Leaving Room for Change
Introduction.
Read: 1 Cor. 4:1-4 When I traveled to Turkey years ago, I saw something
unusual. Many concrete homes throughout the country have metal rebar (the
ridged steel rods used to reinforce concrete structures) protruding from the
top of the houses. This isn’t due to damage or accident, but it is a deliberate
choice made when constructing a house in order to allow for expansion should
the homeowner wish to add on in the future.
In writing to
the divided church of Corinth in his first epistle, the apostle Paul stressed that
the apostles and prophets of the first century were not masters to be honored,
but...
•
“Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1
Cor. 4:1, NKJV). As “stewards” God expected certain behavior on the part of
these men.
•
“It is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1
Cor. 4:2). This faithfulness was not judged, defined, and determined by man.
•
“With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by
you or by a human court” adding, “In fact, I do not even judge myself” (1
Cor. 4:3).
What a remarkable statement! As
an apostle he would later declare in this very epistle, “the things which I
write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37), yet that did
not mean he could not stumble. Even as an apostle he had to constantly examine
his own behavior by the standard of God’s word to make certain that he was indeed
“faithful.” He continued...
•
“For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by
this; but He who judges me is the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:4).
I.
The Boldness and Confidence of Paul. There are few in Scripture who were
as bold and confident as the apostle Paul.
A. When
Elymas the sorcerer withstood him, by the Holy Spirit he called him a “son
of the devil” and “enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10).
B.
When Ananias the high priest commanded men to strike him, he boldly told
him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!” (Acts 23:3).
C.
Paul even rebuked Peter, when he erred by withdrawing himself from
social contact with Gentile Christians (see Gal. 2:11-21).
1. Yet,
coupled with this boldness was a humility that recognized even he could be
wrong!
D. Even
though he could say late in his life “I have lived in all good conscience
before God until this day” (Acts 23:1)...
1. Paul
could look back and remember a time in his life when he had “persecuted the
church” (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13).
E.
So, he would acknowledge to the Corinthians although he knew nothing
“against” himself it was God who was the judge of his behavior (1 Cor.
4:4).
1. We
are not all as well-balanced as the apostle Paul.
a. We
often find it hard to be bold and stand strong for what we believe to be right
while maintaining a humility that recognizes the possibility we could be wrong.
b. We
either present ourselves with arrogance, and over-confidence or become so timid
that we are unwilling to stand-up for anything.
2. How
can we avoid such extremes?
a. By
always conducting ourselves in a way that leaves room for change on our part
and on the part of those with whom we interact.
II.
Leaving Room for Change. We must do this...
A. When
Reaching a Conviction.
1. The
Bereans are set forth in Scripture as such a wonderful example. They did not
simply accept every doctrine that was set before them. Instead, they “searched
the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:10-11).
a. This
should be our attitude also!
2. The
apostle John commanded that we must not “believe every spirit but test the
spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).
a. Only
when we find that a doctrine or practice conforms to the teaching of Scripture
should we accept it.
3. So
let’s say we have become convinced that we have rightly divided the word
of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). What then? Does the searching stop?
a. Paul
taught that we should “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes.
5:21).
4. We
should never be so confident of our present condition that we are unwilling to
continually test our convictions.
a. Every
Christian at one time was a soul lost in sin.
b. Only
by testing our lives by the pattern of Scripture can we make certain we are not
deceiving ourselves about our present condition. We must also, however, leave
room for change...
B. When
Arguing Our Case.
1. What
must be our attitude when we reach a conviction about something?
a. Do
we become so sure of our convictions that we act with arrogance?
b. In
arguing our case with others, do we refuse to consider even the slightest
possibility we could be wrong?
2. The
Bible teaches that Christians should not act with doubt.
a. In
discussing the eating of meats, while Paul taught the Divine revelation on the
matter, he ended his discussion to the Romans with the bold declaration, “But
he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for
whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:19-23).
b. If I
leave room for change in arguing some conviction, or acknowledge that I could
be wrong, does that reflect timidity or doubt?
c. Not
necessarily! It can reflect prudence.
3. The
example of Saul of Tarsus.
a. Before
the Lord spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, he had obviously
studied the validity of the claims made by Christians about Jesus.
b. He
was convinced in his conviction that Jesus was a fraud. He said to King Agrippa
years later, that at that time, “I myself thought I must do many things
contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:4-11).
c. What
if Paul had been so convinced of his conviction, that even in the face of the
miraculous blinding he received on the road, his pride prevented him from
recognizing his error? The Holy Spirit teaches,
4. “Pride
goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).
a. If
I become so proud of my understanding of Scripture that I am unwilling to
continually test it, what happens if further study of God’s word shows I was
wrong?
b. If I
don’t leave myself room to change when arguing passionately for some
conviction, my pride might actually prevent me from ever being willing to
acknowledge that I was wrong.
c. Thankfully,
Saul of Tarsus left himself room to change in spite of the personal humiliation
and shame this surely brought to him. Finally, we must also leave room for
change...
C. When
Rebuking Error.
1. We
sometimes speak of someone being “backed into a corner.”
a. What
we mean by this is that circumstances have forced a person into a bad position
with no good way out.
2. When
Paul addressed the disciplinary action the Corinthians had taken toward a
brother in the church in Corinth he urged them after the man’s repentance, “to
forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much
sorrow” (2 Cor. 2:6-8).
a. Paul
acknowledges here that even efforts to confront sin and error, if approached
with the wrong attitude can result in consequences that are counter-productive.
3. Because
of this danger, it shouldn’t surprise us that when Paul commanded the Galatians
to “restore” the brother or sister who “is overtaken in any trespass”
he commanded that they do so “with a spirit of gentleness” (Gal.
6:1a).
a. He
isn’t talking about a timidity that ignores sin.
b. He
is warning about attitudes that might constitute sin or lead to further sin.
They were commanded to approach this “with a spirit of gentleness
considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1b).
c. This
temptation could involve...
•
Temptation to engage in the sin being rebuked,
•
Temptation that might arise from a negative reaction on the part
of the one being rebuked, or even...
•
Temptation to handle the encounter in a way that constitutes sin
on the part of those brining the rebuke.
4. It
is true that sin and error must be rejected for one to be right with God, but
what if a brother or sister approaches me about my error or sin in such a way
that my pride is aroused?
a. That
doesn’t excuse my sin, but it may leave me with no good way to correct my
error.
b. When
we rebuke those who are in error we want them to realize that they are wrong,
but if we do this in a way that mocks them, belittles them, or assumes things
about their motives or character that we are not in a position to know, we may
well “back them into a corner.”
c. If
I am left with no honorable room to change without feeling abused or treated
with disrespect, the very efforts to correct my wrong may actually provide a
temptation to defend myself no matter what!
d. In
such a case, although I may actually be in the wrong the one who rebuked me
left me no room to change and my pride led me to accept anything other than the
truth brought to me in such a harsh way.
Conclusion.
This isn’t a “magic formula.” Sometimes even those approached with
great gentleness rebel against the word of God and continue in error.
Sometimes, we fall so in love with ideas we imagine in our hearts, that even
when the word of God shows such things to be false we continue to passionately
embrace them.
•
Yet, for the “good and honest heart” (Luke 8:15, LO) who
leaves room for change in his own life and in the lives of those he encounters,
like that rough rebar sticking out of the concrete walls of homes in Turkey, he
allows himself room to grow and build his life continually on the sound
teaching of God’s word.