Things that Differ by John Norton Loughborough

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 31, 1907

Things that Differ

By John Norton Loughborough

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

PAUL, in his prayer for the Philippians, offered the following petition: “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Phil. 1:9, 10.

In the margin, for “judgment” it reads “sense.” The true religion of Christ is a sensible thing. So the apostle would have the Philippians show abundance of good sense. This agrees well with his statement made to Timothy, that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1:7. Having this sense, they could “approve things that are excellent,” or, as expressed in the margin, “try the things that differ.”

The apostle knew that differences would arise. These differences might come from various causes. One which he warned against was “oppositions of science falsely so called.” 1 Tim. 6:20.

Again: Differences would arise from the presentation of strange doctrines. To Timothy he said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenæus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.” 2 Tim. 2:15-18. Notwithstanding it was and is the privilege of each and every follower of Christ to receive the Holy Spirit as a guide, yet Paul said to the Corinthians, “But fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Cor. 11:3. Paul had the same fear for the Galatians, and gave them this instruction: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Gal. 1:8. There was a tendency on the part of the people to drift into false theories of the Scriptures. So he admonished, in the ministerial charge to Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” 2 Tim. 4:2. To Titus, when he was sent to look after the needs of the churches, that he might “set in order the things that are wanting,” Paul said, “There are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. . . . Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Titus 1:10-13.

Although it was the privilege of all to have the Spirit’s aid to guide them into truth and harmony, yet the apostle readily saw a danger of being turned aside. So to the Corinthians he wrote: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

In the same epistle the apostle defines their condition of mind thus: “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every one?” 1 Cor. 3:3-5.

Again he said of them, even in their professed celebration of the Lord’s supper, “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies [“sects,” margin] among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” 1 Cor. 11:18, 19.

It seems, under these trying circumstances, there was to be an approval of teachers among them by some one. On this point we read in “Early Writings,” Supplement to Experience and Views, pages 15, 16: “I saw that the church was in danger in the apostles’ day of being imposed upon and deceived by false teachers. Therefore the brethren chose men who had given good evidence that they were capable of ruling well their own house and preserving order in their own families, and who could enlighten those who were in darkness. Inquiry was made of God concerning these, and then, according to the mind of the church and the Holy Ghost, they were set apart by the laying on of hands. Having received their commission from God, and having the approbation of the church, they went forth baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and administering the ordinances of the Lord’s house, often waiting upon the saints by presenting them the emblems of the broken body and spilled blood of the crucified Saviour, to keep fresh in the memory of God’s beloved children his sufferings and death.”

Of course the self-sent ones plead for liberty. While there was liberty in Christ from any bondage with which Judaizing teachers might wish to burden them, and in Christ a freedom from the condemnation of sin, and a freedom to each to seek the Lord for the guidance of his Holy Spirit for themselves, there was a danger of following their own spirit instead of the Spirit of the Lord. So the apostle told them, “Ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh.” Gal. 5:13.

It is possible that those addressed took, in its broadest sense, the worldly definition of liberty: “The power in every rational agent to make his choice and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily in accordance with reason and motives.” It is true that every soul has the power of freely

making his choice of the master he will follow, but he must at last receive the results of that choice, whether a wise or an unwise one. It is not even in the province of the gospel to compel him to follow the right, but to admonish, as did Peter when he spoke of the believers as being “free, and not using . . . liberty for a cloak of maliciousness [“extreme enmity or disposition to injure.”—Webster], but as the servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16.

While it is true that Christ promised the Spirit to abide with his people to the end, and sent it to reprove the world of sin, and to teach of righteousness and of judgment to come, yet he committed the preaching of the gospel to men. Even the Holy Ghost in its work made men “overseers.” So at Miletus Paul said to the elders of the church whom he had called from Ephesus: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28.

The apostles of Christ had found that men left to themselves, were liable, like those in the days of Ezekiel and Malachi, to “follow their own spirit” (Eze. 13:3), and needed to take heed to their spirit, lest they “deal treacherously.”

Speaking of his own duties, the apostle Paul said that on him rested “the care of all the churches.” 2 Cor. 11:28. This led him to visit personally as far as possible each individual church; but seeing that this could not be, he gave them instruction how to proceed, and said, “If I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Tim. 3:15.

He gave instruction to Timothy in reference to the proper persons to be selected as elders and deacons. Of the elder—“overseer”—he said, “One that ruleth well his own house, . . . for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” 1 Tim. 3:4, 5. Still further in the same book, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.” 1 Tim. 5:17.

To the Hebrews he said, “Obey them that have the rule over you, . . . for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Heb. 13:17.

In his letter to Titus it seems that Paul commissioned him to organize churches. Some have intimated that all Titus was to do was to have elders and deacons elected. Let us consider what is stated: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting.” Titus 1:5. Was the appointing of elders and deacons all that was wanting? It seems from the reading that there was something to be done besides that. It reads: “Set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” If, as suggested by some, everything in apostolic times was managed by the Holy Ghost, and no authority placed upon any human being, how was it that Paul was appointing Titus to do this kind of work? He does not say, “The Holy Ghost alone set you about this work,” but, “I had appointed thee.”

It would seem from Peter’s instruction to the elders that some authority was placed in their hands, and their danger was of abusing that authority. He says, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2, 3. To Titus Paul said, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:15.

It appears then, in a church raised up by those who had imparted to some of the believers the Holy Ghost, even by the laying on of hands, differences arose, and it became needful to have overseers, who, in the fear of God, would seek to correct evils in the church, rather than to let everything go on haphazard, under the plea that the Holy Ghost was to do all the correcting, and no one in the church might say to another, “Why do ye so?”

Healdsburg, Cal.