Love Them All and Let God Sort them Out. (Part 1)

Kill or Love?

The year was circa 1209. Heretic hunters
from the Albigensian Crusade spread
throughout France looking for deviations
from the faith. The crime: bad doctrine.
The penalty: death. The Cathar heresy had
spread through France and the city of
Beziers was targeted for doctrinal cleansing.
The question came up about whether all the
inhabitants of Beziers had turned to heresy.
The authority in charge is rumored to have
replied, "Kill them all and let God sort
them out." So kill them all they did.

I tell this story not to horrify or to
stir up trouble, but to suggest another way.
For awhile now I have been asking the Lord
about how to address situations that seem
to compromise the Lord's gospel.
Recently I got my answer: "Love them all
and let God sort them out."

The Lord has told us that the wheat and
the tares will grow together until the
end and that this is allowed, even
ordained, by God (Matthew 13:24-30).
Why? So that the children of the
Kingdom might not be uprooted before
they have a chance to grow up into the
fullness of what they were meant to be.

And what is it that we are meant to be?
In great part, lovers of God, and lovers
of our neighbors. Jesus was making correct
doctrine easy for us to grasp when He
reduced the Law to this: Love God with
all your heart, soul and mind, and love
your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).

Call me naive but I'm quite certain that
God has not called me to pit
Catholic against Protestant, Calvin
against Arminius, the cessationists
against the pentecostals, the reformers
against the "emerging church." Opinions
can be very dangerous things even if
they are "imho" (in my humble opionion)
opinions. I have often found that opinion
and humble have been known to be
polar opposites, at least in my experience.

It is to our shame that doctrinal conflicts
produce as much attention as the Superbowl.
I know in part,and see through horrendously
thick glasses, and so do you. May the Lord
give us His Mind, His Truth, His fiery
Baptism of Love--for that will bring us
into the One True Faith.

Until that great day comes in its complete
glory may we trust that the Lovely One, as He
incarnates Himself in us, knows how to say
what needs to be said. It is not that we will
always remain silent but our words will be
spoken out of the heart of our Father.

I have found that getting God's love
incarnated within me is a full time job, and
by design, leaves me little time for lots of
destructive habits, like judging my brother's
doctrine, especially when this big log keeps getting
wedged in my own eye. Did you ever have that
happen? :)

(continued tomorrow)

Christianity,
faith,
church history
bible
truth
love,
the crusades,
heresy,
doctrinal controversies,
cessationism