Prioritizing God in the Body of Christ

What is the priority within the body of Christ? Glorifying God?

Worship

Emotional Worship rather than edification driven by love

Knowledge worship rather than edification driven by love

Edification & Glorification (2 sides of the same coin): Helping one another know God by how we relate to one another

Big Idea: We edify one another in Christ’s body by prioritizing one another’s conscience before God.

Faith in Grace leads knowledge of way of Obedience which focus on Love for one another

Christian liberty: I used to think Christian liberty was an add on to the Christian faith in order to deal with areas of disagreement or “gray areas.” It’s actually essential to how we approach God and one another in the body.

We prioritize God by seeking love over knowledge.

Knowledge puffs up but love edifies.

This makes no sense if God is only 1 person, mind, ideal.

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Does that make love this namby, pamby, wishy-washy “do whatever feels good” tolerance ?

`Wherefore, as works have respect to men, so conscience bears reference to God, a good conscience being nothing else than inward integrity of heart. In this sense Paul says that "the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good consciences and of faith unfeigned" (1 Tim. 1:5). - John Calvin

Trinity

1 Corinthians 8:6 ESV

6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

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Learning it from Marriage

If I do things from fear...

Therefore love is not a namby, pamby kind of thing…In fact fear tries to turn love into that rather than love turning fear into courage.

We prioritize God by prioritizing each other’s consciences.

The matter still remains uncertain, unless we understand who are the weak and who the Pharisees: for if this distinction is destroyed, I see not how, in regard to offenses, any liberty at all would remain without being constantly in the greatest danger. - John Calvin

If from unseasonable levity or wantonness, or rashness, you do any thing out of order or not in its own place, by which the weak or unskillful are offended, it may be said that offense has been given by you, since the ground of offense is owing to your fault. And in general, offense is said to be given in any matter where the person from whom it has proceeded is in fault. Offense is said to be taken when a thing otherwise done, not wickedly or unseasonably, is made an occasion of offense from malevolence or some sinister feeling. For here offense was not given, but sinister interpreters ceaselessly take offense. By the former kind, the weak only, by the latter, the ill-tempered and Pharisaical are offended. Wherefore, we shall call the one the offense of the weak, the other the offense of Pharisees, and we will so temper the use of our liberty as to make it yield to the ignorance of weak brethren, but not to the austerity of Pharisees. - John Calvin

What value is to be set upon the offense of the Pharisees we learn from the words of our Lord, in which he says, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind," (Mt. 15:14). The disciples had intimated that the Pharisees were offended at his words. He answers that they are to be let alone that their offense is not to be regarded. - John Calvin

Some follow God wondering if He actually does love them.

Some appear to follow God, not really caring if He does love them.

Some try to follow God by getting everyone else to do it their way.

Some follow God knowing He loves them and seeking to obey Him to show their love for Him.

We prioritize God by helping one another seek His grace rather than pleasing one another.

Don’t destroy one another. The most important relationship we have in the body of Christ is with God not with one another. If you mistake this, you destroy each other’s faith.

1 Corinthians 8:10–12 ESV

10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Applying it to Homeschooling vs Public School

Parents, making this decision is often difficult. Your temptation is to feel like “if you knew what I knew, you would...” There are great discussions about the merits of both ways before God. Don’t use your freedom, however, to destroy one another’s consciences. The priority within the body of Christ is not how you train your children in godliness. It’s that you do in the confident knowledge that God loves you and you in a clear conscience are loving and obeying Him.

Applying it to Reading your Bible

How has your appreciation for God grown? Do you want to hear from Him or not?

Applying it to Friendships

Scott & I - differing activities - But helping one another - same care for one another’s heart

Are you seeking to build up each other’s sense of God’s love for them and their love for God? Who can you do that with this week?

This is why we have community groups. This is why we encourage going to our Adult Bible Fellowships. Your goal should not primarily be to increase your knowledge but to increase your love for God and other’s love for God as well.

Community Group Questions

What’s your experience of someone prioritizing knowledge over love for you or God? How did it make you feel? What happened as a result?

How can we encourage one another conscience’s before God?

How can we delight in grace together when we differ in non-essential things? How can we encourage our love for God in essential things?

monergism.com/christian-liberty