What does it all matter? To have all knowledge, but not have the triune God in view; means nothing. Polemics, while a necessary evil, and if done from a big perspective, can end up being fruitful, but it is not the end. The end always already is Christ alone. The Christian’s aim ought to be about magnifying Jesus; this is the Fruit of the Spirit; this is what the Spirit came to do, to magnify Jesus and His teaching (cf. John 14—16). And yet there remains this tension. Without orthodoxy there cannot be orthopraxy. So, when we discern crooked teaching, because we love one another, we need to identify it and call it out. But when we call each other out there is inevitable rupture between the two or multitude of parties involved; especially when this is done between brothers and sisters in the online context. Nevertheless, error must be called out; error that is identified to the best of our lights. I know too many people, even family members, myself included, who have suffered from bad teaching. Bad teaching can literally be deadly, and I am not speaking metaphorically; bad doctrine can lead to bad thought patterns, and other things, that can ultimately lead someone to an untimely death.

People, in Calvin’s day, understood this. Remember the infamous Servetus? He was executed for teaching bad doctrine; for being identified as an unrepentant heretic. Was his execution by the Genevan magistrates justified? No, especially by our standards today. But the reason they saw heresy—and this was common practice among Protestant and Catholic Cantons alike—with such gravitas was because they believed that heretical or bad teaching would have eternal consequences one way or the other; so, the heretic was seen as worse than a murderer. They were seen as eternal murderers, as such, at that time, the magistrates and church leaders believed that capital punishment was justified. I only bring this up, not to reintroduce this damnable practice itself (ie the execution of heretics), but to simply illustrate how important some of our Christian heirs viewed mal teaching. In light of that though, I think we would do well to remember the gravity of what is being handled when we proclaim the eternal Gospel of the living God. How we disciple people following their ‘conversion’ can lead them in the ‘more accurate way,’ or instead potentially lead them into shadowy paths of darkness that might have really serious and even deadly consequences for the person.

This is why I take theology so seriously. It is not about being approved by my peers; it is about being approved by the living God. Indeed, in Christ we have all been approved by God, but this doesn’t mean we aren’t responsible for our own circumspection in regard to what we teach others; particularly when we proclaim ourselves as teachers in the Church. Indeed, we are all teachers, as Christians, one way or the other in the Church. Even if we aren’t ‘bishops’ or ‘shepherds’ or ‘elders’ so to speak, per se, our Lord commissioned us to go out and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the Christian’s charge, one and all, and so we are all responsible on a varying range, before God with reference to what and who we are bearing witness to as Christians. As John says, and this is sobering and cheering, “as Christ is so also are we in the world.” I am hit with this sort of sobriety quite frequently. Even so, I just as easily as anyone else get caught up in the antics of the internecine theology battles, and lose sight of what is at stake. Winning an online theology battle for my ‘position’ isn’t ultimately what is at stake, per se. What is at stake is whether or not we are doing our darndest to wrestle with God for the sake of pointing the world, and the Church alike, to the risen Christ. When we wrestle with God, or when I bring that reference up, that isn’t intended to be taken as a trite bible reference so you know that I know ‘my Bible,’ it is to point up just how serious this whole situation we are in is. Peter states it better than anyone I know:

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. -I Peter 1:13-21

What we are doing now, as disciples of the risen Christ, and disciple makers of others, has eternal heft. I am writing this as much for myself as anyone else.

I am being convicted tonight about things. Yesterday was my 11th year anniversary for becoming cancer free from a cancer that should have statistically killed me (like it is in the incurable/terminal category with no known actual chemo protocol of its own, per se). And then my dad just entered glory only 4 months ago. And then I am looking out at all of the insanity, chaos, death, deception, and destruction in the world, and I am reminded that what we are doing right now is for keeps; there is a finality to every breath we breath in the name of Jesus Christ. And so, I felt compelled to put my convictions to paper, and maybe allow what the Lord is convicting me about, once again, to be a catalyst that might convict others to Holy sobriety as well. Kyrie eleison / Maranatha