Christian Unity

Good morning. This morning's sermon will be different than usual. If you are a guest with us this morning, I want you to know that we normally preach verse by verse expositions through a book, the regular practice of our church.

We are presently working our way through Paul's letter to the Romans, where we just concluded chapter 11.

This morning, I want us to think together, though, about Christian unity as we have some news to announce to our membership, which I will share with you in just a bit.

So a little break from Romans for an important matter. We will look at a number of texts today.

So, and again, I don't love preaching. It doesn't start with a text and isn't text driven.

But from time to time, it's important and necessary for us to do otherwise.

But I'd like for us to begin in Romans chapter 15. So if you could join me there. Romans chapter 15, verses 5 and 6.

Romans 15 · chapter mention Romans 15:5

We will exposit this text at length. So this is not your Romans 15, 5 and 6 sermon.

We read,

It's the very reason we get up in the morning that Christ would be known in our lives, amongst our families, our co-workers, and to the very ends of the earth.

We want the praise of Christ to be sung amongst all peoples.

And so we go to all the various places that God sends us.

And Paul here is saying he hopes that the Roman Christ followers and you and I would be given grace for Christian unity so that the Lord Jesus Christ would receive glory.

Not the only way he receives glory, but Paul here says that it is a way, and I would contend an important way, that he receives glory.

But we don't always agree, do we?

Sometimes we have personal conflict, and the Bible is replete with commands and instruction for how we are to set aside our preferences, bear with one another, with compassion, and reconcile.

I think this is a church that does that very well.

Sometimes we have convictional differences.

Faithful Christians haven't always seen eye to eye on everything.

If you're paying attention at all, you're very aware of this.

Differences in understanding about what the Bible teaches.

This has always been true.

It's been an ancient part of the church to find disagreement amongst one another.

It is true amongst us.

We don't all see eye to eye on everything.

We don't all agree on all things, and this creates some genuine challenges for unity.

It would be much easier if we agreed on everything all the time, but this is also impossible.

Our disagreements certainly create the need to ask that God would be gracious to us,

that we might live in the type of harmony that exalts Jesus Christ.

So, how are we to be agreeable while disagreeing?

How do we disagree with charity, an old word for love, for one another?

And we do so by employing, employing well, the practice of theological triage.

I know that many of you may already be tired of me talking about this, but I think it's really important,

so I'm just going to keep doing so.

Triage is the process of assigning urgency or importance to a matter.

If a bus that is full of people were in an accident, and that number was brought into an emergency room,

those patients would be ranked for treatment from most severe need to least severe need.

This is emergency room triage.

This can, and I argue, should also be done theologically.

If you believe that the Bible teaches a doctrine,

and a well-meaning Christian brother or sister disagrees with your view,

what are you to do?

How important, or perhaps unimportant, is said disagreement?

Theological triage helps us to determine this.

We need to be able to think in this way and to do so regularly and quickly.

Now, at this point, I want to be clear.

The term theological triage was coined, as far as I can tell, by Al Mohler,

the current president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

So it's a recent term.

However, the concept can be seen historically in the creation of confessions and creeds,

Christians carefully pinning doctrinal standards for the sake of agreement,

and, more importantly, as I will show you this morning in the Bible.

So, as a modern practice under that term,

it's also a very ancient practice that starts in the Scripture itself.

So I want to lay out for you this idea of theological triage.

Again, some of you are familiar with it, but some of you may not be.

Theological triage divides doctrinal issues into four different categories.

They're not creatively named.

They're primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, or first, second, third, and fourth order doctrines.

To explain them to you, I'm going to take them out of order

because I think it helps our understanding of them.

So the first I want to address is the fourth,

the fourth order doctrinal category or quaternary doctrines.

And these are things that are just unimportant.

Have a view and an opinion, but it really doesn't matter.

And we don't come up with these very often because we're sensible people

and we have a lot going on,

and so we don't tend to muse about things like this.

So my common example for this one is their life on other planets.

And I've been asked this question by typically young men

because they have too much time on their hands.

And I'll tell you that my answer to them is,

I don't know and I don't care.

It's unimportant.

Interesting to think about, but it doesn't really matter.

The second I want to talk about is third order doctrine

or tertiary doctrine.

These are things that are not unimportant.

They are, in fact, important,

but they're important for the individual.

There's commands in the Bible that we have to have some mind toward.

What do we think this teaches

and how am I going to practice it in my life?

