Of First Importance
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Today’s Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Amazing. Paul is saying that there are levels of importance when it comes to Christian doctrine. And he saying that no matter how we worship, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. And what is the main thing?
So, I saw this posting on Facebook (I should have bookmarked it or something) where a pastor of a very large church basically suggested that whoever disagreed with the decision is slipping into apostasy, which means basically heresy or falling away from the faith.
I guess that would include me.
You see, I can understand and appreciate how Al Mohler and those who agree with him come to their conclusions about this matter. But I would never say that they are being heretical. I would say that they don’t seem to appreciate the nuance and complexity and context around language as a whole.
The fact of the matter is: There are different interpretations on this issue.
Of course, the fact that there are different interpretations on all kinds of matters in the Bible begs the question: what is the main thing, then?
For those who align with Mohler, the main thing is their literalistic interpretation of Scripture. They assume that if someone doesn’t agree with their “plain” interpretation of the text, we must not believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible.
Simply put, that is a wrong assumption.
But here. Here in this text. The Apostle Paul tells us what the main thing is: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning.
Faith in Christ draws us into the law of Christ: loving God and loving others, as ourselves.
Yes, the SBC has every right to lay out the requirements by which a church becomes a member of the SBC. But in my humble opinion, this amendment is far from being anywhere close to being “of first importance,” and it waters down the main thing from being the main thing.
Father, You will make everything known in due time. Help us to keep the main thing the main thing. We trust in Your sovereign hand, no matter what the outcome. We know that Your sovereign hand is at work even in our disobedience and misunderstanding. We wait for You to come. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
