Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Big Idea for the Series: In the book of Acts, we see God advancing his Kingdom by his Spirit through his Church.

FCF: The nature of the conflicts that arise in Acts 15:1-16:5 and how the early church handled them are instructive for churches today. Knowing the difference between major doctrines, personal convictions, and Christian liberties is often the difference between a strong, united, and effective church and a fractured, contentious, and ineffective church.

Acts 15:1–16:5 ESV

1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. 1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

Prayer

Intro: When we look at these three stories in this passage, at first glance, they seem to be unrelated. In the first section, we have the Jerusalem Council, debating the issue of whether Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved. Then, in 15:36-41 we have Paul and Barnabas having an argument and parting ways. Then, in 16:1-5, Paul takes Timothy and has him circumcised, which kind of seems like the opposite of the conclusion that the Jerusalem Council had come to.

But, if we look closer, there’s a pattern here that is really instructive for us. In all three examples, there’s a conflict the church faces.

In the first section, the church faces a doctrinal conflict over the question of whether or not Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved. The church addresses the conflict, issues a statement on the issue, and the result is that the churches are encouraged and strengthened:

Acts 15:31–32 ESV

31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

In the second example, Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement, end up separating, but continuing their work, and the result is that the churches are strengthened.

Acts 15:41 ESV

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

And in the third example, Paul is in a challenging ministry situation that requires careful missionary sensitivity, he handles it, and the result is that the churches are strengthened.

Acts 16:5 ESV

5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

In a perfect world, Christians would always agree on everything, churches would never face conflict or disagreement, and we’d all sit in a circle holding hands and singing “kum-ba-yah.”

But we don’t live in a perfect world. We don’t always see eye-to-eye. Sometimes we disagree with one another. Sometimes we disagree strongly. And probably all of us know of examples where such disagreements spiraled out of control, got heated, and ended up giving a black eye to the Kingdom of God.

But I think that what we see in these passages shows us that doesn’t have to be the case. It is possible for us to navigate such disagreements and conflicts within our churches in a way that honors God. It is possible that even in our disagreements and conflicts, the mission of the church can still advance.

The key to disagreeing in a way that honors God, protects the witness of the church, and advances the Kingdom of God is knowing which conflicts are worth fighting over, and which aren’t. Or, as many have put it, learning to “Keep the main thing the main thing.”

Churches that get this wrong end up trapped in and endless cycle of bickering and conflict that dishonors God, damages the reputation of the church, and renders them ineffective for the Kingdom.

Churches that get this right maintain unity, a positive reputation, and are effective in the advance of the Gospel.

The Church’s witness is strengthened through uncompromising doctrine.

Background

Acts 15:5 ESV

5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Remember that, under the Law of Moses, all Jewish men had to be circumcised, and any men who wanted to become a Jew had to be circumcised. This was a sign of the covenant that Israel had with God.

I’m not going to go in depth into the connection between circumcision and the covenant right now because I did that a few weeks ago when we talked about Acts 10.

And it was perfectly reasonable for the earliest Jewish believers to assume that Gentiles would have to be circumcised as well in order to be included in the people of God and receive the benefits of the Jewish Messiah’s covenant with his people.

But, it’s been over 15 years now since Jesus’ resurrection, and the events of Acts 10 had made it clear that Gentiles did NOT need to be circumcised.

So, Peter reminds them of this event:

Acts 15:7–9 ESV

7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, a Gentile (non-Jew), and his entire family in Acts 10 had come to faith in Christ. God had told Peter in a dream not to make any distinction between Jews and Gentiles any more for the purposes of salvation.

Acts 10:34–35 ESV

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

But, apparently there were still some Jews—Christian Jews—who didn’t like that. They felt like Gentiles should have to first get circumcised, convert to Judaism, then they could be saved by faith in Jesus.

So, what’s the issue here?

When we’re trying to discern the severity and impact of a doctrinal disagreement, one of the first things we need to assess is the potential impact of getting the doctrine wrong.

This is what Albert Mohler and others have called “Theological Triage.”

Theological Triage

If you go to an emergency room, one of the first things they’re going to do is what’s called “Triage.” Triage is the process where the nurses and doctors quickly assess the patients and the severity of their injuries or illnesses, and prioritize them based on severity of their conditions.

