Truth or Preference
I like to be right. I like to know answers. I want to get A's on papers and high fives from coaches. I want to do things properly. I've been accused of being a perfectionist.
I cringe when my children come home from school, and their teachers have used improper grammar in a note or when my son asks for help on math, and I realize his teacher has made an obvious math mistake. I have an appreciation for people who pay attention to detail and follow the rules. Furthermore, I like my dishwasher loaded a specific way and the bath towels folded all uniformly with the fold pointing outward in the bathroom closet. My children and husband can attest to the fact that I have a certain way I like things done.
However, there is a difference between calculating a math problem correctly and loading a dishwasher to my standard. The math problem has one specific answer which is true for everyone, whereas loading the dishwasher is a matter of preference.
We have this truth vs. preference issue in the Christian world as well.
The Bible teaches us truth. It defines sin. It describes the character of God. It explains what true faith is. But the Bible does not tell us exactly what type of music we should be using in our worship services - only that that we should worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). The Bible does not demand that our churches have steeples and crosses on their exteriors. Preferences within the church often cause division when people elevate their preferences to a position of truth. If I went around demanding that all the neighbors load their dishwashers the same way I load my dishwasher, my neighbors would rightfully think I was a bit nuts.
When we tout our personal opinion as truth even though we cannot back it up with scripture appropriately applied within context, we are acting nutty.
It is good to be right. It is good to know the Word of God. It is wrong to proclaim that our preferences are truth and carry any weight in the Christian world. That is nuts.
I cringe when my children come home from school, and their teachers have used improper grammar in a note or when my son asks for help on math, and I realize his teacher has made an obvious math mistake. I have an appreciation for people who pay attention to detail and follow the rules. Furthermore, I like my dishwasher loaded a specific way and the bath towels folded all uniformly with the fold pointing outward in the bathroom closet. My children and husband can attest to the fact that I have a certain way I like things done.
However, there is a difference between calculating a math problem correctly and loading a dishwasher to my standard. The math problem has one specific answer which is true for everyone, whereas loading the dishwasher is a matter of preference.
We have this truth vs. preference issue in the Christian world as well.
The Bible teaches us truth. It defines sin. It describes the character of God. It explains what true faith is. But the Bible does not tell us exactly what type of music we should be using in our worship services - only that that we should worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). The Bible does not demand that our churches have steeples and crosses on their exteriors. Preferences within the church often cause division when people elevate their preferences to a position of truth. If I went around demanding that all the neighbors load their dishwashers the same way I load my dishwasher, my neighbors would rightfully think I was a bit nuts.
When we tout our personal opinion as truth even though we cannot back it up with scripture appropriately applied within context, we are acting nutty.
It is good to be right. It is good to know the Word of God. It is wrong to proclaim that our preferences are truth and carry any weight in the Christian world. That is nuts.
2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness
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