CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES WISELY
(1 Cor. 2:14-14; Mark 8:11-13; Matt. 10:11-15; 2 John 9-11; Col. 2:4-10)
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PREPARATION THRU REBOUND
Jesus Himself tells us in John 8:31-32:
31 "... If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " NAS
In John 15:7, He also tells us:
7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. NAS
Let’s take a moment to quietly confess our sins to God, so that we are in fellowship with Him and led by the Holy Spirit when we study God’s word. 1 John 1:9 promises us, that if we name our known sins to God, He always forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness, even from the unknown sins we forgot or didn’t even realize we committed. Let’s pray.
Thank you, Father, for always restoring your children when we admit our sins to you. May your Holy Spirit teach us your word as we study it now. We ask these things in Jesus Name. Amen
INTRODUCTION
I was riding home from work on the bus one afternoon, and sat next to a guy who immediately greeted me and asked me how I was doing. I answered him politely, and because most strangers on the bus don’t give you a friendly greeting, I started to wonder if that was going to be the end, or just the beginning, of our conversation. Was the guy just trying to be nice, or was he some kind of "weirdo?"
Now if you’re reading or hearing this message, and you suddenly realize, "Hey, I met Frank on the bus, and we had a conversation just like the one to follow," please don’t be so sure it was YOU nor take offense. I’ve been riding a bus to and from work for 30 years. I’ve had plenty of time to have such discussions with a number of people.
As the bus proceeded, I noticed that he started to read a Bible. He was paging through it, back and forth, and I decided to allow him his privacy rather than to say something. However, after a few minutes, he took out some gum and asked me if I wanted a piece (to which I said "no," because I think it’s a disgusting habit!).
Since this was the second time he spoke to me, I sensed that he was trying to strike up a conversation, so I asked him what Bible version he was reading. I then detected some pride and defensiveness in his response, "It’s a King James Bible!," suspecting that he might be one of those "King James only" people, but I let that go. Maybe he isn’t, I thought.
We talked about a lot of things, like the gospel, the importance of Bible study, and that too many believers neglect God’s word. He told me that his name is "Brother Jim" and that he’s from a fundamental Baptist church. I told him my name is Frank, mentioned that I occasionally preach, and that I have an Internet teaching ministry.
We also agreed that too many Christians argue about the Bible, especially about things that aren’t critical to salvation or spiritual growth. Our discussion was going very well, and I was starting to think that the so-called "other shoe" that eventually drops when I meet other Christians, wasn’t going to fall on this occasion.
Then as we talked about the importance of sharing the gospel and teaching God’s word, it hit! The "other shoe" fell as it usually does! He started saying that nowadays, Satan has "all these other Bible versions out there that ’water-down’ the King James Version, like the New International Version (NIV) and the New American Standard (NAS)." I started to think, "Lord, can’t I meet just one believer who doesn’t need to consider the advantages of intensive counseling or Valium?"
Since I became a believer in 1979, I have NEVER met a Christian in a casual chance encounter, who doesn’t have some kind of doctrinal error and excess. I’ve been told on such occasions that:
- I’m not saved because I’ve never spoken in tongues;
- I need to ask God for a "second blessing" if I want to be an "alive, Spirit-filled" believer;
- I need to make Jesus my Lord, not just trust Him as Savior, or I’m not "really saved";
- I shouldn’t spend "so much time" studying the Bible, or I’ll become "stagnant";
- And now, I need to read only the King James Bible.
Well, I made a quick decision not to say a word about his comments. If I had, I knew it would have been an argument, and ironically, an argument between two believers who had just agreed that Christians argue too much over things that aren’t important. You may ask, "How do I know it would have been an argument?" Mostly I know from experience. My senses pick up on certain signs which I’ll try to describe in a moment.
As the bus got closer to my stop, the guy gave me a witnessing tract with the name and address of his church on the back. We both said goodbye in a friendly manner, and I exited at my bus stop. When I got to my house, I later looked at the tract he had given me. It began with all the usual information, about sin and why Jesus came. But when it got to the end and the actual decision that the unbeliever has to make, it was so typical (typically wrong, that is!).
"Brother Jim" had given me a tract that tells unbelievers that to be saved, they need to "invite Jesus into their heart."
Now, let me move away from my main topic for a few moments to illustrate an important point. Nowhere do the Scriptures say to "invite Jesus into your heart" to be saved, despite the fact that today’s "pop Christian culture" loves to share the gospel this way.
