Main Session 2

Mark Dever spoke this morning on "Discern Your Doctrine." Here are my hastily typed notes, including some pre-message antics. I'll fix typos later.

Introduction of Mark Dever

Inside glimpse – Josh

Josh: I love tennis. Any tennis players? Throws out some tennis balls

I have some candy in my office called Chewy Peps – peppermint candy, they start out really hard, but eventually if you suck on ‘em really hard enough they get soft.

Takes some Chewy Peps to the bleachers.

Mark Dever told us that his favorite thing is Beethoven’s 5th and caffeine free Diet Coke. Courtesy Ninjas hand out Diet Coke on behalf of Mark Dever.

Mark says one of the purposes of Na is to introduce us to men they they’ve learned from

Eric introduces Mark.

Mark Dever

11:40
Thanks for privilege of being here. Thanks Devon and worship band.

Thanks Na attendees. Couldn’t find any books not to recommend in the bookstore.

What would distress the Evil One more than taking a few days to learn how to recognize him!

Pray

Imagine situation of Freshman Bob. Bob becomes convinced of the doctrine of election. Cavinism. Bob decides it’s his duty to convince everyone he knows about the dictrine of election. Goes to everyone he knows to talk about them. Interrupts, etc This is the Cage Stage – lock ‘em up for about six months when they first embrace this doctrine.

Compromise between Christians is bad; cooperation is good. How do we tell the difference?
How to tell between primary doctrines that we need to contend for, and secondary doctrines that it’s okay for us to disagree as Christians?

Six questions.for us to consider – first two talk about the problem, other four work towards the solution.

1. Do we follow commands to purify or to unite?
2. What are some common fights Christians have?
3. What are we together for?
4. What must we agree upon?
5. What may we disagree about?
6. How can we disagree well? With humility?

This talk will be long, hence the Diet Coke.

Do we follow commands to purify or to unite?

What is true is not always what is popular. We live in a fallen world. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones quote
Paul warns that people in the last days will find teachers who tell them what they want to hear.
Jesus said false christs and false prophets will appear. Signs and miracles to deceive even the elect. Be on your guard!

How do we be on our guard. Josh gave us good instructions – renew our minds, work for action, turn to the Gospel. We have to admit, though, that we all have tendencies to be too inclusive – or too exclusive.
Truth and humility shouldn’t be enemies! They should be great friends. If we know the truth, we will be humbled by it. We need to know the truth if we would be truly humble.

Too often, we become caricatures of our tendencies – either a “unity person” or a “purity person.”

Unity people love John 17, etc. “Doctrine divides, (love, mission, service) unites.” “Heresy is better than schism.” “No creed but Christ, no law but love.”

Other side of the coin: purity person. Separate. 2 John 1:10-11. 1 John, “test spirits.” “Keep away from every idle brother. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. Come out from among them and be separate.” They may contend more quickly than they cooperate. Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets.” “Eject the unrepentant sinner from the fellowship of the church.”

Sort of a prophetic ministry of correction.

So how do we take the best of both of these? The biblical desire for unity/cooperation, and the biblical desire for truth/holiness?


What are some common fights Christians have?

Many. Praying for the dead? Is the Reformation over? Should Protestants and Catholics evangelize toetther? What about the Sabbath? Fourth commandment? Hymns or choruses? Organs or guitars? Does God elect those he foresees will believe, or do they elieve because God has elected them? Prophecy? Elders r pastor? Bishop or general assembly? Who should baptize/be baptized? How? Where? Is the Bible our sole authority? Inherent? Gender roles? Women elders? Appropriate salary for a Christian minister? Tithe? Should kids be homeschooled? Should the minister wear clothes that are different, etc.

How can we be discerning about doctrine?

The remaining four questions are to help with questions like these.


What are we together for?

The cooperation we’re aiming at should help us determine what kind of agreement we’ll need.

Mark needed a lot more agreement with the woman he was going to marry, than he needed with people at work. What is the purpose of agreeing with this person?

Christians found that their circumstances matter when it comes to learning how to cooperate with each other. Example: in persecution, Christians are going to come together a lot more even if they disagree.

Conferences can be pulled off with less agreement. It depends on what our purpose is. Christians have come up with statements of faith.

What does cooperation mean? What are we cooperating for?


What must we agree upon?

What are the basics? What are the essentials?

This is a little dangerous because it’s like the teenager asking “How far can I go? What can I get away with?” No – we want to pursue truth in every single matter God has revealed in His word.

You want to understand all these truths so that you can know more about this God you’re worshiping.

