Correcting

[TurtleHare]

How and when do you know to correct your brother in Christ?

 

[Stravinsk]

How and when do you know to correct your brother in Christ?

For me, the opportunity and timing usually presents itself. Er - this question sort of seems like from a church or congregation setting too - and um - I don't bother with whether the person is "in Christ". Very few people have 0 conscience, Christian or not - and I think it's wrong to assume the absence of it for a person who does not identify as such. But anyway - For example - I've worked with various individuals I've had to confront, sometimes gently and with respect, and on the rare occasion harshly because it's all this person would understand at that time.

Generally works better when the thing needing to be corrected isn't also one's own habit (ie: looking for a speck in the eye of another while trying to look through the plank in one's own eye. ).

 

[Wilhemena]

All scripture is used for correcting when used in love and gentleness and even still there will be a risk of backlash, for we know that to be corrected would mean we have been wrong about something. A rebuke for the sake of only telling the other soul that you are right and he is wrong is more of spite than the patience of love and kindness.

 

[TurtleHare]

For me, the opportunity and timing usually presents itself. Er - this question sort of seems like from a church or congregation setting too - and um - I don't bother with whether the person is "in Christ". Very few people have 0 conscience, Christian or not - and I think it's wrong to assume the absence of it for a person who does not identify as such. But anyway - For example - I've worked with various individuals I've had to confront, sometimes gently and with respect, and on the rare occasion harshly because it's all this person would understand at that time.

Generally works better when the thing needing to be corrected isn't also one's own habit (ie: looking for a speck in the eye of another while trying to look through the plank in one's own eye. ).

How's about bad theology because no one wants to hear they've gone down a path that could be detrimental to their soul and how do I stand by and watch that course of action which is scary enough? I know now that folks won't listen if it isn't what they're believing in but don't I at least gotta get the truth out there?

 

[TurtleHare]

All scripture is used for correcting when used in love and gentleness and even still there will be a risk of backlash, for we know that to be corrected would mean we have been wrong about something. A rebuke for the sake of only telling the other soul that you are right and he is wrong is more of spite than the patience of love and kindness.

I hear what your saying but how's about when someone's bad theology is heading them down a path toward hell wouldn't that be correcting out of love and not spite?

 

[Josiah]

Interpersonal conflict and sin:



SOME SCRIPTURES.....


Matthew 18:15, "If your brother sins against you, you go and tell him his fault, just between the two of you.

Galatians 6:1-2 "Brothers, if someone is caught in some kind of sin, restore him - but do it gentle, for you too have sinned."

Ephesians 4:2-3 "Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

Leviticus 19:18 "Do not bear a grudge or seek revenge."

Ephesians 4:26 "Do not let the sun go down on your anger."




SOME THOUGHTS....


1. All sin. And all seem determined to prove it. Since all there are are sinners, there is bound to be sin going around. And thus conflict.


2. ATTITUDE is key. Let me say that again, ATTITUDE IS KEY. We need to come with humility.... love...... in FULL knowledge (to our core) that I'M a sinner, I hurt people, I misunderstand.... what I deserve is God's sternest judgement, what I deserve is a sudden, swift kick into hell. I need to be aware of the LOG in my own eye before I get all obsessed about the speck in my brother's eye. If we come with an "holier-then-you" attitude it is absolutely GUARENTEED we'll make a royal mess of things and make matters worse. GOD is the only one who can have that attitude, and I ain't God. I may have misunderstood...... The real problem could be ME...... My only, sole, singular motive here is to help my brother and WITH HIM celebrate the mercy and grace of God and the forgiveness that is ours in the Blood of the Lamb. If my attitude ain't that, I MUST SHUT UP before I make matters worse. Just shut up. And then don't hold a grudge because it's MY fault it's not getting resolved....


3. If I feel someone has offended or wronged or sinned against me..... it is MY responsiblity to tell him/her. It is NOT (repeat NOT) his/her responsibility to read my mind via some "mind melt" or to "read" my body language or "notice" I'm not smiling at them much anymore. It must not be ASSUMES (there's that word!) that they KNOW what they did and WHY I'm hurt, angry or whatever. Jesus says TELL THEM (re-read point # 2 above, re-read it several times). TELL him/her. PRIVATELY. Don't send an email to everyone on our account, don't tweek the 7.5 billion people on the planet, don't whine to your spouse (they have enough problems on their own), don't kick the dog. GO to them.... TELL them.... PRIVATELY..... in a spirit of humility and love.... with the SINGULAR goal of sharing forgiveness and rejoicing in God's mercy, grace and forgiveness. I think most of the time (I said MOST) it gets resolved right there. And we learn something in the process. And our faith grows.


4. Now.... Jesus goes on to share what to do if resolution doesn't matter at that step, but I think most of the time people never do that step so the remaining ones are kinda irrelevant. Do step one first.... and if you ever do, THEN we can discuss other steps.