Whenever I’ve questioned this approach, I’ve been told that’s it’s just a matter of semantics, and that I’m being too literal and confrontational. I even had one pastor defensively tell me, "Well, you know in some countries, they invite Jesus into their kidneys!" That was one of those moments I sometimes experience with someone, when I can only walk away "with my mouth hanging open", in stunned disbelief!
Now try to look at this issue objectively, and then you tell me. Does the phrase, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved," mean the same thing as, "invite Jesus into your heart?" Well for one thing, the first phrase is actually in the Bible, in Acts 16:31. The phrase or even the idea to "invite Jesus into your heart" is found nowhere in Scripture, unless you take Rev. 3:21 out of context to distort it (Rev. 3:21 is to believers, to the "church" at Laodecia! It’s a command to confess sin and return to fellowship with God. It has absolutely nothing to do with salvation).
A person can "invite Jesus into their heart" for lots of reasons, other than believing the fact that He suffered and died as payment for our sins.
- Maybe they want God’s help to lead a better life, so that they will have enough good works to get into heaven;
- They could be feeling guilty about some wrong things they are doing in their lives;
- Perhaps they are simply caught up in the emotion of the moment, in the soft music and singing, and in the pastor’s soothing words;
- Maybe they see other people going forward down the church aisle, and they too want to be seen walking down;
- They might want to simply become a part of this local church, and think that this is the way to do it.
Once a person believes in Jesus Christ, that His sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sins and gains our salvation, Jesus Christ DOES come into that person and resides there. But that is a RESULT of salvation, NOT THE MEANS.
For example, suppose a man stands before a preacher with the woman he loves and recites wedding vows. By standing there and making that momentary decision, he becomes married, and the woman he’s trusting to spend the rest of his life with, comes into his house and lives there. However, if instead he were to "invite his girlfriend to come and live in his house", he would not be married to her, even if she did. The means of marrying her is not by asking her to come and live in his home, but rather, that will happen as a result of his taking vows to marry her. There are lots of reasons without marriage that a man may ask his girlfrienfd to come and live in his house.
Likewise, there are lots of reasons an unbeliever can "invite Jesus into their heart" other than faith alone in the saving work of Christ alone. So ask yourself one more question. What sense does it make to carefully quote the Bible verse by verse to the unbeliever about why they need to be saved, and then when it comes time to actually show them how, when it comes time for the most important part of the gospel, you tell them to do something that can be found nowhere in the Bible?
My point here isn’t to go off on a tangent and discuss the true gospel message. I could give several sermons on that topic alone. Rather, it’s that a professed Christian such as "Brother Jim" will argue about what Bible version a Christian should use, but doesn’t try to share the gospel correctly in the tracts he hands out.
The bottom line is, which is more important? Even if he were right about his "King James only" viewpoint, he’s not being careful about something that is far more important, that is, what someone has to do to be saved. The issue of "salvation" has eternal consequences for the unbeliever. The issue of what Bible version I use falls way behind that in priority.
In the end, what good is having the "right" Bible version, it you’re still sharing something as simple as the gospel wrong? What good is having the King James Bible, if you die and go straight to hell after you’re done reading it, because you "invited Jesus into your heart" without ever believing that He died on the cross for your sins?
So the topic of this message, "Choosing Your Battles Wisely," concerns just how we as Christians can decide when to discuss or not discuss what we believe with a fellow Christian, especially one who differs with us. This is not often an easy thing to decide, but I’m going to share some Biblical and practical principles that might help you decide.
PRINCIPLES IN CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES
The first principle taught in the Bible is,
1. DON’T ARGUE
Most of us know not to argue with an unbeliever while sharing the gospel. We’re told why in 1 Cor. 2:14-16:
1 Cor 2:14-16
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. NAS
Jesus knew not to argue with unbelievers, as we can see in an incident from Mark 8:11-13:
Mark 8:11-13
11 And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him.
12 And sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."
13 And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side. NAS
The Pharisees were not interested in questioning Jesus because they had an honest, humble desire to know Him better. Their intent was just to argue with Him, and Jesus knew it. I love Jesus’ reaction at the beginning of Mark 8:12, where He responds to them by "sighing deeply in His spirit." How often, when we try sharing the gospel with someone who only wants to argue with us, do we "sigh deeply in our spirits"?
