Once, while discussing Closed Communion with a skeptical LCMS member, she asked me "Do you think it PLEEEASES God?"
Having to think on my feet, I answered something like this:
"No, I don't think it pleases God that we (Christians) can't all commune together. It's a sign of our disunity and the many false teachings out there. But neither would it please God if we swept such differences under the rug, acting like they don't exist. Christians are to be loving AND truthful, and acting like there aren't important disagreements is neither truthful, nor truly loving."
Excellent response!
ReplyDeleteAs long as you serve in Christ's church on this side of glory and desire to remain faithful to the Word of God you will be called upon to contend for "closed communion." It will not matter where you serve, how well catechized they are, or what their tradition and practice has been. This is always a painful and personal practice. Folks who say "amen" to it today can become severly bothered tomorrow when their daughter marries someone of a differing confession. Why will it not end? Because the Church's unity won't be evident, nor her doctrine fully pure, until you are no longer serving on this side of glory.
ReplyDeleteHang in there. You can't make it palatible, but you can tell the truth and you have.
Yours in Christ,
Petersen