difference explore themes that are on the edge. They strive to powerfully and meaningfully portray some truth, or some tendency. That quest to starkly portray difficult themes has the artists thinking deeply with the fringes of 'normalcy'. And when someone is constantly thinking there, making value judgments from that fringe perspective, their art becomes a signpost that promotes us to think those thoughts too.

When a boy is effeminate, he isn't automatically gay. But, today it is much easier for him to go there than ever before:
-homosexuality is culturally legitimate (gay marriage laws, gay celebrities and positive/accepting portrayals in media)
-it is morally equivalent to heterosexuality because what the Bible says about it is either unknown or dismissed
On top of that, consider the peer pressures the prissy boy faces: negative pressure from those who hate they boy because he's different. And positive pressure from those who embrace him because he's effeminate (pedophiles, abusers, others who have accepted the gay life as ok, even good). Looking for love and acceptance, where will he find it? Among those who will encourage him to embrace homosexuality.

During the formative years, when hormones rage, teens want to explore who they are physically. They want to experience intimacy. They want to be loved. Will they be allowed/encouraged/pushed to find love?

Abuse. I don't know how many times I've heard that so-and-so, who's now gay, was abused by an uncle/older cousin/etc when he was a child. When a child has experienced abuse, that abuse has opened their mind to even contemplate some legitimacy in that perverse behavior. After all, someone else is doing because they did it to me.

When sinful habits are ingrained, they become default behaviors, giving short-lived, counterfeit satisfaction, in which God-designed expressions and relationships are replaced by man-designed shortcuts. We've quit looking for significance and meaningful relationship with God and instead settle for the shortcuts.

How do we resist sin pressure? What if we rediscovered the Bible and the God of the Bible? What if we learned that He's really real and that He loves us so much that He has paid the dearest ransom to restore us to Himself? Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

And deep down, heart's desire isn't sex. Heart's desire is love.

A Cure for the Common Conflict

In the Spring of 2007, I had the privilege of preaching at my church (Southside Baptist, southbc.org). My message was entitled, "A Cure for the Common Conflict." I came across that message today and found it amazingly suited to where we find ourselves today. I invite you to read the message below and discuss using the comment feature.

A Cure for the Common Conflict

Once upon a time, there was a church that was struggling with conflict. Different members supported different leaders. There was conflict over doctrine. There was conflict about the use of spiritual gifts. There was conflict about the message of Christian freedom. There was conflict about morality and about money. That church sought outside advice about how to deal with the conflict, and they received it from expert authority. Of course, you know the church I'm talking about, don't you? ...It's right here... in your New Testament. Please open your Bible to 1Corinthians 1, where we'll discover "A Cure for the Common Conflict."

1:1 ¶ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

With all the trouble they were having, we might be tempted to say this Corinthian church was pretty unhealthy.
But that's not at all how Paul described them in his opening:

• He called them "the church of God at Corinth" - the representatives of God's kingdom in that first century mega city.
• He reminds them and us that these men and women are sanctified, or set apart to God through Jesus Christ, just like all who call upon the name of the Lord.
• He thanks God for the grace and gifts He has lavished on these people
• He knows that they were longing for the day of Christ's return.
• He knows that God will build them up all the way to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ

When we have a kingdom perspective like this, we can see that, even if we're experiencing conflict, our identity is not that we're sick. Our identity is that we are Christ's. They're not sick. They're saints.

Fact is, while everyone agrees that unity is sweet, it's still hard for Republicans and Democrats to see eye to eye. While everyone agrees peace in the mideast is important, It's still hard for Jews and Palestinians to see eye to eye. While everyone agrees that it's better to agree, It's still hard for you and me. That is, conflict is common.

In fact, conflict is inevitable. No matter where you go, you'll find conflict:

• At home between husbands and wives. (Amen?) The #1 complaint in divorce? Irreconcilable differences.
• Or between siblings, even adult siblings. [e.g. how to care for an aging parent]
• At work. [business strategy or cubicle size]
• Even at church. Maybe even in our church. We might find strong differences of opinion on the spectrum of matters like in 1 Corinthians: leader loyalty, doctrine, spiritual gifts, freedom...

We are not alone. Everywhere that you find people who care deeply about something, you will find conflict. Conflict means people care. They just see things differently. Resolving conflict means bridging the gap between your perspective and mine. Or as Paul put it in v.10, being "perfectly joined together".

Sometimes conflict can get out of hand.

• A man abuses his wife or his children.
• A senior adult turns curmudgeonly so that no one wants to be around him.
• A teen refuses to listen to all authority.

What do you do when conflict gets out of hand? That's exactly where the Corinthians were. It got so bad that some of the members finally appealed to outside help. There's something therapeutic about even just asking for help. When you want change enough that you're willing to risk asking for help, God can change you. If you're a Christian, that's what happened to you when you asked God to save you from your sins.

In verse 11, we see that Chloe's people sent a letter to Paul appealing for help to resolve the conflict in their church. According to the verse, there were "quarrels" among them. That's nice NIV-speak for fighting, arguments, bad feelings. Things were pretty bad. Doubtless, they got to where they dreaded going to church. (BTW, I find it interesting that there's no hint of a church split in Corinth. In our city we have hundreds of options. They had options too, but they remained faithful.)

So, if you feel you're in a conflict that's long-standing or out of control, ask for help.

How do we begin to cure conflict?
Make it priority #1. You can't ignore conflicts like these and go on with business as usual and just hope they go away. Resolving this conflict was so important to the apostle that, of all the things he could talk about, must talk about, eventually does talk about in this letter, healing the conflict in the church is the thing that must be done first and foremost. I'd even go so far as to say that everything Paul writes in this letter is intended to rebuild unity in that church. 

And, dear Christians, that is God's call on our lives, too: to rebuild unity. 

