Revelation 2:1-7
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Revelation 2:4
To recap: here we have Ephesus, a church that is on the doctrinal straight and narrow, willing to confront false teaching and just doing a lot of things right. Yet, Jesus condemns them for having left their first love. As we discussed in the previous post, that could be a simple fading of the joyous love they felt for the Lord when they first came to believe, rather like a married couple when the honeymoon is over.
We are going to meander a bit today, as I have lots’ on my mind and may wander a bit. Maybe they had left their love for Jesus, and their love for each other? As some pointed out in comments, both can apply. Not only that, but the two are inexorably tied together, and can’t really exist apart from one another. We can’t truly love our brother until we properly love God. If we love God, we WILL love our brother…and on it goes.
Today we are going to look at the relationship between doctrinal adherence and love, as it seems to apply to Ephesus.
In the work I am part of, we fancy ourselves to be the final bastion, and keepers of proper Doctrine. We stand on it, we love it, and we teach it. Just ask us, we will tell you. I am totally okay with that. Truth matters and I believe we have done a fine job of gleaning proper doctrine from God’s Word. God expects us to seek and stand on the truth in the Bible.
I like to serve with people who think and believe like I do, even on secondary issues. That’s normal; we like to be with people like us. I have no problem whatsoever with that, as it makes things go smoothly.
Can we go too far? Yeah, we can. I think we can fall into sort a “doctrinal legalism,” where we lost sight of what matters and get bound up in things that don’t. How did God show His great love for us? He saved us. What, then is the best way we can show love to those around us? Preach that message properly. Look, I will die on the hill of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone; if Christians don’t die on that hill, souls will die and be separated from God forever. On the other hand, is sprinkling versus dunking my hill to die on? I mean, sprinklers have it wrong; water immersion is correct. Yet, do I need to die on that hill, or just not go to church with those folks?
What I mean by this, is how do we interact with people on these secondary issues? Especially, now do we deal with those who don’t believe regarding them? I will use a real-life occurrence to illustrate. I am a cessationist, and not interested in a debate about it here btw. I don’t believe tongues are a gift for today. Some do, and that’s okay. Anyway a few years back I encountered a young lady who was out of the church and, by her own statement, not a believer. She understood my Baptist background and was quick to bring up the topic of tongues. It seemed evident she wanted a debate about the issue. While that might be fun, it was not on the table. Why? Because she was, by her own admission, not saved. I could have had the debate, and at the end, she would still be lost. So, I just sidestepped that and asked why she wouldn’t believe. I was shocked. She wanted to believe, but didn’t think she could because…drum roll…she had never spoken in tongues! So, we had a little talk about that; we talked about by grace alone, by faith alone. I don’t know how it ended up for her, but I do know that she was closer than if I had chosen to debate doctrine with her.
I am a premillennial, pre-tribulation rapture kind of guy. I believe it to be so; you may not. When a person we know is feeling hopeless for the future and what it holds, is that the time to resoundly correct them on their crummy eschatology? Probably not. What really matters?
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
If we get so broiled up on the fine points of doctrine that we forget the One we love, then we have a problem.
Friends, doctrine does matter. Truth matters, That is why Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for theirs; doctrinal purity pleases God.
On the other hand, our relationship is with Jesus, not His doctrines. Maybe Ephesus had forgotten that?
September 6, 2019 at 14:28
This I believe also. No debate.:)
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September 6, 2019 at 14:30
WordPress is a perfect example of this issue as am sure your know
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September 6, 2019 at 14:48
Yes, thank you.:)
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September 6, 2019 at 15:17
well said, there is so much to learn from these churches in Revelation… we can really get lost in the weeds sometimes. Doctrine is so important, but we have to see a bigger picture and hope that by pointing folks to the ‘big truth’ the smaller things will shake out as well.
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September 6, 2019 at 15:32
Well said Shara, thank you.
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September 6, 2019 at 16:41
Reblogged this on a simple man of God.
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September 6, 2019 at 16:47
Thanks Daniel
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September 7, 2019 at 06:42
Good one, Wally. After I said I would never do it again, yesterday I re-entered the fray over whether repentance is a “work” because someone had reblogged a certain individual’s latest posting on the topic. I really don’t like to see other believers get sucked into that quagmire, but there’s only so much time and energy I can put into opposing one bloggers favorite crusade.
