We tend to like the idea of balance. Eat a balanced breakfast. Maintain a healthy work/life balance. Balance your checkbook. Balance your budget. Balance is desirable.
As preachers, we ought to recognize the power of our words and exercise extra caution in how we use them, since “we who teach will be judged with greater strictness,” and “if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man.” We don’t want people to misconstrue what we’re teaching and pursue unwise or unbiblical paths because we failed to narrow the scope of application, so we try to give examples or warnings to balance out what we’re saying. How many times have you or someone you’ve learned under said something like this:
“Now, this passage doesn’t teach that we should all sell everything we own…”
“When James says ‘faith without works is dead,’ we need to remember what Paul wrote in Romans…”
“Please don’t go up to your boss and quit your job tomorrow…”
“You better not get in an argument with your spouse on the way home today because ‘Pastor said that you have to…'”
“I’m not telling you to…”
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus, Matthew 5:17
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” Paul, 1 Corinthians 5:9-10
“I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” John, 1 John 2:21.
As good as the practice of balance is in our preaching, we must not always be balanced. Yes, I’m saying we need balance in our use of balance. Here’s what I mean. Sometimes a passage is intentionally extreme in order to confound, amaze, and make an emphatic point. Consider Matthew 5:29,
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
If you check the rest of the context, you won’t find Jesus balancing this statement. He doesn’t say, “Now, I don’t mean that you should literally gouge out your eyes…” He doesn’t say, “I’m not telling you to gouge out your spouse’s eye because you know it’s been leading them to sin…” Why not? For one, he can reasonably assume no one is going to actually gouge out their or someone else’s eyes. Secondly, it would so “balance” his statement as to negate its power.
Excellent article Andrew!
“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” Nehemiah 8:8
I like this verse because it brings into focus exactly what you have mentioned here. Some argue over the meaning…but, “caused them to understand” is a good practice. Some times that takes some time and patience. I know it does when I’m learning!
Blessings,
Chris
Thank you!
“This text doesn’t really say what it says…”
I cringe every time I hear a preacher or teacher say words to that effect. Of course, we are supposed to teach people what the words of the Bible mean. But in the process let’s not say they do not say what the congregation just read and heard us read. I suspect we preachers would be surprised just how often our attempt at explaining the scripture seems to contradict the words of scripture.
Andrew, your example of James is a good one. If we correctly teach James, what he said won’t contradict what Paul said. But when we “apologize” for James saying what he said about works, and then say he didn’t really say it, we are doing something wrong. And we probably have all either preached James 2 that way, or heard James 2 preached that way.
” this really doesn’t mean what it says”
Yeah, What James said doesn’t exist in a vacuum…and doesn’t contradict what Paul said.. And neither does what Paul said exist in a vacuum or contradict what James said…Explaining them together gives the fuller context of what Scripture teaches.
Tarheel, not sure I am following you. Are you saying that we must (usually) refer to Paul when preaching James on justification? If so, would it also follow that we must (usually) refer to James when preaching Paul on justification?
Yes. What James says and what Paul says -together – make up what scripture teaches on justification.
My point is that neither cancels or voids the other – both texts being “God breathed” are essential to a full understanding.
Thanks. No disagreement here — both texts (and a lot of others) are essential to a full understanding. Nevertheless, I think we often present a stilted version of James 2 by being too self-absorbed about getting on the wrong side of works for salvation (which we obviously don’t want to do) and then wind up preaching Romans instead of James. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it.
Yeah…I know those “other preachers” do that around here too… 😉