And you may find that you could differ from someone else

that you have regular fellowship with,

and that be okay.

I think this area of our lives is a place in which we serve each other so well

because we ought to hold it importantly

and perhaps make a case to other Christians.

How do we grow in maturity

if we assume everything we believe the Bible teaches on the surface is right?

Well, no.

There's things that we grow in and we need to be taught in

and we need to be pressing one another on.

So some examples of people who disagree about alcohol as an example.

There are people who are teetoters,

think we should never ever drink alcohol,

and there are people who think it's okay in moderation to drink alcohol.

What kind of TV or movies you might consume?

There are some clear, off-limit types of things to consume,

but some people may have a problem with a particular TV show

and somebody else may not have a problem with that show.

Schooling choices is a hot one these days.

Is it okay to send your children to public school

or off to private or homeschool?

These are important conversations for us to be having.

Our family, homeschools.

I would give you a theological foundation for why we do that.

I would also give you lots of practical application.

The way my wife and I think,

it leads us to the conclusion that we ought to school our children at home.

But you might see things differently,

and this isn't a reason for me to put you in an unfaithful category.

We're all growing and we're all learning

and we're all doing the best we can.

So, to find this in the scripture,

you can turn back just a page to Romans chapter 14.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

I just want to show you an example of it.

There's a number of places that Paul speaks to this.

But here you can see very clearly, beginning in verse 1,

as for the one who is weak in faith,

welcome him,

but not to quarrel over opinions.

Welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

One person believes he may eat anything,

while the weak person eats only vegetables.

This had to do with some Jewish customs.

Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains,

and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats,

for God has welcomed him.

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?

It is before his own master that he stands or falls,

and he will be upheld,

for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day as better than another,

while another esteems all days alike.

Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

The one who observes the day,

observes it in honor of the Lord.

The one who eats,

eats in honor of the Lord,

since he gives thanks to God.

While the one who abstains,

abstains in honor of the Lord,

and gives thanks to God.

So, different cultural issues,

when Paul is writing this,

but all the same,

tertiary types of things.

Look at the way he's pressing at,

you could go on to read the rest of chapter 14,

and the beginning of 15.

He's pressing at unity and harmony,

right,

for the sake of exalting Christ

on these types of matters.

So, those are tertiary types of doctrines.

It seems to me that most of the conflict

in local churches

is when people take tertiary doctrines,

and they promote them to secondary,

or in many cases,

into primary position.

You can't possibly be a Christian

if you don't see this thing

the way I see this thing,

and it's very dangerous,

and we must be careful.

So, let me go back up to the top

and talk briefly about

first order doctrines,

or primary doctrines.

These are the doctrines that are important

for Christian unity.

These are the doctrines

that must be believed

in order for somebody

to be in Christ.

These are the most important doctrines.

When we talk about

the clarity of Scripture,

these are the doctrines

that we would say

the Bible is abundantly clear

on these things.

Examples,

and there are a lot of examples here,

but the deity of Jesus Christ.

We cannot dismiss

that Jesus Christ was, in fact, God,

because if he wasn't God,

then he was a liar and a lunatic,

and we should reject

everything that he said.

He was, in fact,

God incarnate.

You must believe in the deity

of Jesus Christ

to be a believer.

Justification by grace

through faith

in Christ alone.

We've just walked

through some difficult chapters

in Paul's exhortation

to the Romans.

We believe as a church

in sovereign election,

but wherever you fall in this,

in the minutia of this,

you need to believe

that we're saved by grace

through faith in Christ.

That's as far as

the fisticuffs go for me.

If you can affirm

that you needed God

to save you

and that God will keep you

to the end,

then you and I

can be great friends

because we're in Christ.

These first order things

are the things

that we're meant

to fight for

and to die for.

This is the stuff

that needs to stay central

to what we do together.

It's extremely important

that we get this correct.

It grieves me

to watch Christians

across our nation,

mostly happening online,

just be ripped apart

by things that are secondary

or tertiary

when we agree

on these first order

and most important things.

The enemy is so very pleased

to find us infighting

about less important stuff.

Not remembering

that we agree

on the most important stuff.

Those doctrines

that push back

the darkness

of this world

because souls are saved

by the truth

of the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

We need to help each other

to do this.

I inevitably

am going to become

distracted by something

at some time

and you are welcome

to remind me

about the stuff

I'm supposed to be

fighting and dying for.