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September 7, 2019 at 06:50
I saw that, Tom, and am glad you did. Had you not, I would have myself. Good job and well done for intervening.
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September 7, 2019 at 06:55
Thanks, brother!
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September 7, 2019 at 09:20
Brother, this post is what I love about you and other brothers who stand upon the Word of God totally! The Bible tells us we should be willing to give account of why we believe and I have to say as a simple man, I can’t argue with that. Like you also, I will not debate, I have actually in my younger years belonged to a “church” that put debating on a high priority. The Holy Spirit taught me back then, it only divides, NOT uniting in a bond of peace, as it were!
I’m not Baptist, never claimed to be, I was raised Catholic ’til just under 17 but really immersed in it. Was “saved,” born-again, spiritually in a little Pentecostal Church when I was just about to have my 17th Birthday. Yep, was indoctrinated into the whole “tongues” thing, but one thing I did soon after I was saved, I asked the Lord to TEACH me the TRUTH, to understand His Word, and I would be willing to go where He sent me to learn what HE wanted me to learn. Talk about experiences. Once married, my wife’s family accused me of “church-hopping” and not being a “real Christian,” eventually some of them changed their thinking.
Learned a lot about a lot of different denominations and that is why today I WILL not associate with any one. People ask me what I believe, what denomination, etc. I tell them, I believe in the inerrant Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and I identify as a Full-Gospel, Fundamental believer. Just about throws them every time. I have learned THROUGH experience, the greatest gift I can give is to LOVE another and let God’s Word defend itself.
I don’t (or try not to go to extremes) on denominational issues. I have made some of my “Pentecostal” brothers and sisters mad, because I look at the Scriptures far different than them. Do I believe in tongues for today? I believe of all the gifts for some reason that is the one that denomination has taken to an extreme! Remember what I said above about loving others? According to the Apostle Paul, and other evidence in the Bible, tongues is the ONLY gift that is SELF-EDIFYING! All the other gifts listed are for the building up of the Body of Christ! Sounds kind of like Love in Action. Rhetorical question; if you are a truly loving person and love as I believe it is UNSELFISHNESS or un-self-centered, why would you devote a whole doctrine to loving yourself above others? And don’t get be started on “the evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit” as the only true EVIDENCE was two distinct things, initially on the Day of Pentecost, tongues OF FIRE! You don’t hear that preached today, but also power to Love, to preach the truth with anointing and authority. All centered again in the concept of AGAPE!!!
My belief in Salvation by Grace, through Faith and not of anything we can do ourselves is the same as yours. Salvation is what gets us cleansed from our sins, by being washed in the Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. Everything else is to help us on our journey, our walk and to “persuade” others through love to join us there!
Tribulation, “rapture,” like you, I make no apologies nor will I debate about how I believe. I AM a teacher and preacher. I WILL teach and/or preach according to my conviction and understanding and I take that responsibility, like you, eternally serious!
Brothers and Sisters? It is Christ Jesus and being washed in His Blood, being joint Heirs under God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, that makes us that spiritually! Much deeper relationship than actual “blood” relation! It’s not denomination that makes us that, it is Christ Jesus and Him alone that makes us that family!
You and I and our many other brothers and sisters from this medium who may have never met one another are who we are because of Love, in Christ Jesus, and not in denomination. I will fight for that until the Lord says “come home thou good and faithful servant!” Our teaching may differ a bit, our interpretations may differ a bit, but Salvation and Redemption in Christ Jesus IS OUR Anchor! The rest is just the way we use the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us. THAT kind of diversity, not denominational, is what makes up the members, individually one of another, of the Body of Christ with Jesus ALWAYS as the Head!
Sorry so long, brother. Didn’t mean to take from your study, but this goes as confirmation with what YOU ARE saying! God bless!
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September 7, 2019 at 15:48
Good post. I’m also a guy with a lot of “pre-” in my theology like you. Premillennial, Presdestination and Presuppositional apologetics. Still believe in grace towards others in secondary issues.
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September 8, 2019 at 01:09
I have encountered secondary issues in a different context. Non-Christians will often attack Christians on issues like homosexuality which may be important but are not central tenets of Christian belief. While we struggle to address such issues (sometimes clumsily and on shaky theological grounds), we miss the opportunity to witness on the essental issue of Salvation.
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September 8, 2019 at 01:57
True. We have to try to stay on message as much as possible
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