Part of what we need is to understand what must be agreed upon. Not all errors are critical (i.e. disagreement over church membership vs. disagreement over Jesus Christ.)

Some disagreements have to be addressed, some ca remain the same for a lifetime.

Where do we learn how to address these differences?

Through our Bible, through our church, through our conscience.

Bible – it’s ok for us to LOVE the Bible! Psalm 119! It’s not idolatry. We must give ourselves to know it, to meditate on it, to appreciate the gift of God’s word.

Church – we can’t be Christian orphans. It’s the duty of the local church and particularly the elders of that church, to talk about what we should accept and believe

Conscience – through the Fall our consciene is harmed. We all have an inherent sense of right and wrong. But the conscience is inherent, not inerrant. It’ll be largely right usually, but we can’t assume our own conscience always tells the truth. Educate your conscience – train according to God’s word.

Fourfold test to put on a doctrine to test its importance.

1. How clear is it in Scripture?
2. How clear do others think it is in Scripture? Especially trusted leaders
3. How near is it, or its implications, to the Gospel?
4. What would the effects be, doctrinally and practically, if we allowed disagreement in this area?

One of the best words for Christian is the word “evangelical.” Defined by good news. Jesus was all about news! Warned about false prophets, giving false reports, etc.

Paul isn’t uncomfortable putting some truths as more important than other truths. “for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…”

Are you clear in your understanding of what things you must believe in order to be a Christian?

“Do not take him into your house” – this refers to church. Jude is referring to those who deny Jesus Christ as Sovereign and Lord.

It is a false teaching that says you can live in unrepented sin all your life and still be a Christian.

Essential of the essentials: God, the Bible, the Gospel.

God. We have to believe in the One True God, One and Triune, uncreated, independent, holy and perfect. Our Sovereign Creator, Lord, and Judge. The One we’re called to believe in.

The Bible. This is how we know the truth about God. Who knows what the unbeliever is thinking when you say “God” unless you know from the Bible Who he is, and what he’s like? The Bible is God revealing himself. You want to go to a church that practices expositional preaching. Bringing up passages from God’s word, about Him and what He’s called us to

The Gospel. We must agree on the Good News that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became flesh and died as our substitute


Last two questions the most refined, “surgery”


What may we disagree about?

In practical matters, people will often go two different ways. They can do that as long as their central focus is the Gospel. Paul and Barnabas came to mutually exclusive decisions about where God was leading their ministry.

But they parted with love. Two Christians devoted to spreading the Gospel, but they could disagree on some other issues.

Another issue – meat sacrificed to idols. Big deal to many people! Paul was willing for people to disagree on this, as long as they didn’t make it an issue of salvation. As long as they weren’t distracted by their disagreement, they could work together.

Romans 14:22 for those of us who are more argumentative. Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Disputable matter.

What are disputable matters today?

Four test cases of discernment of non-essential doctrines.

The Milennium
Prayers for the dead
Complementarianism/Egalitarianism
Evangelism


Milennium: what is John referring to? How clear is it in Scripture? Mentioned once. How clear do others think it is in Scripture? Well, lots of people give different answers. How near is it, or its implications, to the Gospel? Fairly well unrelated. As long as we’re secure in the fact that Christ is personally going to return, then this particular idea of the milennium seems to be of little significance right now. Not none, but the fact that we’d disagree is not a show stopper. What are the effects of allowing disagreement? We found none.

Prayers for the dead. What may sometimes seem nonessential may have roots that are related to something essential. OK, so nobody says you have to pray for the dead to be saved. But if you see that that practice begins to undermine justification by faith alone (e.g. you depend on people to pray for you after you’re dead to affect your status), then you’re on dangerous ground.

Egalitarianism/complementarianism. Not essential for salvation, but sometimes nonessentials have application considering our times. This is one such front-and-center issue for today. Yes, you can sorta cooperate with others who disagree on this, but there should be agreement. “If there is a verse that says I do not permit infants to be baptized, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. There is such a verse about women being elders.” – Ligon Duncan

Cooperative evangelism with other churches. CHBC turned down the opportunity to train lots of churches in evangelism because the plan was to refer converts to whatever the nearest church was that called itself Christian.


How can we disagree well?


“In essentials unity, in nonessentials diversity, in all things charity.”

What do I owe the person who differs from me?

What can I learn from the person who differs from me?

Consider what goals you share. What is your friend aiming at? Find common ground. Respond with love, respect. Open the Bible. Take a long-term view of your discussion.

Welcome correction as an enemy of your pride.

Pray. 12:50 PM