The Great Debaters

Today I want to say a few words about all of the debates that surround our faith. It is impossible to attend church for a year or discuss Christianity with friends and family and not come across some of these issues. These issues include, but are not limited to: elect v. non-elect, free will v. determinism, salvation through works v. salvation through faith, and on and on ad infinitum.

I will not, at least in this blog, attempt to resolve or even discuss any of these pressing issues, except in reference. It is not because I believe these issues to be unimportant. I think it is essential for us as Christians to practice our faith in dialogue or group discussions. When there are things we do not understand about that faith, it is important too that we go back to Scripture in search of the answers. As many of you are familiar with I’m sure, many a scholar has done just that, and as a result a multitude of verses can be quoted to support either side of all of these debates. If you are struggling with any aspect of your faith, I would encourage you to do a deep study, and even include your friends or hometeam members, and try and see what Scripture has to say on the issue.

The point I wish to discuss, indeed the focus of this blog, is not, however, the content of these debates, but rather their results. It is much too common for Christians to get caught up in these fine points of faith and in effect miss the entire point. As I said earlier, there are a number of verses, open to interpretation, to support either side of these debates. There are other issues, however, on which the Bible is quite clear. Feed the poor. Take care of the widows and orphans. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, and strength. Treat your neighbor as you yourself wish to be treated. Spread the Gospel to the corners of the Earth. Do not lie. Do not let anger take a hold of you. These are just a few of my favorites.

The sad thing is, we tend to get caught up in the other stuff. We lock ourselves in the Temple and debate the minutiae of the Law instead of working in the community. If you read the New Testament however, you know that Jesus didn’t spend much time in Temples, unless he was turning tables over. Rather he was out among the people. Feeding the hungry, healing the sick, teaching the simple. He explained his commands in words that everyone could understand, rather than bombarding the crowds with High Church jargon. As Christians, we should model ourselves after Jesus rather than the Pharisees and Sadducees. We should spend less time worrying about what the Bible does or does not say about free will, and more time working in soup kitchens, going to Haiti, or building houses in Mexico. Jesus knew that compassion, love, sacrifice, and commiseration, are more effective tools than logic and theory when it comes to winning over people’s souls. He knew that a person can benefit a lot more from a well-side chat than from a 16-week course in Leviticus. He knew it and showed it daily, and who are we to argue?

So I encourage you today to set aside life’s small debates. Whether it is a debate over free will, a debate over where the chairs should go at the church service, or a debate over who’s supposed to cook tonight. Instead, take some time to contemplate the actions of Jesus, and consider how your debate skills might best serve Him, who loved you and gave Himself for you.


By Aaron Blackwell