In a letter written to Christians who were facing diversity, Paul prescribed several tools for charting a reliable path through the uncertain seas of religious diversity. Using himself and others as examples, he described how the Lord treats the situation that can arise when different teachers build upon the foundation of Christ with messages of varying quality (1 Corinithians 3:10-17) as well as how the Christian is to respond to this.
In order to navigate through the darkness, Paul offered the sextant of warning the Corinthian Christians against judging. Rather, they are to allow the Lord to judge. 1 Corinthians 4:5 This does not prohibit us from repeating what God has already determined, even if that involves rebuking 2 Timothy 3:16. But it does prohibit us from sitting in God's judgment seat by either approving or condemning where God has been silent. God is the judge and He will judge. 1 Corinthians 3:13-17; 4:5.
When God commanded Laban to speak neither bad nor good to Jacob (Genesis 31:24), He had prohibited Laban from judging. It would have been easy for Laban to have judged Jacob's actions from his own perspective. But just as it was not Laban's position to judge Jacob's actions, so too it is not our place to either approve nor condemn where God's Word has been silent. This is for God alone to determine. How many people realize that the attempt to be gracious, accepting and broad-minded in areas of scriptural silence by judging "this does not matter" or "I can not see anything wrong with this" causes them to disobey God's instructions to us in scripture by placing themselves in the judgement seat which only belongs to God?
Although some might assume that grace empowers us to judge areas of silence as being acceptable to God, unfortunately this involves misunderstanding the biblical doctrine of grace. Grace does not constitute doctrinal license where scripture has been silent.
Paul's second tool for navigating the uncertain waters of diversity involves accepting the simplicity of doing and teaching what scripture prescribes. 1 Corinthians 4:6 Even the well-intentioned goal of pursuing a godly objective (worship, evangelism, etc.) does not justify ignoring the apostolic compass of not exceeding what has been written. The servant of God should know what is important and therefore will not over run these primary values in order to accomplish secondary goals.
If we value listening to scripture, how should we chart our path through the diversity of religious opinion and teachings? Speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent. On the one hand we should neither claim "this does not matter" or "this is OK" if scripture is silent, nor should we unnecessarily condemn some practice or teaching if scripture has not taught a principle which casts God's light upon it. Since God will judge the quality of each person's teaching as well as the motives of his heart, we should only do and teach what scripture authorizes. To actually practice these two principles can take us a long way toward the Biblical unity for which Christ prayed.
Barry Newton, Copyright © 2000
Other articles which may be of interest:
Unity: Paul's PrescriptionAn Intial Foray Into Hermeneutics (Does the Bible create the diversity?)
Black and White? Or Shades of Gray?
Sims, Animals & Biblical Teaching: Wielding the Power to Shape (How some might change the message of the text)