“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.“
God’s truth is not always an easy thing to pinpoint in the world of human affairs. I had an occasion today in which a discussion emerged among congregation members surrounding a theological point of difference. To me it wasn’t a large issue, but it was big enough for a couple of members to voice their disapprobation and risk ill feelings. Who’s right and who’s wrong? It wasn’t a question of morals or ethics, of Christian values or discipleship. It was whether or not the figure of Christ as represented on a cross, that is, a crucifix, is considered “idolatry,” and ought to be forbidden. Having a Catholic upbringing, I found the notion startling, I grew up surrounded by the image of Jesus on the cross, and to me the crucifix is an image representing Jesus’ great sacrifice in dying for our sins. His glorious resurrection could only occur three days after he had died a brutal death on the cross. But there it was… a schism.
These differences are human differences, disparate ideas and notions that we ourselves create. Theological notions such as these are not God’s truths nor are they God’s ways. These differences cause rips in the fabric of Christian community. God teaches us and we need to listen to him if we want to know the truth. We wait upon the Lord to show us his ways and to lead us into the truth; but we have to listen to him and to the words he speaks into our hearts. This is what conviction is, a response to God’s instruction as it relates to the individual heart of which the Lord has taken possession. God’s truth does not end in division or discord; God’s truth binds us together in love.
Tell Out My Soul 
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