Why are there so many divisions in the Churches of Christ? Notes available at http://OneInJesus.info

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Why are there so many divisions in the Churches
of Christ?Notes available athttp//OneInJesus.i
nfo
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Why So Many Divisions?

• The Churches of Christ are divided and the
  division is getting worse, fast
• The division isnt really over instruments or
  liberalism or such
• Its about the scope of grace

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Why So Many Divisions?

• When does grace cover doctrinal error?
• Surely some error damns
• But just as surely, not all error damns
• Which error is covered by grace?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• While there are many reasons we divide, the most
  important one is that weve never developed a
  complete theology of grace
• Weve never figured out how to tell what is a
  salvation issue and what is not

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Why So Many Divisions?

• To answer this question, we need to investigate
  just one question
• When does a Christian fall from grace?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• If God accepts someone, then so must I
• I cant be a sterner judge than the Perfect Judge
• Therefore, I must fellowship all who are in
  fellowship with God

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Everyone who has been saved is still saved
  unless he has fallen from grace

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Therefore, I must be in fellowship with all
  whove been saved and who (to the best of my
  knowledge) havent fallen away

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Who have been saved?
• All whove
• Heard
• Believed
• Repented
• Confessed
• Been baptized

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Why So Many Divisions?

• What must I have heard?
• The gospel
• What must I believe?
• The gospel
• What must I confess?
• The gospel

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Whats the gospel?
• Its what we confess and believe
• That Jesus is Lord and the Christ, the Son of
  the Living God
• That we are saved through faith in Jesus
• (Rom. 11-5, 109 1 Cor. 151-8 Gal. 38-1
  Col. 121-23 2 Tim. 28-9)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Weve never required a confession of the
  converts position on
• Instrumental music
• Baptism
• Divorce and remarriage
• Because none of this is the gospel (as the New
  Testament speaks)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Therefore, the plan of salvation can be expressed
  as
• Have faith (believe the gospel)
• Repent
• Be baptized

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Why So Many Divisions?

• In other words
• Accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God
• Accept Jesus as Lord
• Be baptized

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Why So Many Divisions?

• When does a Christian fall away?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• When he no longer accepts Jesus as Son of God
• Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ
  has come in the flesh is from God, but every
  spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not
  from God.
• (1 John 42b-3a)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• When he no longer accepts Jesus as Lord
• If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have
  received the knowledge of the truth, no
  sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful
  expectation of judgment and of raging fire that
  will consume the enemies of God. (Heb. 1026-27)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Accept one another, then, just as Christ
  accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
• (Rom. 157)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• In the Greek, the first accept is in the
  present tense,indicating continuous
  actioncontinually accept
• The second accept is past tense aorist
  indicating a single point in time in the
  pastat that point in time when you were
  accepted

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Accept one another, then, just as Christ
  accepted youthus becomesContinually accept
  one another, then, just as Christ accepted you at
  a particular point in time in the past

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Plainly, we are to accept others by the same
  standard as when were accepted, that is, when we
  were baptized!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• But God demonstrates his own love for us in
  this While we were still sinners, Christ died
  for us.
• (Rom. 58)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Paul exults in Gods willingness to give Jesus up
  for us while we were still sinners and his
  enemies (v. 10)
• This is when we were baptized, when we were
  utterly and completely cleansed of our sins

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Since we have now been justified by his blood,
  how much more shall we be saved from Gods
  wrath through him!
• (Rom. 59)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Paul makes the point (which should be obvious but
  isnt)that now that we are Gods children (and
  no longer enemies!) we will now be much more
  saved than when we were first saved
• This is so true that he says it twice!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• For if, when we were Gods enemies, we were
  reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
  how much more, having been reconciled, shall we
  be saved through his life!
• (Rom. 510)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Our salvation after having been baptized is more
  certainmuch morethan we first stepped out of
  the baptismal waters!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• So I find this law at work When I want to do
  good, evil is right there with me. For in my
  inner being I delight in God's law

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Why So Many Divisions?

• but I see another law at work in the members of
  my body, waging war against the law of my mind
  and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at
  work within my members.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me
  from this body of death?(Rom. 721-24)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Paul declares the desperation of all Christians
  who havent succumbed to arroganceIve
  repented and Im trying to stay true to it, but
  I keep sinning anyway
• Whats the solution?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Therefore, there is now no condemnation for
  those who are in Christ Jesus, because through
  Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me
  free from the law of sin and death.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• For what the law was powerless to do in that
  it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did
  by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
  man to be a sin offering.
• (Rom. 81-3)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Therefore, there is now no condemnation for
  those who are in Christ Jesus.
• There are no lost Christians!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Q. Whom must I consider a brother?
• Everyone whom God considers a son or a daughter
• which is everyone whos been saved and who
  hasnt fallen away

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Why So Many Divisions?

