March 19, 2015

Liberties and Heresies

Our pastor has been preaching through Matthew.
We are currently in chapter eighteen.  In a recent sermon he expounded
on liberties and heresies and what we are to do with them.
It made and impression on me.  Clarity came through the insights he shared.

Very often, liberties are made law.  A list of rules to follow.
The problem is, however, the list is different for everyone.
What's on it, and what isn't, varies from person to person.
We so frequently are guilty of adding to Scripture with these lists
of ours, and then, we try to impose them on others.

It's wrong.  Plain and simple.

There are many grey areas that Scripture doesn't deal with specifically.
Conversely, there are many areas that it does address.  Emphatically.
We can infer things from God's Word and apply that wisdom to the grey
areas we encounter.  The black and white areas, however, remain just that.

Black and white.


There is no room for heresy to be embraced for the sake of peace
or in the name of love.  It's not loving to accept the unacceptable.
Peace is not truly peace when it is based on a false premise.
There are non-negotiables in Scripture.  We must stand firm on those.
There is no leeway when it comes to the Deity of Christ, the Trinity,
or the Gospel and how a person is saved.  We cannot make these areas grey.

These are the things we must be willing to die for.

But, the grey areas?  Ought we to stand to the utmost on those?
We all have convictions.  And, very often, they are different from our brother's.
Differences are not a bad thing.  There is such a thing as embracing those things
for your family that the Lord has called you to.  It is actually right and good to do so.

But, we must not impose those things on others.

We also are to be sensitive to those who land in a different camp than we find ourselves in.
Some may have liberty in one area that we are not free to embrace.
We might have liberty where another would falter.
It's in cases like these that we are to forgo our rights in order not to wound
another brother's (or sister's) conscience.  We are called to sacrifice.

We must not parade our liberties like badges of honour.


How much wisdom we need to navigate this life!
Thankfully, the Lord promises to give wisdom to His people
as they seek Him for it.  What a blessing it is to have His Word to turn to.
What a blessing it is to have one another to glean from.

What a blessing it is that we are not in this alone.

May the Lord help us to extend grace to those around us
in those areas in which we have liberty.
May He also give us a loving disposition one toward another
as we hold fast to those non-negotiables.
And, may He give us the wisdom to know the difference.

With Love, Camille

9 comments:

You Can Call Me Jane said...

Thank you for this, sister.

Pam said...

So true; it is such a good reminder; yes, we do need His wisdom in abundance, and I am so thankful for His word.
Many Blessings,
Pam

1HappyWife said...

Beautifully written, Camille! Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your blog :)???? Friend, you have often lifted my heart and given encouragement and you don't even know it!!! Thank you!!! -Joleena

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

This so true. I have been teaching "end time" prophecy to my Junior HIgh Sunday school class. My pastor has challenged my theology and views in this area. Instead of getting angry and upset, I decided to investigate and see if he had any valid points. He actually did and I have changed some of my views. He couldn't stress enough that this is not a salvation issue and that we should still love and embrace one another even if our end time theology is not in agreement. There are a LOT of opinions out there when you really start to study it! Major on the majors and minor on the minors. Love it Camille!

Camille said...

Dear Jane ~ Thank you! Hugs. :)

Dear Pam ~ I am so thankful that He promises to give us that wisdom we so desperately need! Hugs to you. :)

Dear Joleena ~ You make me smile my friend...thank you for your sweet words of encouragement...always. How precious it is to belong to our Great God...He is the One Who must get all the glory. Hugs to you! :)

Dear Stacie ~ What a sweet story of how the Lord moulds and shapes us...thank you for sharing your heart here my friend. May the Lord continue to give you wisdom as you teach those young people about Him! Hugs to you. :)

With Love,
Camille

Esther said...

Thank you for this post. I have been thinking a lot lately about similar things and was very thankful to read this tonight. I'm always thankful for your thoughts and how you express them so full of grace. May the Lord continue to use you mightily to speak the truth.

Camille said...

Dear Esther ~ You bless my heart...you know that? I am looking forward to an in person visit with you sometime...after your house is built!! Miss you. XO

Cinnamon said...

So well put. As a youngster I was very black and white ( well I guess I still am in some ways) but then God showed me His love and how we are all at a different spot. One spot is not wrong and the other right - rather it's just where God has us.

hugs~ Cinnamon

Camille said...

Dear Cinnamon ~ Thank you for your sweet encouragement my friend...you bless my heart! Hugs to you! Camille