Contend for Your Faith or Defend Your Church

Sola Scriptura
2 Timothy 3:16

Sola Scriptura

Recently my wife had a heated dialog on Facebook with a few reformed believers in the faith. First, we are Christians (followers of Christ). Our church, which we attend, love and serve, is affiliated with the Assemblies of God churches yet it would appear to many as a non denominational church. We believe in the Word of God (Sola Scriptura  - "by Scripture alone"). We believe in the Holy Spirit and that He is alive, active and at work today. Yes, gifts are for today, in order, of course.

So when a question about Fog machines (haze) used during a worship service quickly took a crazy turn to worship styles and church affiliation, the dialog got interesting. What happened next was eye opening. The lines were drawn and you were either reformed or not. The moment I heard Michelle read me the response, I quickly realized this wasn't going anywhere productive. Why? Because once our identity in Christ is no longer to Christ but a denomination or the loosely thrown around term - theology - you create new battle lines that are outside the true map of reason. It becomes very fruitless in a majority of occasions (from personal experience).

It's simple: Christian in fighting is not our mission. The Great Commission is the mission of the Church:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20

Contend for Your Faith
or Defend Your Church

While some consider taking sides and defending the faith as to what Jude shares (Jude 1:3-4) he talks about contending for our faith only when certain men creep in who turn grace of our God into lewdness & deny Jesus. This isn't the case for the Reformed, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc... because regardless of affiliation, you should and must contend for our faith with Jesus. Notice it DOESN'T say to DEFEND YOUR CHURCH AFFILIATION. Rather we must CONTEND FOR OUR FAITH in Jesus.

There may be professing Christians but they must confess Jesus to contend. The Greek word for contend comes from an athletic setting - as in a wrestling mat. Yet does this mean in church fighting? Look a little deeper and you will find it's wrestling with lewd and Christ deniers. Not followers. It's a big distinction.

It begins and ends with Jesus. Our church affiliation feeds into the old rhetoric Paul shared with us from the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:12) where it appeared divided by leaders in the church:

"I am of Paul"
"I am of Apollos"
"I am of Cephas"
"I am of Christ"

Let us get back to Christ and make our affiliation in Jesus Christ. Our common language should lie in the Word of God and not church fathers and their various writings. While some may be good and profitable or better than others, we always must rely on the Word of God. Read, Study and Walk out your faith. Paul states that we are not divided but united. Let's have an undivided faith!

I love this Spurgeon sermon given over 150 years ago (March 25, 1861) encapsulates a position we should all hold if you're of the Christian faith. Read his words below:

"I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist, although I claim to be rather a Calvinist according to Calvin, than after the modern debased fashion. I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist. You have there (pointing to the baptistry) substantial evidence that I am not ashamed of that ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ; but if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply: "It is Jesus Christ."

My venerable predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a body of divinity admirable and excellent in its way; but the body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself for ever, God helping me, is not his system of divinity or any other human treatise, but Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the gospel; who is in himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon - "The First Sermon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle". Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Preached Monday, March 25, 1861 (369).

In other words, we can quickly take words from a particular position from a Theology Book or just we can wrestle with His Word ourselves. We must contend for the faith and the only way to do such task is to take Him at His Word, trust His Word, apply His Word and walk in such manner worthy of the calling He placed over our lives.

My wife ended her comments after the discussion began to cool back down with the following:

"Let's not forget that we are on the same team! We all love Jesus and although we disagree about somethings, none of us is worthy- AT ALL- and certainly non more worthy than the other." - Michelle Geipel

I do hope and pray that we as believers can get past much of the arguments and move toward Christ and His mission at hand. If we are not growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior, what are we doing? Just a question to depart with in hope you draw near to God... and not Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon, Bonhoeffer or other great writers and preachers. Draw near to Jesus.