There are so many questions that can't be answered with explicit instructions from the word of God. Some things are left unexplained and unity can still exist without answering them. We can see it throughout Scripture. When God gave His laws on gleaning, they were told not to reap to the very edges of the field but leave them for the poor (Lev. 19). What constitutes an edge? We are told to honor our father and mother but does that honor mean under all circumstances, believe and do everything we are told to do? Don't covet but where is the line of coveting? There are many things that aren't explained and we are left on our own. I'm not trying to stir any controversy here. I am trying to get us to have a more humble attitude and sincere desire in what we call defending the truth. Baptism, taking of the Supper and such are defined clearly. Maybe we are trying to defend what some call the truth and spend endless hours debating matters that really have no definitive answers?!
We should always strive for the truth in all matters. We need to be a people of the Book as we seek God's guidance but sometimes there is no definitive truth about certain things. Have we ever thought maybe God wants us to work it out among us in harmony in a spirit of love and unity that honors Him and promotes peace among us? Does God wants us to be maintaining love and united in spirit to follow Him when we don't have clear understanding? Jesus prayed at His Supper establishment over the bread and fruit of the vine. Was He teaching two prayers? He apparently passed one container and they all drank from it. Must we do that? Must we divide over this? Was that the point being made that we permanently bind that as doctrine? In all honesty the holy Scriptures do not answer such for us and we split, argue and debate over these issues.
We might not be able to agree on everything but we must agree to unite and be together NOW! There are the "non-jugular" matters and we must not be allowed to obliterate one another. What a message we send to the world! Too many are debating issues ceaselessly because they think they are of all importance in defending the truth. Debates continue and verses searched trying to find definitive answers and that's just the problem. There sometimes are none!!! We need to learn to be loving and agreeable when we can't reach an agreement on a view-point that isn't really addressed. There simply seems to be too much about nothing and little about the settled issues. Jesus calls for unity! What do we call for?
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