• which is everyone who has
• faith
• penitence and
• a baptism God accepts
• OTHER THAN everyone who has abandoned
• his faith or
• his repentance

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Then why do good works if our salvation doesnt
  depend on them?
• This question only makes sense if you start with
  a legal mindset

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Why do I honor my parents even though Im too old
  to spank?
• Why do I honor my wife even though Im not afraid
  of being divorced?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• (Why love your wife if no one is making you?)
• We have to see love, not as a response to a
  command, but as our new nature

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Why So Many Divisions?

• If we arent lost for believing false doctrine,
  then why study the Bible?
• Again, you cant start with a law-based mindset

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Why So Many Divisions?

• If you love Jesus and have truly repented, you
  will want to follow his teachings
• And youll study because you love Jesus

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Teachings dont have to end with or youll go to
  Hell! to be obeyed
• How can you love God and have to be threatened to
  obey?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• What about a penitent believer with a baptism
  accepted by God who disagrees with me on
• Divorce and remarriage?
• The age of the earth?
• Childrens worship?
• Instrumental music?
• Missionary societies?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Romans 14, which is the background for Romans
  157, explains how this works in practice

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing
  judgment on disputable matters.
• (Rom 141)
• This applies only to those in the church, of
  course

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Why So Many Divisions?

• But if we in the church are disputing about a
  matter, how can it not be disputable?
• Surely the test isnt subjectivewhat the
  preacher thinks is unclear!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• One mans faith allows him to eat everything,
  but another man, whose faith is weak, eats
  only vegetables.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• The man who eats everything must not look down
  on him who does not, and the man who does not eat
  everything must not condemn the man who does, for
  God has accepted him.
• (Rom. 142-3)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• One man considers one day more sacred than
  another another man considers every day alike.
• (Rom 145a)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• In Romans, Paul doesnt bother to say who is
  right on the sacred-day issue
• Why not?
• In other epistles, he answers this question, but
  not here!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Who are you to judge someone elses servant?
  To his own master he stands or falls. And he
  will stand, for the Lord is able to make him
  stand. ... Each one should be fully convinced in
  his own mind.
• (Rom. 144-5b)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• He who regards one day as special, does so to
  the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord,
  for he gives thanks to God and he who abstains,
  does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God
• (Rom. 146)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why
  do you look down on your brother? For we will all
  stand before Gods judgment seat.
• (Rom. 1410)
• Even the ones who are wrong will stand!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one
  another.
• (Rom. 1413a)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Notice this
• Some of our authors and preachers claim Romans 14
  is about matters of indifference

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Why So Many Divisions?

• But what about
• How is it that you are turning back to those
  weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be
  enslaved by them all over again?You are
  observing special days and months and seasons and
  years! (Gal. 49-10)

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Paul certainly didnt consider holy days a matter
  of indifference when he wrote Galatians!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• The Romans were disputing about matters of
  doctrine! And Paul commanded them to stop
  passing judgment
• This is so even though Paul gave the right
  position on eating meat
• (and even though he didn't bother to state the
  right position on sacred days)!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• If Paul knew the right answer, why was it still
  wrong to pass judgment on those who were wrong?
• Why were they commanded to accept those
  teaching falsely?

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Grace applies to doctrine as well as conduct!
• Grace applies to disputable matterswhich is
  anything we can dispute over and still be
  Christians!
• Anything other than baptism, faith, or repentance

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Why does Paul treat holy days as think and let
  think in Romans 14 but as damnable in Gal 321?
• (Gal 410-11) You are observing special days and
  months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you,
  that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• In Rome, the Christians were willing to treat
  those who disagreed as saved
• In Galatia, they treated those with the wrong
  marks as lost
• The Galatians were in jeopardy of their souls

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Why So Many Divisions?

• (Gal 54-6) You who are trying to be justified
  by law have been alienated from Christ you have
  fallen away from grace.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
  uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that
  counts is faith expressing itself through love.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Paul tells the Galatians how to tell the issues
  that matter from those that dont
• The only thing that counts is faith expressing
  itself through love.

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Why So Many Divisions?

• (Gal 514) The entire law is summed up in a
  single command "Love your neighbor as
  yourself."

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Faith, expresses itself through
• Repentance love
• Only
• Jesus is the Son of God (believe)
• Jesus is our Lord (repent, love)
• Jesus is our Savior (only)

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Why So Many Divisions?
Hear,Believe, Confess Son of God Faith Faith
Repent Lord Love Love
Savior Only Hope
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Why So Many Divisions?

• Why so many divisions?
• Because we confuse any doctrinal issue we feel
  strongly about with faith
• Because we refuse to consider our own opinions
  disputable

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Because we have an ad hoc theology of falling
  from grace it depends on whats hot in the
  Church periodicals!

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Because we struggle to understand why anyone
  would obey unless threatened with damnation

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Because we enjoy taking pride in being the ones
  who cared enough to get it right
• Because we define ourselves by our differences
  from others rather than our relationship with
  Jesus

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Why So Many Divisions?

• Because were guilty of the Galatian heresy

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Why So Many Divisions?

• This outline and other materials are available
  for free download at www.OneInJesus.info.