2 Corinthians 5:18 "God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, ... has given us the ministry of reconciliation."

Matthew 5:24b “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

The Law. Good doctrine. Exercising Spiritual gifts. It's all about loving God and loving our neighbor. Or, to use less worn-out words, it's all about devoting ourselves God and genuinely caring about our neighbor. That's reconciliation. Reconciliation is God's first priority. Make it priority #1.

Don't command, appeal. Paul, the apostle, endowed with great wisdom and spiritual authority isn't commanding them to agree. He's appealing to them--NKJ has "pleading"--to come together. 
You can't command people to agree. Not at home. Not at work. Not in the church. Just try these on for size:
-You don't like your beans? Eat them anyway!
-You believe your husband's insensitive? Your wife's a nag? I command you to come together!
-You are Calvinist? You're Arminian? No big deal!
-You believe in Spiritual gifts? You don't? Forget about it!
-You believe in NIV? You believe in KJV? Nonsense!
It's not that easy, is it? You can't command unity.

When you appeal, you show respect for your adversary, who was born of the same Spirit and washed in the blood of the same Christ.


When you appeal, you exercise the same Spirit-powered self-control the Scriptures tell us of: (See Gal 5:23; 2Peter 1:6).

You can't command. You must respectfully appeal. And you'll be amazed at the difference in the response you get.

When you appeal, you must do more than be a cheerleader for unity.

You must give a basis for agreement. And that's the essence of 1 Corinthians. In point after point, Paul builds them a solid foundation for doctrinal, procedural, and practical unity.
    If we were to go through the entire book of 1Corinthians together, you'd see that throughout the book, Paul is coming alongside these women and men, giving them a basis for unity. Giving them something they can hang their hat on.

• ch 1-4 - He fights the factionalism and cliquishness by giving a proper perspective on the ministers of the gospel and the gospel itself.
• ch 5 - He directs them to be uncompromising in dealing with the sin in their midst
• ch 6 - don't go to non-Christians to solve your problems
• ch 7 - answering their question about marriage/singleness
• ch 8-11 - Christian liberty - being a Christian in a corrupt culture
• ch 12-14 - Getting Spiritual gifts right
• ch 15 - The reality of the resurrection
• ch 16 - Money for the needy

You can't just pray for unity. Did you know that Paul never tells that conflicted church that they need to pray for unity. Oh, we must pray. In Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, our Lord prayed and asked the Father twice to unite us. But the only true way we can achieve unity is by understanding each other and by sharing common ground. (As the prophet Amos asks, (Amos 3:3) Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?)

Work through the issues. Two Christian brothers were on the same committee in our church, but they didn't see things the same way at all. One thought we needed more order. The other thought we needed more spirit. Initially, things were strained between them. But they valued their mission and each other so highly that they made a commitment to each other and they invested time together. By spending time together, they were experiencing the kind of fellowship and communion that the New Testament calls koinonia. Those brothers discovered first-hand this principle: koinonia cures conflict. After a time, these two men had gained a real respect for each other, and genuine appreciation for the other's viewpoint.

Even though it's hard, we must strive for unity. If we don't even try, then we besmirch the gospel of Christ, and we're no better at heart than bickering children or even Muslim extremists. But, as Christians, we are intrinsically different creatures! (2Corinthians 5:21) We are called to be saints. We are set apart. Citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom. Servants of the Most High God. If my adversary and I are both Christians, the Spirit of Christ dwells in my adversary as well as me!

It's not just about first century Christians.

The kingdom of Christ is all about repentance and heart-change. "Repent" was Christ's first command to us (Matthew 4:17). Repenting means making a course-correction back toward God. It's a fresh submission to His Law, His Word. Have you had a heart change lately? If it has been a while since you faced an issue and found that you might just be part of the problem, let me say as lovingly as I know how, you are part of the problem. Even the apostles didn't rule out the possibility that they might be the one who was about to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:21-22). If you won't even seriously consider that you might be in the wrong, you are part of the problem.

Or rather, you have been part of the problem. Today is a new day. Today, things can be different. Today, you can regard your neighbor with a fresh perspective. Today, you can be a peacemaker. Today, you can make a difference for the kingdom of Christ.

For heaven's sake, then, engage!
-Husband, are you having trouble with your wife? Engage! I appeal to you, I plead with you to take your wife out to lunch and engage! Let there be no divisions among you. What God has joined together, let not man or woman fracture.
-Teen, please, respectfully go to your parents and engage! You can begin to build that bridge.

You may say, "I'm not in conflict." That's terrific! Please be proactive. It's easier to prevent the milk from spilling than to clean up afterward. Every week, we find ourselves sitting shoulder to shoulder with people who feel isolated. And that's conflict just waiting to happen. Will you be a peacemaker and fold them in? Right after each service, invest in getting to know someone. Include them in your life. And, in your Bible study groups, make every effort to make your guests feel at home, feel like they matter to you. Not only is it true that koinonia cures conflict; koinonia prevents conflict.

Will it work? / Did it work?

Doubtless, many of the Corinthians followed Paul's advice. A couple years later, we get a report card: 2 Corinthians. If you read that book, you'll see that the Corinthians were a work in progress. The word "conflict" only occurs one time in 2 Corinthians (2Cor 12:20). So the moral of the story is, it's worthwhile, even vital, to address conflict. And as long as we're on this planet, surrounded by people with different perspectives, continually taking care of conflict is just going to be a part of life. But, oh, it's worth it.

Will you decide now to deal with your conflict, to make that a priority? In addition to praying about it, what will be the next step you take? How will you begin to build that bridge to the person you're in conflict with? A phone call or text inviting them to coffee? If you don't know what to do next, let's talk about it.

With Paul, I appeal to you, whatever you do, take care of it!

It's your move.