YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT, BUT STILL SO WRONG

YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT, BUT STILL SO WRONG

“We Christians are cut from the same bolt as the rest of mankind, and while we have been made partakers of a new nature we have not yet been entirely divested of the old. For this reason we are under constant temptation to lapse into the flesh and manifest the old nature rather than the new . . .

Among the purest gifts we have received from God is truth. Another gift almost as precious and without which the first would be meaningless is our ability to grasp truth and appreciate it. For these priceless treasures we should be profoundly grateful . . . And because these and all other blessings flow to us by grace without merit or worth on our part we should be very humble and watch with care lest such undeserved favors, if unappreciated, be taken from us . . .

The very truth that makes men free may be and often is fashioned into chains to keep them in bondage. And never forget it, there is no pride so insidious and yet so powerful as the pride of orthodoxy.” ~A. W. Tozer, The Alliance Witness

“Orthodoxy, or right opinion, is, at best, a very slender part of religion. Though right tempers cannot subsist without right opinions, yet right opinions may subsist without right tempers. There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him. Satan is a proof of this.” ~John Wesley,Remarks on Dr. Erskine’s Defence of the Preface to the Edinburgh Edition of Aspasio Vindicated, Edinburgh, May 1766

If someone were to ask you what distinguishes you as a Christian from everyone else? Maybe your reply would be, “I believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world. He died for my sin so that I might live.” Ok, that’s great. Good for you. You have received eternal life, but does anyone really notice? Are you really any different from your well-intentioned neighbor? There is something to be said about living what you believe and there is an essential quality of conduct that is mandated in order to be a real “Christian.” A lot of people talk big about their faith but they don’t walk very far with it. We like to act like we are pious and hold the truth and proclaim the good news and teach others the way of righteousness, but we are failures at abiding by our own lessons. Our old man tendencies do not quickly die and they can be resurrected with the greatest of ease.

We have forgotten what is most important, what is at the very foundation of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul wrote concerning this very matter. When addressing the spiritually zealous Corinthian church he said,

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor 13:1-3 ESV)

It did not matter how spiritually inclined, spiritually zealous, or spiritually enlightened the believers in Corinth had become. All forms of spiritual piety (e.g. speaking in tongues), words of prophetic wisdom (e.g. prophecy), and sacrificial services (e.g. martyrdom) was like a discordant sound of clattering metal because they were contending against each other. Their pride had blinded them from seeing the error of their ways. They cared more about themselves than the building up of the church.

I find a lot of similarity with this problem in Corinth in the way that many Christians act toward each other today. A. W. Tozer’s comment cuts to the heart of the issue: “The very truth that makes men free may be and often is fashioned into chains to keep them in bondage. And never forget it, there is no pride so insidious and yet so powerful as the pride of orthodoxy.” I am not sure one could make it any clearer, more distinct, and yet more horrifying. The very truth that Christians profess to uphold is often quickly turned into a sparring match fueled by the pride of thinking they are right (“the pride of orthodoxy”).

We set up camps against each other. “Outsiders” are no longer designated as those who don’t believe. No Sir! It has now become a colloquial term for those who do not agree exactly with “us”…those who are not on our side of the river, those who do not subscribe to our teachings, and those who are not doing what we do. The most insidious attitude is the prideful spirit who boasts in themselves and raises their doctrines to a level of almost divinely inspired. They may not have to even speak a word against those they call “outsiders” and yet they sneer under their breath and hurl great contempt with a flicker in their eyes. Like a silent destroyer, this pride cripples and sometimes desolates the health of the church.

We insult Christ when we exalt our “camp” in the name of orthodoxy. Such pride undercuts the very fabric of the gospel and unknowingly we find ourselves fighting against Christ rather than for him. We attempt to tear apart what he has joined together all for the sake of pointing at ourselves and allegedly laying claim to truth. Do we do it intentionally? Likely not. Do we care that we do it? Probably not so much so because we feel we are in the right and we have the truth and that is what is most important. This poisonous charade of false Christianity is the toxic waste oozing from the pride of orthodoxy. Very little is more damaging and hurtful to God’s people than the sting of pride. As John Wesley said, “There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him.” Remember, we very well might be right on some account, but we still can be dead wrong. Don’t act like we know all the truth and parade ourselves (and our camp) around acting so haughty. Don’t make that mistake! ~JW

Proverbs 11:2 ESV
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

1 comment

Hey bro! Some good stuff here! My brother has been on here as well and I have passed some of these articles around. Love the articles.
Some quick comments on this article as you know I love talking about this stuff from when we hung out 🙂
First, loved your statement on truth as there is such a thing as truth and a difference between truth and fact. God divided the light from darkness but never divided light. People divide light and therein is the major problem…Division. Misled salvation is a good example (Acts 15). Notice in Acts 15 how much care, communication, debate, and guiding it took among the leadership to take the division out. If you read through a couple times you can see just how much work it took for one small misled interpretation of salvation. It’s pretty interesting and from what I have read one of the very first attempts by the devil to divide the church but haven’t read more after that yet.
Second, the statement on “what distinguishes you as a Christian” is a pretty good one and i have always been of the belief to take it a step further and ask this question in the church the world over. I want to see a show of hands if people even think they are saved or not in the church. Let’s see a show of hands! is that wrong to ask? Anyway, I was always taught from the word that since life is spiritual people do see the word that you are living and the christ in you whether they know the depth of it or not. My parents have had people down the street from them come to their door and ask them if they are believers in God because they have seen with their own eyes so many things that my parents have been blessed with that has manifested over and over. Note I Thess 1:6 (And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord,) I like how the following started with the “us” first and then the Lord. And these were people who used to worship idols!
Third, love the section you discuss on I Corinthians 13:1-3 on Agape love. The one thing that i think is a good conversation and maybe over a beer 🙂 is the “service” of Martyrdom initiated by man as God wants living sacrifices, not dead ones. Unless Thusia in Romans 12:1 is not metaphorical? and meant to be taken literal?
A.W. Tozers comment you mention is really great!

Comments are closed.