Debate in Church

Many Christians have had to argue  and debate with each other on many issues such as sin, righteousness, God's love and judgment, justification, holiness, etc. These days, social networks have become a platform for such regular debates. click here

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On the one side are those who say salvation and sanctification are entirely the works of God (Grace) and that there's nothing the recipient does or fails to do that affects it. And on the other-side are those who say even though salvation and sanctification are the works of God (Grace), what the recipient  does or fails to do affects it.

Whereas, the one-side says, salvation is by grace and by this gift we've become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus; the other-side says, Yes, we're saved by grace through faith, but if our lives are lacking in holiness, we deny and abuse our salvation.

One thing with debates is that the purpose is always to get a winner, not to learn from each other. So each party keeps bringing out points to show how they're more correct than the other party. This explains why scriptures does not encourage debates among believers but rather beneficial discussions and study.

The purpose of this post is to do a scriptural x-ray of these two standpoints and to explain the scope of our Christian profession. To begin, let's consider a scenario.

CASE STUDY

Imagine a 26 year old young lady who is a pop-music artiste and dancer, she does not believe in Jesus, her fashion style always seductive, she has at least two boyfriends she fornicates with. She cheats, clubs, smokes and often  drinks herself to stupor. Then one day she comes in contact with a preacher who shows her the vanity of life without Christ, she is convinced, breaks down in repentance, believes and accepts that Jesus died for her and receives Him as her Lord. 

Now let's look at the things that happened to her at that point:

1. She has received eternal life (the life of Christ) (John 3:16)

2. She has been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. (Colosians 1:3)

3. She has been justified (all her past sins blotted out) (Rom 3:8)

4. She has been declared righteous (Rom 5:19) 

5. She has been sealed by the Holy Spirit as a member of God's family (Ephesians 1:13)

6. Her sin(Adamic) nature has been dethroned so eternal life can have preeminence in her. (Colosians 3:9)

Now for most preachers, this is where the emphasis stays and dies. And for a few others, the emphasis shifts from here to some things she must do in relation to her past life if she must retain and grow in her new status. These include the following:

1. She has to let go her pop singing and dancing  and whatever benefits she was getting from there (Titus 2:12)

2. She has to end those unholy relationships with the boyfriends. (Ephesians 5:3)

3. She has to as much as she can, get the forgiveness of those she cheated and do some restitution where necessary. (Luke 19:8)

4. She has to cast off all her seductive clothing and settle with godly attire (1 Tim 2:9)

5. She has to quit clubbing, smoking, and drinking and separate herself from worldly company. (Ephesians 4:22)

Wait a minute,  Are these emphasis necessary or not? are they beneficial or not? does their neglect have any effect on the newly saved and the church by extension?

Share your Opinion and expect the continuation of this post.

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