But notice that Jesus could do that because He HAS a spirit. Jesus was born without a sin nature, and because He never sinned and was not born spiritually dead, He has a human spirit. Jesus can understand spiritual things, but the Pharisees can’t. So what did Jesus do in that situation with unbelievers who wanted to argue? Mark 8:13 tells us that He simply left. He got into a boat and put the Sea of Galilee between the Pharisees and Him.
An unbeliever is spiritually dead, and a person needs a spirit to understand spiritual things. When we share the simple gospel with them, which is faith alone in the work of Christ alone, it is the Holy Spirit who makes the good news of salvation understandable to a spiritually dead person. It is not until unbelievers place their faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, that they are "born again" spiritually. Before that happens, an unsaved person can’t undertstand the spiritual message of the Bible. Yet, even knowing this fact, we still often fall into the trap of arguing about spiritual things with the unsaved.
So it’s even easier to make that mistake of arguing with a "fellow believer." How can we distinguish the person who is earnestly struggling to understand something by duscussing it, from the person who just likes to argue and annoy people? Here’s some suggestions.
It’s probably an argument:
a. When a Christian states their belief about something in a way that is highly emotional. Strong emotions get in the way of objective thinking;
b. When the topic is something obviously rediculous and Biblically indefensible, like a person isn’t saved unless they’re using the KJV only, or have been water baptized by immersion (for example, the "good thief" did neither);
c. When instead of humble back-and-forth sharing of ideas, the person is proud and defensive. I have a couple of friends with whom I can discuss doctrine. We do it to better understand the Bible, to resolve some confusion one of us may have over some topic, not to argue or to "prove we’re right" about something. When Pastor Ray used to visit me in the hospital every week, he and I would often discuss Biblical issues, and we both enjoyed hours of discussions, even if we disagreed. However, none of those situations were arguments, because none of us acted proudly and defensively, but rather found it stimulating to share and better understand what we’d learned.
d. When the other person has a view they’re trying to "sell" to you. In such cases, you’ll easily notice that they are not responding to anything you say. Instead, they appear to be using a prepared list of arguments on you;
e. When the voices are loud, and the gestures and expressions highly agitated;
f. When the person takes verses out of context (verses that, in context, clearly mean something else. This usually demonstrates the other person’s lack of objective study concerning the verse, and their efort to defend an opinion irregardless of whether it’s right);
g. When the fruit of the Spirit such as love, joy, and peace, are not being displayed. Rather, such characteristics as envy, strife, abusive language, and evil suspicions are shown (1 Tim. 6:4).
I have NEVER seen any believer change their mind as the result of an argument. It took me a while to learn this. As a former athiest for over 10 years, I loved arguing with Christians over the Bible and the existence of God. As a believer, I began doing the same thing with Bible doctrines.
Here is what the Bible says about people who won’t accept sound Bible teaching, and like to argue:
1 Tim. 6:3-5
3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. NAS
One time, a friend named Joe was at my house, and we started "discussing" the subject of eternal security. I, of course, correctly defended the Biblical teaching that Christians can not lose their salvation, while Joe disagreed and argued that they could. It was a hot summer night, I had my living room windows open, and our "discussion" got louder and later into the evening. Around midnight, my doorbell rang and it was the police. A neighbor had heard us and reported that there was a fight taking place at my home. We were embarrassed, and explained to the two officers that we were discussing the Bible. They chuckled, told us to shut the windows and keep it down, and they left. While we laugh about this now, it was more embarrassing than funny.
So the first principle is, DON’T ARGUE. The second principle is,
2. CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES WISELY
If you’re going to get into what might be a challenging discussion, decide what issues are critical and so are worth your time and effort, and which subjects are not. This will be a very personal decision on your part, and hopefully one based upon the Bible doctrine you’v learned. I’d like to give you some examples of what my standards are to decide this.
A. Critical Issues To Salvation & Spiritual Growth - how to be saved, who Jesus Christ is, works versus grace, carnality versus spirituality, the inerrancy and Divine inspiration of the Bible alone, God’s attributes, existence of heaven and hell, final judgement, ministry of the Holy Spirit.
B. Non-Critical to Salvation & Spiritual Growth - whether Genesis 1 is creation or re-creation, what happened to the dinosaurs, Bible versions, water baptism as a Church Age ritual, the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in Genesis Chapter 6, whether Christ died on a Wednesday or a Friday, tithing, predestination versus free will.
