Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Three quotes on Christian Unity

A quote from Charles Spurgeon found on facebook: 

 "If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring." - Charles Spurgeon 

  When I began to follow Jesus one thing He impressed on me,  was that there is but one true church which is the one body of Christ. Here is another gem of a quote by Phillip Schaff on reformed vs evangelical theology which boils away that doctrinal division beautifully. 
    

"Calvinism emphasized divine sovereignty and free grace; Arminianism emphasized human responsibility. The one restricts the saving grace to the elect; the other extends it to all men on the condition of faith. Both are right in what they assert; both are wrong in what they deny. If one important truth is pressed to the exclusion of another truth of equal importance, it becomes an error, and loses its hold upon the conscience. The Bible gives us a theology which is more human than Calvinism and more divine that Arminianism, and more Christian than either of them." ~ Phillip Schaff 

  And finally this very special word from Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp ~ seen in Furious Love, a documentary by Darren Wilson and Wanderlust Productions   

“There was an interview with a Dutch church historian, and they asked him, these BBC people, about the Dutch church, and he made the most interesting remark, he said, ‘We have dozens of protestant denominations and Christian groups because to the Dutch person truth is more important than unity.’ And when I heard it, I thought, I’ve tried to say in a whole sermon what you said in one sentence. What he meant by truth and rightly analyzed, is my interpretation of the Bible, my dogmatic views, my doctrinal views. But Jesus said, ‘I am the truth.’ Truth is not a teaching; truth is a person. And if you have that person you have that truth, and in that person is always unity. But if we put our understanding of the scripture and our doctrinal views higher than the person of Jesus… and I’m going to say maybe something very sharp, and I want to say it respectfully and honorably… we worship idols. Anything we place above the Lord Jesus is an idol. Our unity is not in a teaching, it is in a person and in a person you always find one another."  ~ Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp 

 Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.