The Fight for Orthodoxy—What Kind of Spirit?
April 16, 2007
Dear Friends,
In Luke 9 we have the strange account of James and John wanting to destroy a whole village. Jesus is going to Jerusalem via Samaria and tries to stop, presumably for an overnight stay, in a Samaritan village. The villagers refuse to receive him. James and John then make this odd suggestion. “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” (v. 54 NJB)
What an incredible statement! James and John want to destroy an entire village by fire. We don’t know how large this village was, but let’s assume it was at least 25 people. Imagine suggesting to Jesus that we burn 25 people alive!
Where did they get this idea from? (1) No doubt they are thinking of the account in 2 Kings where Elijah calls down fire from heaven on the armies sent to retrieve him by King Ahaziah. In this incident, one hundred men die at the hands of the prophet of God.
So here we have two men that have trained at the feet of Jesus for three years. They are good men – decent, honest, dedicated. They have seen all of the compassion, kindness and mercy of Jesus firsthand for three years. They have even been among the privileged three who were able to see and experience more than the other apostles. Yet, at this late date, they simply don’t get it. They are rebuked by the Lord. He tells them “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of.” Something important has changed. Their Old Testament example of Elijah no longer works or is appropriate.
The dispensation of calling fire down from heaven on our enemies was over. Jesus was teaching “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you” as opposed burning alive individuals who did not show us proper hospitality. We can attribute James and John’s misstep here to an honest misread of the Scriptures. We can attribute it to their racial and national prejudice against the Samaritans. We really don’t know. We do know, however that these otherwise good, Biblically sound brethren were grossly out of line. Their zeal for the Lord was misplaced. What Paul said concerning his brethren could equally be said of the confused apostles here – “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” (Rom. 10:2)
As we bring to a close this series on the fight for orthodoxy, we bring this incident to the fore to make the point clear; we are of a new spirit. The days of calling fire from heaven down on those who disagree with us is over. God’s truth will prevail only if those who believe in it follow it in the spirit of Christ. Misplaced zeal has been the engine behind all sorts of atrocities throughout history. We must know what spirit we are of.
It seems to me that the last word on what is or is not orthodox must of necessity lie with the individual. Individuals acting on their own conscience and in accord with their own understanding of the Scripture determine what, for them, is acceptable doctrine and behavior. The larger group can then accept or deny this individual and vice versa. However, individual’s conscience cannot be coerced or legislated. This type of orthodoxy does not come in a statement of faith or a magazine. It comes when brethren, full of conviction, agree to act according to sound Biblical principle regardless of the cost. To those who fancy themselves the keepers of the faith, this arrangement sounds akin to anarchy and will not be tolerated. How can individuals possibly be allowed that amount of freedom? There will be consequences; there always have been since Cain hit his brother in the head with a rock.
Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there must be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening. Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who has no need to be ashamed, but who keeps the message of truth on a straight path. Have nothing to do with godless philosophical discussions, they only lead further and further away from true religion. Talk of this kind spreads corruption like gangrene, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus, the men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting some people’s faith. However, God’s solid foundation-stone stands firm, and this is the seal on it: “The Lord knows those who are his own. (2 Tim. 2:14–18 NJB)
Have a great week,
(1) The KJV includes the phrase “even as Elias did” in Luke 9:54, but modern scholarship suggests that this was not in the original text. Regardless of whether or not it was in the original, it seems reasonably certain that this was the account being referred to in the text.
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