These standards are useful not only in determining whether you should discuss certain doctrines with another person. They are also the kind of questions you need to ask in looking for a local church to attend. No church is perfect, because it is made up of sinful persons. So the botton line becomes:
- what differences are minor and you can tolerate, versus
- which ones are major and you can’t overlook or compromise?
So the first two principles are DON’T ARGUE, and CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES WISELY. A third principle is this…
3. REMAINING SILENT CAN BE A SIGN OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY
It may not be possible in a short discussion to adequately explain what you believe on a particular subject, to share your Biblical basis for it.
For example, let’s consider a doctrine like the role of a pastor of a local church. The Bible teaches that a pastor’s primary role, above all others, is to study and teach the word of God. God has assigned all believers to a pastor who He has prepared for them, and conversely, God has assigned that pastor to a particular congregation. The pastor is the ultimate spiritual authority in that congregation, and the members should submit to his spiritual authority.
Now, in the past week, I’ve listened to 5 hours of teaching on that doctrine. This included many verses translated directly from the original Koine Greek of the New Testament, as well as the study of NT words such as elder, pastor, shepherd, and bishop. The pastor who taught it to me, spent over 50 hours doing the research and the study to teach it to me in 5 hours.
Along comes a believer who hasn’t seriously studied this doctrine, but still has a strong opinion about it, and says, "Well, I don’t agree with that! That’s YOUR opinion."
Now first of all, my view of a Bible doctrine is hardly just my "opinion", when I’ve actively studied the doctrine for many hours, and this person who is questioning it hasn’t. Secondly, how do I remember and explain to this person, a pastor’s 50 hours of study, and my 5 hours of study, in just 5 minutes? It’s not possible for a variety of reasons, and I wouldn’t even attempt to defend my study against his opinion. I generally refer that person to a place to get the tapes or books, and if he really wants to understand, he’ll take the time to study it, too.
So it’s not always possible to explain what you believe in just a short period of time, even if you’d like to do it. Sometimes, "silence" may truly be "golden". The problem is, however, that our feelings tell us differently. We feel that if we keep silent, it looks like we don’t know what we’re talking about. The other person may think, "See, I must be right. He can’t defend what he’s saying with scriptures".
But Jesus Himself often remained silent, even at His own trial, when false accusations were made against Him. It didn’t matter to Jesus what people thought in those situations. The challenge in remaining silent is to do what the Bible says, and to leave other people to the "Supreme Court of Heaven" as Christ Himself often did.
IN CONCLUSION
So what should we do with a person who claims to be a Christian, yet is involved in false teachings, and in arguing in an effort to spread their peculiar brand of heresy? I believe the Biblical response is simply to leave, to break contact with such persons so long as they remain negative to Bible doctrine. Here are some verses that clearly support such action:
Matt 10:11-15
11 "And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and abide there until you go away.
12 "And as you enter the house, give it your greeting.
13 "And if the house is worthy, let your greeting of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace return to you.
14 "And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 "Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. NAS
2 John 9-11
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;
11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. NAS
If we’re going to be able to choose our battles wisely, then we need to know God’s word, not only to share it when good opportunities arise, but also to know when not to "cast our pearls before swine." We see this warning in Col. 2:4-10:
Col 2:4-10
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument.
5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; NAS
So let’s try to be more careful about what we discuss with fellow Christians. There’s nothing I love more than to talk about Bible issues with a couple of my friends who also study God’s word regularly. But there’s nothing more frustrating, nothing filled with more mental and verbal sins, than arguing about what we believe with carnal Christians who just like to squabble or spread false doctrine.
Remaining silent can be a sign of our own spiritual maturity. It may be our way of practicing wisdom and grace. It does not mean that "he wins" and "I lose". Keep this idea in mind:
SILENCE CAN BE A "GOOD WORK" THAT ONLY YOU AND GOD SEE.
Let’s make a resolution that we will all try to be more sensitive, more open to the Holy Spirit, in discerning when and how to share what we’ve learned and what we believe, with others in the family of God. Let’s pray.
Copyright © 2001, Frank J. Gallagher,
Abiding In The Word,
http://members.aol.com/abidingitw
All materials are written by me and are copyrighted. These materials may be freely copied and distributed for the purpose of study and teaching, so long as they are made available to others free of charge, and my copyright is included. These materials may not, in any manner, be sold nor used to solicit "donations" from others, nor may they be included in anything you intend to copyright, sell, or offer for a fee. God the Holy Spirit freely provides this knowledge in grace, and so do I. My copyright is exercised to keep these materials freely available to all.
