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"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who divide everybody into two kinds of people, and those who don't." --AnonymousIf you follow my blog, you know that I have been embroiled in an inner struggle of late, especially as it pertains to my Protestant roots. I've wrestled with trying to figure out what is "right"--not in moral terms, but in theological terms. What is the right way to approach the Lord's Supper? What is the right branch of true Christianity? What is the right way to approach Mary, the saints, the Pope?
Throughout this search, I have been continually humbled by one truth, which seems to eventually rear its head down every road, or rabbit trail, I take:
What will I DO with this truth?
I think that down deep, in my heart of hearts, I seek to know the truth...to be master of the truth...to then wield it like a weapon upon my fellow man. To sit up high on the hill, like Jonah, in my self-righteousness as I look down from afar, waiting for the wrath of God to ultimately strike those who have gotten it wrong.
I haven't approached the Word of God as I ought--not as its master, but instead, as its humble servant.**
In my search, as I've discussed theological terms like justification and sanctification, salvation, works, and faith with Protestant and Catholic friends alike, I keep bumping up against the same truth:
What do THEY DO with this truth?
Is this person humble or self-righteous? Do they have the fruit of peace, love, joy in their life? Do they seek to know Christ and put their faith into action? What kinds of things do they teach their children?
And I've found that those of my brothers and sisters who seek hard after Christ and the things from above, who desire humility, serve others, and seek to pass on biblical truth to their children, look many different ways. Some are Protestants, some are Catholic, some have been Christians most of their lives, others just for a few years.
Christ is showing me the beauty of His body, His bride, the Church, in all of its glorious diversity. A nose feels and functions so vastly different than a foot, and yet both are critical to the healthy functioning of the body as a whole. What is the same? The Head--Christ Jesus. If we, as two believers in Christ, strive to have the mind of Christ through the reading and application of His Word, as illuminated to us through His Spirit, than we are united in the Body. Period. You might be Catholic, you might be a liturgical Protestant, you might be a charismatic. Likewise, if we share the same pew and "agree" to the same theology and practice, and yet you seek to be proud and pursue the things of this world, neglect the poor and needy, and ignore the Word of God, we are not true brethren.
As humans, we love to draw dividing lines and classify our world in groups (there are even science disciplines which are solely devoted to classification!), and yet we serve a God who glories in diversity, as it is united in Him. That is what "universe" means--unity in diversity! Do not misunderstand, dear one. There is but one truth. Truth is personified through Christ. We must never backslide into the quagmire of relativist thinking, esteeming tolerance as a virtue. But we must instead seek the one Truth and realize that in so doing, we will encounter myriad differences.
Within the pages of Scripture, we do see Christ separate people into two groups--the sheep and the goats.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25: 31-46)
It is a sobering passage, and one that we must all wrestle with as true followers of Christ:
What will WE DO with this truth?
The Scriptures are clear that we don't perform good works in order to earn our right-standing with God--that is accredited to us through faith--but at the same time, faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We Protestants might stand upon sola fide--salvation through faith alone--but we ought not forget that faith should never stand alone! Are you functioning as a member of the Body of Christ, seeking to serve and grow in your faith? Or are you content to ignore the needs around you and seek the things of the world?
I pray that you and I would seek to serve and grow, and put aside our incessant need to just be right.
**For more on approaching the Scriptures as a humble servant, you might enjoy this blog article (and for us Protestants, it would do us good to read Christ-centered materials from the Catholic church!)
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