Freedom in Christ

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     No innovation has ever been introduced into the church of God by an avowed enemy of truth. Every digression which has turned the community of saints into a battleground of intestine strife was led by those who thought they were doing God service. The sincerity of man is no guarantee of his spiritual rightness. This solemn fact should give rise to sober judgment. Every man should weigh his own actions in the light of this historical truth and remember that nobler and wiser men than himself have gone astray. Good intentions will not necessarily protect against deviation from and destruction of the faith.

     Those who are inclined to follow men because of their manifest abilities, skills, wisdom or humility, should proceed cautiously in view of the wrecks which line the highway of life. We should carefully weigh what men say in the scales of divine revelation. Too often we measure the teaching of the Bible by what a favorite preacher says, instead of measuring what he teaches by what the Bible says! A commentary is good if used as a commentary instead of a yardstick; a paper such as this one is good if used as a medium of stimulating thought instead of as a criterion.

     In short, we should not be led to question the motives of all who differ from our position. We should not assume that others are dishonest simply because they disagree with us, or vice versa. We should not measure them by ourselves, nor should we measure ourselves by them. To do so is to demonstrate a woeful lack of wisdom. But we should be reluctant to follow any person on earth. No man among us is perfect in all matters. All of us lack knowledge in some fields, all of us lack some knowledge in all fields. Preachers may be conscientious, earnest, sincere -- and wrong! Religious papers but express the sentiments of their editors and contributors. They are all beset with human failings. They must not become measuring reeds!

     No good man will want other men to follow him blindly; anyone who does so is not a good man. Our task is to teach men to read, think and speak for themselves. Each person, regardless of how lowly or uneducated, must formulate his own convictions. The ecclesia of God is in a healthy state when men question, challenge and test their leaders; nothing is so detrimental to spiritual

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welfare as a supine state of resignation in which we are robots instead of robust men. Exercise your freedom and you will keep it; allow it to die and you will die with it!