Don't let me fight

and die for something

that's not this important.

This is the stuff

that we live and die for.

Very interestingly,

during our members gathering

earlier,

Ernie actually read this text.

I'm just going to read

a little bit

from the book of Jude.

This is verse 3 and 4.

There he says,

Beloved,

although I was very eager

to write to you

about our common salvation,

I found it necessary

to write appealing to you

to contend for the faith

that was once for all

delivered to the saints.

Right?

I think this is what

he's talking about.

Primary doctrine.

To contend for the faith

that was once for all

delivered to the saints.

Here's why I think that.

Verse 4 says,

For certain people

have crept in unnoticed

who long ago

were designated

for this condemnation.

Ungodly people

who pervert the grace

of our God

into sensuality.

They were cheap grace

gospel people.

They were saying,

if you just claim

the name of Christ,

you can live however

you want to

and deny our only

Master and Lord,

Jesus Christ.

Right?

In this day,

Jude is saying

to these Christians,

you have got

to bring people

back to justification

by grace

through faith

in Christ

and help them

to see that

that faith

is a faith

that will work.

So,

let's contend

well together

and I think

we do this

well.

Primary

doctrine.

And then lastly,

we have

second order

or secondary

doctrine.

And this is

a little more

difficult.

I don't have

a scripture

reference for you.

The one thing

that comes to mind

for me

is the division

between Barnabas

and Paul

when they had

taken Mark

with them

who's a relative

we think

of Barnabas

and Mark

abandoned them

because he was

fearful.

And when they

got ready

to take another

journey,

Paul refused

to take Mark

with them

and Barnabas

really wanted

Mark to go

and so there

arose amongst

them

what Luke

calls a sharp

disagreement.

And I take

that to mean

it wasn't

friendly.

It probably

wasn't the

way they

should have

disagreed.

But all the

same,

they go

separate ways.

Barnabas

takes John

Mark with

him.

Paul goes

another way.

I think the

thing we see

that's wonderful,

the redemptive

thing,

as we see

later on,

Paul is

back in

ministry with

Barnabas

as well as

with Mark.

There's been

some restoration

that has

happened in

that case.

So there's

an issue

at hand

that causes

them still

to be

faithful to

Christ.

They still

go on

mission to

spread the

good news.

First order

primary doctrine

stayed intact,

but they went

separate ways

because they

weren't sure

how they

should go.

So maybe

we see it

there.

This category

are things

that are

important for

church or

perhaps ministry

fellowship.

Those things

that we ought

to agree

on to

remain

institutionally

together.

These doctrines

are going

to define

our practice

and possibly

define what

we think

is or

isn't

sin.

It would be

important to

locate ourselves

on certain

issues.

Some examples.

What is a

church's view

on divorce

and or

remarriage?

Why does

that matter?

Because we

collectively,

we're a

congregational

church, we

believe in

church

discipline.

Well, what

are we going

to call

sin in

these matters?

It's

important that

we think

about this

together.

Another example

is whether or

not a church

believes in

the regulative

principle.

that is to

say, if we

see something

commanded in

the Bible

for us to

do when

we're gathered

together, we

should do

that without

fail.

And if we

don't see it

commanded, then

we shouldn't

do that.

So on a

Sunday morning

when our

church gathers

together, you

will not see

interpretive

dancing.

We don't

find this in

the scripture.

Don't give me

some example of

David.

We don't find

it commanded

to the church

to do this

thing in the

Bible.

And so we're

not going to

do that

thing together

when we

gather.

This is the

regulative

principle.

We should

agree on

that.

You may

find that

you don't

and you

may want

to go to

a church

where

interpretive

dancing

happens on

a Sunday

morning.

As a little

aside, Martin

Lloyd-Jones,

when he was

hired, the

church that he

preached his

life at, was

known for

their pageantry.

They put on

plays on

Sunday mornings.

And his

first Sunday

there, he

dragged the

pulpit, it

was movable

like this

one, but

he dragged

the wooden

pulpit across

the stage.

You can

just imagine

in the room

hearing a

wooden pulpit

being dragged

across a

wooden stage.

He dragged

it to the

center.

He took

out a

hammer and

nails out

of his

pocket and

he hammered

the pulpit

to the center

of the stage

there in that

church building.

He was a

regulative

principle guy

and he said

the preaching

of God's

word is going

to be central

to what we

do together

as a church

and they

never put on

another pageant

there.

