In All Things, Charity

Centuries ago, a Lutheran theologian in Germany wrote the words which have since become, in one form or another, a key watchword in many Christian denominations and organizations. Church historians even have a special term for it: The Peace Saying. Peter Meiderlin (pen name: Rupertus Meldenius) lived in the early 1600's, a very troubled time with both political and religious strife. He wrote, "In essentials, Unity; in non-essentials, Liberty; in all things, Charity."

Who could quarrel with unity, liberty, and charity? We probably are all in favor. But what if, at the very outset, we cannot agree on what is essential and what is non-essential? What I consider an integral part of my Christian faith may be a non-issue for you, and both of us may quote Scripture to support our position!

Jesus Himself narrowed everything down to two fundamentals. “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) When faced with Jesus' defining statements, we may ask the startled question, "But what about . . ." and bring any number of issues to be debated.

What is important to our understanding is that a great many things lie along a continuum. There are not just two alternatives with a great divide between, but many points along a "scale" from one extreme to the other. Take, for example, the matter of disciplining one's children. Some parents believe they should never inflict any kind of physical hurt, while others are sincere in administering Proverbs 23:13, 14—"Don’t fail to discipline your children. They won’t die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death." And a lot of people are somewhere in the middle, including those who think a single, swift pop on the seat of the pants works well. Some groups are very specific about what their adherents should wear, while others think it matters little. Some groups permit no musical instruments in the house of worship, others use a piano but would not allow drums, and some go for the whole rockin' band! Some people consider betting on the horses unacceptable, but they would buy a lottery ticket; those who object to the lottery might still buy a ticket for the church raffle. Still others refuse any kind of gamble.

Each person must decide, with the clearest available information and their best personal judgment and the help of God's Spirit, where is the right place on the continuum for himself/herself. And that makes Christians appear inconsistent! Because we all must find the place where we draw the line, each of us may be in a different place than those around us. Some of my animal-loving friends marched outside our civic center to protest the beauty pageant contestants being awarded furs. But while they marched, they wore leather shoes! So yes, we are inconsistent. We have different points on the continuum where we have chosen our positions.

Remember this: According to Jesus, these issues are not the greatest to be considered. We try very hard sometimes to make everyone fit into one tidy "box" of outward behavior. Early church fathers discovered this did not work very well, and began to rely on "The Peace Saying." They chose to be united in their belief that salvation comes through personal faith in Jesus Christ. They chose to allow diversity of beliefs and opinions and regulations and practices among believers. They chose to let love rule above all.

Let us do the same!

MaryMartha
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com