It's been a long while since I've written anything even remotely spiritually deep on here. I've bragged on God as he's shown up in the lives of my family and me, but this has been an issue, I've been struggling with for a while now, and have even confronted someone on this issue, but have largely been ignored. My wife also has gotten tired of talking about it with me. However God has brought it back to the forefront in a sermon I listened to from Matt Chandler, the pastor of the Village Church in Texas. Here's the link for those who are interested. Affections Matter

Jaime has also brought up the whole speck in the eye versus the log, usually used as the whole "Don't judge me" attitude in church today.

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.(Matthew 7:1-5 NIV).

However, I believe I'm entitled to comment on the situation via a passage in scripture from Paul:

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NIV).

It has been said that a Christian will demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit as an evidence of salvation. Those for reference are:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:23-25 NIV).

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Message).

The sermon I listened today was about the Church of Ephesus, as talked about in Revelation Chapter 2.

1 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks: 2-3 "I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. 4-5 "But you walked away from your first love—why? What's going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall! "Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. (Revelation 2:1-5).

We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NIV).

One final quote to lay down my argument before I begin it:

truth can be exalted beyond the One who is truth. So the next thing you know, you love doctrine, but you don’t love Jesus the way you love that doctrine about Jesus. So when that takes place, you become graceless and loveless, you begin to lack patience with others and your message ceases to be the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and begins to become whatever doctrine you have pinpointed as the fulcrum upon which everything rests. So I want to remind you of Revelation 2. Doctrine is important and theology is important, but it’s only important insomuch as it informs us and fuels our love and passion for Jesus that works itself out as we love and patiently walk with others inside the family and outside the family. - Matt Chandler - Affections Matter.

This last quote completely gave credence to everything that I had been thinking about, had been bothered by the individual, it completely summed everything up. I had questioned for a long time whether this person even loved Jesus anymore, or just their doctrine or interpretation of the word, even missing the entire call of evangelism of a message because they disagreed with the exegesis of one piece of Scripture used in the message. Now I'm not going to argue the exegesis, but if you're getting hung up on that, it sounds like someone has lost their first love.

It bothers me when someone gets so wrapped up in doctrine, that they lose focus on the one the doctrine is about. Chandler used the analogy of loving [my] wife's eyes and getting so wrapped up in them, and talking about them and focusing on them, while neglecting my wife, because I'm wrapped up in her eyes, instead of her. However, if my love for her eyes draws me in to a deeper love or is a reflection of my love for her, then it's not an issue since I am still loving her.

When someone loves doctrine, and fighting with people about it, there's an issue. Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up", and you can do great things but without love, it means nothing. Love is everything. It's one of the fruits of the spirit.

There is a place to argue doctrine, but it should only be done to prove and validate the mercy and grace of God. Doctrine should be used to illustrate and explain the gospel, not to supplant it.