Again, another

good and

classic example

is a church's

view on

baptism.

What do

you believe

but what do

we believe

together as

it concerns

baptism?

We find

denominational

differences over

this with

brothers that

we celebrate,

rejoice with,

we're so happy

and thankful to

be gospel

partners with

them but

we are not

serving in

a church

with them

because we

hold a

different view

on this

issue.

Which brings

me to my

aforementioned

announcement.

Ty Brunette

is a faithful

brother.

He is in

full agreement

with the

church on

primary doctrine.

He has been

serving us

well, although

briefly, but

well as an

elder here.

But he has

come to find

himself disagreeing

with us on

the secondary

doctrine of

baptism.

Now he

didn't go

looking for a

different conviction

on it.

He stumbled

across it in

his study and

has become

convinced of

a different

position.

Now we,

as a church

in total, I

mean, are

credo-baptists

which means that

we believe that

the only proper

recipients of

baptism are

individuals who

have made

credible

professions of

faith in

Christ.

It's the

careful work

that we do

as Baptists.

We want to

be able to,

with the

fallible

confidence that

we have, say

yes, we

believe that

this person

is in fact

in the

faith.

They make

a profession

of that

faith in

being baptized.

We affirm

that in

baptizing them.

This is the

credo-baptist

position.

And I want to

be clear, it's

done poorly

in a lot of

places, but we

try to do it

well in the

life of our

church.

Ty has come

to

paedo-baptist

convictions.

Before I say

anything further

about paedo-baptism,

I just want to

say there's a

lot of

paedo-baptists

that are

terrible and

heretical.

Ty is not

affiliating with

any of that.

So if

paedo-baptist,

infant-baptist

pops into your

head and you

think immediately

of baptismal

regeneration,

that's not

Ty.

If you think of

the Catholics,

that's not

Ty.

This is good,

faithful,

gospel-believing

paedo-baptism

that Ty is

holding.

And paedo-baptism

means that he,

along with many

others,

believe that

baptism should

be applied to

individuals who

have made

credible professions

of faith in

Christ and

also to their

children.

So you may

know this as

infant baptism.

In our circle,

most commonly,

we see that

Presbyterians

practice this

form of

baptism.

We have

worked together

over the past

months to

sort this

disagreement

through.

We're not

going to get

into the weeds

this morning

of the

difference in

the views.

I can tell

you that it

sharpened me.

I hope that

it served

Ty through

the process.

This is the

first time I've

had to really

engage the

topic with a

person who I

love dearly

sitting across

from me,

getting frustrated

with them and

then having to

apologize immediately

for being

frustrated.

with them.

I told him in

the process,

I'm becoming

more a Baptist

because of this

conversation.

And he said,

and you'll

appreciate,

amen.

He said,

good,

good.

I can assure

you that Ty

cares to honor

the Lord as

he seeks to

be faithful to

the Bible and

his conscience

concerning it.

This is a

Bible conviction

that he's come

to.

I am so proud

of the way that

he has handled

himself as he

has disagreed.

He's just at

every step

been so careful,

so generous

and kind.

He hasn't

picked it up as

an agenda and

gone raging

around the

church trying to

convince other

people of it.

He started with

me.

He spoke with

our elders.

He's just done

a great job of

explaining where

he is on his

position.

There is,

by God's

great grace,

harmony amongst

your church's

leadership.

I'm glad for

that.

I'm so thankful

that God has

worked in us.

I think,

thinking clearly,

how should we

feel about this?

How should we

act according

to it?

And I hope we'll

set an example

for you all.

That said,

Ty has stepped

down from his

role as an

elder.

Ty is

confessional as

we are.

He believes that

it's important for

us to say what we

believe the Bible

says, and he

sees that we

ought to be in

agreement on this

particular matter.

It's secondary.

It's not tertiary.

It's a secondary

matter.

So he has stepped

down as an elder.

He's going to be

seeking what the

Lord has for him

next.

He's going to

remain employed

with us as a

pastoral assistant

through the end

of July, and he's

looking for what

he'll do after

that.

And so, while

rightly we'll be

sad to say

goodbye to him,

and Cheyenne

and to their

children, we

don't have to be

sad all at once.

So, this is not

your last day to

see the brunettes.

We can say

goodbye over a

bit of time, and

we'll be sure to

do so well before

they part from

us.

So, see in this

example how

theological

triage serves

us, right?

Ty is not

apostate, right?