PAX CHRISTI



- Josiah




.

 

[Josiah]

Theological conflict....


SOME SCRIPTURES:


Importance of sound doctrine:

Titus 1:9

Jude 3

Philippians 1:27

1 Corinthians 15:3-4


Need to correct false teaching/teachers:

Titus 1:13

Titus 3:10

Jude 4

2 Timothy 4:9-10

2 Timothy 1:15

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Ephesians 5:11-14


Need to avoid false teachers:

2 John 9-11

Romans 16:17-18


Need for Humility:

Acts 1:7

1 Corinthians 4:1

Deuteronomy 29:29


Need to Avoid Speculation:

1 Timothy 1:4

2 Timothy 2:16-18

Titus 1:10-11

2 Corinthians 10:5

Titus 3:9



SOME THOUGHTS.....


1. Doctrine matters! Sadly, especially since the Enlightenment, relativism is the religion of the day. To quote Pontius Pilate, "what is truth?" MUCH of Christianity is awash in relativism, that truth is irrelevant and unknowable. There are churches (and websites, such as Christian Forums) where truth is entirely irrelevant and all that matters is how everyone FEELS and how worldly "successful" they are (especially in terms of finances and relationships). The Bible affirms that truth matters! False teaching is wrong! We live in a world dominated by "PC" and "Mr. Roger-ism" and "Kumbyah-ism" where it is better to have heresy than hurt anyone's feelings.


2. "Humility is the father of all sound theology" - Martin Luther. MUCH of problem has been the propensity of individual persons and denominations to proclaim self smarter than God, to proclaim self alone to have a brain bigger and better than God's, to proclaim self to be the Official Corrector of God whose job it is to make God make sense and "jibe" with human philosophies and theories, to "connect the dots" so that self adds what God MEANT to say but didn't. In the words of my Greek Orthodox friend, "The Roman Church simply will not shut up but insists on messing things up with its endless speculations." Frankly, I think that observation applies to much of Christianity, not just that one denomination. Scripture calls us to be "Caretakers of the MYSTERIES of God." Much of the focus of the Reformation was on the endless, amazing stuff the individual RC Denomination invented (especially in the middle ages): INFALLIBLE Denomination's Bishop in Rome..... Purgatory..... Transubstantiation...... etc. Interestingly, the problem of the EOC with the RCC is largely the same: the endless speculations, inventions, theories, additions..... But I don't think this is limited to the RC Denomination, etc. Protestantism has been just as willing to turn new inventions into Dogma, insisting God must agree with their new idea in order for God to be as smart as they are: Millennialism, adult baptism, metaphoric Communion, etc. Many a Protestant theologian has filled books with their creative speculations, all to make God make sense to them and seen right to them.


3. Individualism/Egoism is often at the root. Scripture characterizes false teachers as prideful. See point #2 above. But the problem is closely related to individualism. Scripture describes the church collectively - the Body of Christ, the church catholic, the "oikos" of God. But a characteristic of false teachers is individualism (whether this concerns a person or a single denomination or cult): SELF declares SELF to be the one God leads, the one God protects, the one God teaches, the one the Holy Spirit works with. "God told ME" is stated in a variety of pious sounding ways. There is an underlying claim that it (again a person or a denomination or a cult) IS the church, IS the One God teaches and leads and protects, self is the Mouth of God. "Just trust/obey ME uniquely" is a common denominator among false teachers. "I'M the one really smart one whom God naturally agrees with or God would be wrong and that's unthinkable" is an underlying message.


4. Scripture proclaims that WE are to be CARETAKERS of the MYSTERIES of God. Not me but we. Not correctors of God. Not inventers of Dogma. God is NOT mandated by man to explain everything to us (and especially not to one person or denomination!!!!). God is NOT mandated to "make sense" to us (much less to any individual person or denomination). God is NOT mandated to agree with whatever scientists or philosophers or psychiatrist happen to opinionate about at that moment. But this proclamation indicates that there IS a corpus of affirmations that God has delivered! God likely has not revealed EVERYTHING (even if our puny, sinful, fallen, extremely limited brains COULD remotely begin to understand it!), but God has taught us, God has revealed things. There is a corpus we are to PROTECT. I believe that is found in His inscripturated words - the Scriptures, the Bible. Just as God literally wrote the Law on stone tablets (pretty much as soon as writing and reading came into being), so I think that pattern exists today: God has revealed things in writing, His writing, His Scriptures. Over and over, we are told to search the Scriptures. 2 Timothy 1:13, 1 John 4:1, John 17:17. Never are we told to docilicly swallow WHATEVER Joseph Smith or Jim Jones or the RCC or LDS or LCMS or URC claim or state, we are directed to what God says in His written words - Scripture.



Pax Christi



- Josiah




.