So, if you arrive at the ER with a low-grade fever and a runny nose, you’ll end up waiting for a long time while others, who may get there after you, with broken bones, heart attacks, strokes, and gunshot wounds get immediately rushed back ahead of you.

Why? Their condition is more serious than yours. You can wait, they can’t. Similarly, some doctrines are more serious than others because the consequences of getting them wrong are eternal life or eternal death.

Top-tier doctrinal issues separate believers from unbelievers.

The issue here at the Jerusalem Council is essentially: “What must one do to be saved?” The Judaizers (as they later are named) believe that it’s faith PLUS circumcision and the Law. But God had said through Peter that it was faith only.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The consequences of getting this wrong would literally have prevented millions—maybe billions—of Gentiles from becoming Christians. It would have effectively snuffed out the spread of Christianity.

And, believing this also would prevent Jews from being saved. If you believe that some action you do—circumcision or obeying the Jewish Law—could contribute to your salvation, then you’re relying upon your own works, not the grace of God. So you’re not saved either.

There are other such doctrines in this same category. The deity and humanity of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, Justification by faith, Trustworthiness of Scripture, etc. If you get these doctrines wrong you’re not saved.

This is a top-tier theological debate, directly related to the path of salvation; not a minor issue.

So, how did the early church handle it?

Top-tier doctrinal issues require firm resolve and decisive action.

They convene a council. Not because there’s really any doubt, but they realize that they need to deal decisively with this matter. They need to put it to bed once and for all.

The churches send messengers, just like we do every year to the SBC and ABSC. For major doctrines like this that affect many churches, it’s good to collaborate with other churches of like faith to resolve such issues.

In 2022, the SBC passed a resolution condemning the “Prosperity Gospel,” because it is a distortion of the true gospel and threatens the salvation of those who hold it.

That same year, the SBC also passed a resolution “On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family” clarifying that we believe the Bible teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman and is designed to be for life.

They listen to all the perspectives,

The final appeal for doctrine is to Scripture.

Acts 15:13–18 ESV

13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

When top-tier doctrines are threatened, we give a loving, but firm, rebuke.

Acts 15:8–11 ESV

8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

If needed, we proclaim our stance on such issues in cooperation with other churches.

Acts 15:30 ESV

30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.

This is what the church has historically done for any major issue like this: The Nicene creed was a declaration of the divinity and humanity of Christ and made it clear that the church believed this and would not tolerate disagreement on this issue.

The result of their steadfastness:

Acts 15:31–32 ESV

31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

It’s important that, regardless of the cultural cost, we stand firm on top-tier doctrinal issues because these affect salvation and the character and nature of God. Getting these doctrines wrong or compromising on them has catastrophic effects on our witness to the outside world.

The Church’s witness is strengthened through grace in convictions.

Acts 15:36–41 ESV

36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

There is a difference between preference and conviction.

Now, some people think that what’s happening here between Paul and Barnabas is nothing more than personality differences at play, and that’s definitely possible. Sometimes we exaggerate our personality and preferences to the level of convictions, and that causes unnecessary tension and conflict. It’s possible that personalities are more at play here with Paul and Barnabas than convictions are. Personality and opinion are not the same things as convictions.

A good example of this is the proper method of folding clothes or squeezing a toothpaste tube, for you married folks. Or, for a church setting, whether we have an Easter Egg hunt on Easter, or the order of service on Sunday morning, or the type of music, or the proverbial color of the carpet, and so on and so on. These are matters of preference that have little or nothing to do with doctrine or theological convictions, they’re just about personality and preferences.

These are matters where we need to just swallow our pride, assume the best of others, and realize that our way may not be the only way.

But, for the sake of illustration in this passage, I’m going to assume that Paul and Barnabas aren’t just hangry or opinionated, but that there is a genuine convictional difference here between them on how to handle this matter about John Mark.

Convictions are those beliefs upon which genuine believers disagree.

As a reminder, top-tier doctrinal issues are ones that all genuine Christians agree on. To reject them is to reject the gospel; it threatens your salvation.

So, is the issue of John Mark accompanying them a top-tier doctrinal issue? No, clearly it’s not. How do we know?

While “sharp disagreement” and separation is not what we’re striving for, we can appreciate the restraint that is exercised by both Paul and Barnabas here.