Ty is not a

Christian just

because he

doesn't agree

with us on

baptism.

He's a

Christian brother,

and we need

to have no

doubt of

this.

Ty does, though,

find himself

disagreeing in a

matter that

causes him and

his family to

need to seek

fellowship elsewhere

where their

conscience can be

clear, where they

can practice the

way they believe

God would have

them practice,

right?

We may think it

irregular for them

to do that, but

they don't, and

so that's okay that

they would find

themselves in a

Presbyterian

context.

It is okay for

us not to see

eye to eye on

this matter and

therefore to

maintain unity.

So, thinking

about this, right,

where do we

place this?

And here we

find it's

actionable.

Most of our

disagreements

within a church

are in that

tertiary category

and require no

action at all.

Certainly, if we

have primary

disagreements,

then we're

going to go to

the mattresses

over that,

right?

So, let me

conclude with

some encouragements

for you.

I just want to

encourage you,

love on Ty and

Cheyenne to the

max over these

next three months.

It's really

tempting, I find

this in myself,

to withdraw from

people we will

say farewell to.

I love their

children and it's

tempting to not

love their kids so

much, right?

To not get all

the hugs that I

possibly can from

them.

But let's not do

this, right?

Let's push back

against that

temptation for

their good and

for ours, right?

Let's wring every

bit of wonderful

we can out of it

over the next

three months.

Additionally, let's

join in praying for

wisdom for the

brunettes as they

discern their next

steps.

There's not a

clear and obvious

place at this

moment for them

and so they need

to be careful.

We want to help

them in that

process to send

them well to

wherever it is the

Lord may be

calling them to

go.

So that's the

first encouragement

to you.

Secondly, wrestle

with varied views

on baptism.

I want you to

hear me say that.

I'm a committed

credo-baptist,

right?

We're not

Baptists because

of denominational

affiliation because

it's the kind of

church I grew up

in.

I'm Baptist by

conviction.

As a church,

it's my

understanding that

we're Baptist by

conviction, but I

want to encourage

you to wrestle

with it.

You need to

know what you

believe on the

matter.

Just don't go

along to get

along, but

understand the

doctrines.

It's important to

think about these

things.

Now to help you

with this, I'm

going to hold a

class that each

you see them, how

they're arrived at

from the scripture.

So we would have

done it sooner than

that, but I didn't

want to do it on

Mother's Day and I

wasn't ready to do it

today.

So it's going to

be on May 19th.

So join me if you

will.

I really encourage

that.

At least somebody

from your family

with your Bible

open and we'll

consider it together.

I've got all kinds

of plans for a

whiteboard.

Just be ready for

it.

I also want to

encourage you not

to bombard Ty.

I know that he is

willing to explain

his position, but

consider that this

may not be the best

way for him to

spend his last three

months with us,

taking meeting

after meeting

after meeting to

sit down and

explain paedo

baptism to you.

Maybe hang on.

We'll have a class

and if you have

follow-up questions,

you're welcome to

probably ask him,

not me.

I'm going to give

you all the

information I know

about it at that

class.

But yeah, maybe

just don't bombard

him with questions.

Just love on him a

bunch and Cheyenne

as well.

Third encouragement,

think long and

deep about Christian

unity.

Seeing this as an

example for us to

grow as individuals

and to grow as a

church.

How can you be

agreeable while

disagreeing?

How can we

collectively be

agreeable while

disagreeing?

Make theological

triage a part of

your regular

thinking process.

Whether you ever

call it theological

triage or not,

I don't care.

But that you're

thinking in your

mind, how important

is this particular

doctrine?

doctrine?

What doctrines are

of highest order?

What truths would

you be willing to

die for?

And are they in

fact worth dying

for?

And do you spend

the majority of

your time thinking

about trying to

sort out all the

little minutiae

particulars, right?

Bouncing around on

YouTube to see what

so-and-so says about

such and such a thing.

Be sure that you're

standing on the

right hill at the

end.

Let me ask, have

you caused disunity

over beliefs that

should not have

caused disunity?

Whether in this

church or perhaps

another, perhaps one

that you have left

behind and maybe

you need to call

somebody up and

issue an apology

and look for

reconciliation because

you were ugly about

a thing that did not

require it.

So those are some

encouragements to

you.

I pray that our

church will walk

this out well

because it matters.

The fact that we

are in harmony with

one another, even

as we disagree,

exalts the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Let's pray.