These are very difficult times in conservative, evangelistic religious groups who (1) accept the Bible as God's word and (2) who want to be Christian in the same sense people in the New Testament were. The Church of Christ is not an exception. Our struggles arise from several sources. One major source has it roots in the American restoration movement.

As an American religious movement, the restoration concerns that produced the Church of Christ began in 1800. The objective of the Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists who produced that movement was just to be Christians. A growing group of people believed that if everyone accepted only the Bible as a spiritual guide and authority, the hostile division existing in denominationalism at that time would disappear.

The movement began with great openness to the Bible. Discussion and study from any perspective were welcomed as long as it was Bible based. That openness existed as long as people were dedicated to seeking the full message of God's work in Jesus. It ended when people became committed to defending their conclusions. In time, differing perspectives developed on (1) what the church should be called, (2) what baptized believers should be called, (3) what should be included and excluded from worship assemblies, and (4) and how the church should provide structure and leadership for its organized work.

As a result, three things happened. (1) Baptized believers began to experience the same kind of hostility and division within the restoration movement that the movement began to end. (2) The movement divided into three different religious bodies who, in time, questioned each other's conversion. Those three bodies were the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Church, and the Church of Christ. (3) Each of these bodies developed traditional approaches for determining the meaning of Bible instructions. The definitions and traditional principles that each accepted became their "yardstick" for measuring what was "of Bible authority" and what was "of heresy."

The stresses that the Church of Christ experiences internally today are often the product of the conflict [and lack of understanding] between (1) those who believe that basic restoration concerns and conclusions are biblical, authoritative, and unquestionable and (2) those who want to be Christian in heart and personal relationship with God as well as in worship and congregational organization.

While their differences in perspectives and understandings certainly are not limited to worship, worship highlights those differences. The group that accepts without question restoration conclusions stresses that acceptable worship is primarily a matter of procedure that functions within an accepted pattern. The group that emphasizes the heart and personal relationship with God stresses that worship is fundamentally a matter of expressing joy for blessings, thanksgiving for God's accomplishments in Jesus' death, and celebration for God's victory over Satan in Jesus' resurrection.

Both groups have been baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. Both groups accept Jesus as the Christ. Both groups trust Jesus' atoning blood and the power of Jesus' resurrection. Both groups take communion each Sunday to remember Jesus' death. Both groups accept the Bible as the inspired word of God. Both groups believe it is the Christian's responsibility to live a godly life. Both groups acknowledge dependence on divine forgiveness. Both groups acknowledge that the origin of salvation is in God's grace. Both groups accept the total, absolute authority of Jesus Christ. Both groups believe in accountability before God.

Yet, both groups make each other equally uncomfortable. Both groups struggle to accept the heart perspective and the personal faith of the other. Aside from worship, both groups have little trouble in serving God together. However, emotional reactions to each other's worship practices are so powerful that each group falls victim to the temptation to question the other group's sincerity and conversion.

This problem is not new. It is about 2000 years old. Jewish Christians in the New Testament accepted and practiced structured worship procedures based on tradition and God's teaching. Non-Jewish Christians converted from idolatry knew little or nothing about Jewish worship practices and traditions. The New Testament provides much evidence of the struggle created by the differences in perspectives and backgrounds of each group of Christians.

The trap: for the text, read Matthew 15:1-9.

1. What tradition of the elders did the Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes declare that Jesus' disciples transgressed (verse 1,2)? The accusation against the disciples was accurate.

2. Jesus said that they transgressed what for the sake of tradition (verse 3)?

3. What was Jesus' illustration of a tradition nullifying a commandment (verses 4-6)?

4. In this context, the act of hypocrisy was the distortion of God's teaching. The Pharisees and scribes honored God with words, but not with hearts. When their teachings stressed human doctrines instead of God's commands, their worship became vain. Because of their teachings' emphasis, God rejected their worship. Note: teaching and worship were not the same activity. In Jesus' illustration, what were the human precepts?

The tradition of the elders was an oral or spoken set of laws that existed to interpret or apply the written law. For example, a Jew could not keep the Sabbath day holy (Exodus 20:8-11) unless "work" was defined. The tradition of the elders defined work. Such traditions created no problem unless they set aside God's specific instruction.

That happened with God's command to honor your father and mother. Tradition declared if you made a pledge to the temple, you had no financial obligation to help your father and mother. Tell your parents that the money you could have given them was pledged to God. Thereby, the traditional instruction became more important than God's teaching. Was not the temple the place God caused His presence to dwell? Was not caring for the temple more important than caring for parents? Was not a financial pledge to God more important than providing the physical needs of your parents? Conclusion: faith honored God's needs before it honored parent's needs. But, God said, "Honoring your parent's needs is honoring Me."

The origin of the Jewish religious ritual of hand washing is unknown. The priests commonly washed to purity themselves before God (Exodus 30:18-21; Leviticus 22:1-15). Perhaps the common Jewish person observed ritual washing prior to eating to make certain that his hands were not defiled. Defiled hands made his food unclean. Whatever the origin or reason for this practice, it was traditional. A good intention becomes an evil practice when it opposes God's purposes. If the person's focus is on personal preference, not on a heart committed to God's purposes, God rejects worship. Acceptable worship requires more than correct procedure.

David Chadwell

Faith: In Our Gifts or Our God? (lesson 12)
Wednesday evening adult Bible class, Winter Quarter 2000
West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR

Copyright © 2000
Permission is granted to freely copy and distribute with text unchanged, including author's name.

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