They clearly feel very strongly about this issue. This is not a “to each their own” or “it all depends on how you read it” kind of issue for them. Each of them have firm convictions about what is right or wrong in this case.

But, they also seem to implicitly realize that this conflict is not of the same nature as the one that caused the Jerusalem Council to convene. Look at what they don’t do:

No church council is called to settle this dispute

No one is clearly rebuked in this instance

No one is threatened with excommunication or accused of being a false believer.

So, despite in the end, Paul and Barnabas “agree to disagree” and part ways, allowing each other the liberty of living and ministering according to their convictions.

We can contrast this with how Paul later responds to those who continue preaching and teaching that Gentiles have to circumcised in order to be saved:

Galatians 1:6–9 ESV

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Peter briefly falls prey to this false doctrine and look how Paul responded to him:

Galatians 2:11–14 ESV

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

So, clearly Paul’s dispute with Barnabas did not rise to the same level of importance as the previous doctrinal dispute over circumcision and the path of salvation for Gentiles.

There’s a wide range of what we might call convictions and some of them are very serious and the line between them and top-tier doctrines is a bit blurry.

On the more serious end of convictions might be our view of baptism—is it for children/infants or believers only? Can women be ordained as pastors/elders? That isn’t going to determine whether or not you’re saved, but we believe the Bible is pretty clear on this and a church can’t just straddle the fence on this issue—you’re either going to elect a woman elder or you’re not. So this is a serious enough conviction that, even though we may believe that our brothers and sisters in women-led churches may still be saved, we can’t do church together because this fundamental difference makes that virtually impossible. People on both sides would feel like they’re violating their consciences.

On the less serious end of convictions might be our understanding of the chronology of the end times—will the rapture be before the tribulation or after? Such doctrines aren’t as clear in Scripture and don’t have much effect on our faith and practice, so we may have people all over the spectrum even within our own church.

Giving grace in convictions does not require theological relativism.

Relativism says “Right and wrong depends upon perspective.”

But, that’s not true. There is a right and a wrong view of baptism. There is a right and a wrong view on the end times. There is a right and a wrong view of women in pastoral ministry. A Christian cannot hold both views, and should not adopt theological relativism.

Having convictions means that we truly believe that our view is the biblical one, and we’re resolved in that view. When we say that we believe that baptism is for believers only, we are implicitly saying that we believe infant baptism is unbiblical.

Having theological convictions does not require hostility towards those who disagree.

There are some convictions that—even within a church—we can “agree to disagree” on. (End times, spiritual gifts, etc.)

Others times these differences would cause too much division and discord within a church, so it is best to separate and give one another grace to live according to their convictions. (Denominational differences) This is the reason why we have different denominations. (e.g., Mode/time of baptism, women in ministry, etc.)

We give grace to other denominations who operate in good faith and even cooperate with them in some ways to serve our community and advance the gospel. We may run food banks together, cooperate in a ministerial alliance to serve the community, host prayer gatherings like SYATP, or even host joint revival services where the focus is kept on top-tier doctrinal issues that we agree on like salvation by faith.

When believers who disagree on convictional matters give each other grace to carry out their ministries according to their conviction it demonstrates to the world that we recognize what’s most important.

Yes, one worldwide church that all believed the exact right set of doctrines would be best. But, until Jesus comes back and we “know even as we are known,” that won’t happen. So, rather than compromise our convictions, it’s best to graciously give each other space.

A good example of how this can work is our missions center in PNG. At Ukarumpa, we had missionaries from all over the world—Americans, Australians, Dutch, English, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Czechoslovakian, and more—from all different denominations—Dutch Reformed, Baptist, Pentecostal, non-denominational, CMA, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and more. We had friends who were baptized by sprinkling as babies, friends who believed (and practiced) women preaching, friends that didn’t believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, and more.

I have very strong convictions on most of those matters. In fact, some of our best missionary friends I would not allow to join our church. And it isn’t because I don’t think they’re saved. I know they’re saved. But, I know that they have strong convictions on those matters as well. So if they were to join this church, it would inevitably cause problems. And they know that as well, which is why they would never try to join this church. They’re never going to convince me of their position, and I’m probably not going to convince them, either.

So, how do we deal with that messy situation? The matters that we’re talking about are not trivial issues. They affect how we do church in some pretty serious ways. And we can’t both be right—one of us is right and the other is wrong. Neither of us is willing to compromise our convictions, because we believe that we’re following Scripture. So, we agree to disagree. I give them the grace to assume the best of them—that they’re genuinely believers—and they give me the same in return. I give them the space to practice their faith according to their convictions, and they give me the same grace.

When we’re able to cooperate together in missions, we do. We went through trainings together, shared meals, prayed together, and even held Bible studies and went to church together sometimes.

But, we would not have been able to plant a church together and we probably had too many theological and convictional differences to work on the same Bible translation. So, they worked on theirs, and I worked on mine. The gospel advanced. More people were reached with the gospel. So, even through our differences, our Sovereign God was glorified and his Kingdom advanced. And by his grace, I trust that I will see those friends in heaven one day.

And I will try not to gloat too much when they realize they were wrong… ;)

The Church’s witness is strengthened through sensitivity in missions.

Acts 16:3 ESV

3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

This section is challenging because it seems to be presenting Paul as violating a first-order doctrine that has been established by the Jerusalem Council in chapter 15. But that’s not really the case.

So why, after arguing so vehemently in the Jerusalem council (and in light of his arguments in Galatians), does Paul get Timothy circumcised?

Paul circumcised Timothy to remove an obstacle to the gospel.

Paul does not say or assume that the Jews to which he and Timothy will minister are really saved. In fact, he circumcises Timothy precisely because he believes they are not saved, and he does not want to put an obstacle in their path to believing in Christ.

This is missiological contextualization, not a doctrine compromise. Missionaries have to not only think of what the Bible teaches, but also how it will be received. So, missionaries have to adopt a lot of cultural context that they don’t necessarily believe is required of them in order to reach people with the gospel.

Timothy, and any Jew or Gentile for that matter, is free to accept circumcision at any point in time. Doing so does not make you unsaved or unsavable. What matters is whether one thinks that this circumcision or obedience to the law saves them. Neither Timothy nor Paul believe this. They simply accepted circumcision for Timothy in order to not give offense to the Jews in that area, so they could be free to proclaim the gospel and hopefully reach some of them for Christ.

Believing that circumcision and obedience to the law are required of Gentiles for salvation is a top-tier doctrinal issue. Accepting circumcision for the sake of reaching Jews for Christ is not a top-tier doctrine issue, it is an issue of religious liberty. Much the same as eating, bacon, observing the Sabbath, or a host of other things you might find in the law that were commanded to Jews.

In a modern example, a Christian may choose to obtain from eating pork while witnessing to a Jew, Muslim, or a Seventh Day Adventist. They may do this so as to not give offense while all the while be believing they are perfectly free to eat that pork anytime they’re so choose.

Missionaries in an Islamic context may for example, fast and abstain from certain activities during Ramadan so as to not give offense to Muslims that are around them. In fact, many missionaries do exactly this. When we were in PNG, we adopted a number of PNGan customs that we didn’t believe we were bound to, but we did it in order to reach them. Jennifer wore long blouses that covered her thighs and backside because that’s the standard of modesty there. I had to be careful not to spend much time in conversation with women because that would be seen as inappropriate. Jennifer couldn’t use the name of my PNG brother Rex because that was taboo. We generally avoided eating pork around our PNG SDA friends because we wanted to have an effective witness to them.

When Christians lay aside their rights and liberties for the sake of reaching the lost, the gospel advances.

Sometimes we as Americans can have this attitude of “I’m going to stand up for my rights no matter what” that can end up rendering us ineffective for the gospel among the very people we need to be reaching.

So, if you’re trying to reach your vegetarian neighbors for Christ, fix them the nicest vegetarian meal you can muster. If you’re trying to reach a Muslim family next door, don’t serve them pork or alcohol.

The general principle is that we believe and stand upon the doctrine that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. If that doctrine is threatened in our church, we will fight to preserve it. But when we are trying to reach those that are lost, we do what Paul did:

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Conclusion: All too often we flip the pyramid. We dismiss and downplay the significance of doctrines like the Trinity and the deity/humanity of Christ, salvation by faith and more and then squabble over minor doctrines like our view of the End Times. When churches make mountains out of molehills, our reputation is damaged, our unity is broken, and the church stagnates. But, when churches handle disagreement well, the gospel advances and people are saved.