5 Things That Agreeing-to-Disagree Doesn't Mean

The bible speaks of many important truths. Core gospel truths (such as the virgin birth, the substitutionary atonement, the resurrection) are worth dying for. As followers of Jesus Christ, there is no room for agreeing-to-disagree on these issues.

The bible also speaks about other important issues that are secondary to the gospel. These issues (such as baptism, spiritual gifts, the church in general) are serious ones and should be discussed. Despite their importance, these issues are not worth dying for. In fact, they are not worth dividing over either. We know this because the bible never tells us to divide from other Christians. The dividing line is the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).

As Christians, when we are discussing secondary issues, we should agree-to-disagree when we cannot come to a resolution. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, it shows both unity and humility.

I have heard the idea of agreeing-to-disagree criticized by some Christians. I believe they view this as theological compromise. I disagree.

Part of the problem is a misunderstanding over what agreeing-to-disagree actually means. On the positive side, it means that Christians can remain united while disagreeing over important issues.

On the flip side of the coin, below are five things that agreeing-to-disagree does not mean:

1. The issue isn't important to you. Just because you remain united with someone who disagrees with you, this does not mean that the issue isn't important to you. For example, I strongly believe that only believers in Christ should be baptized. Despite this, I'm not going to divide from those who hold to infant baptism.

2. You don't care about the issue. This is closely related to number 1. You may care deeply about it. Agreeing-to-disagree does not show apathy. It does not equal compromise.

3. All ideas are relative. Some people will say that everything is relative and that truth doesn't matter and/or exist. When you agree-to-disagree, you are not saying this. You are not caving on the truth by remaining united with those you disagree with.

4. There is no absolute truth. This is, obviously, closely related to number 3. In our postmodern society it is fashionable to insist that, especially in religious matters, absolute truth is nonexistent. That is simply not what you are implying when you agree-to-disagree.

5. You don't hold strong convictions. This is one of the primary charges against those who don't divide over secondary doctrines. It is simply false. You may hold very strong convictions about these doctrines. When you agree-to-disagree, you are also showing that you hold strong convictions about the doctrine of the unity of the church. Those who divide over secondary doctrines cannot say the same of themselves.

I strongly encourage you to think about what doctrines/issues are worth dividing over. In other words, what issues does the bible instruct us to divide over? The bible tells us that it is the gospel and the gospel alone. In light of this, we must ask why denominations even exist. We know that Christ prayed for His church to be united. He never prayed for denominations.

When you desire to remain united with brothers and sisters in Christ, you will have to sometimes agree-to-disagree. When you do this, you show both humility and unity. Also, you are not caving on the truth or implying that you don't have strong convictions.

Hold to the truth. Know what you believe. Unite with other Christians. Be humble. Be willing to agree-to-disagree.

Without the Bible, It's All Relative

We live in this strange postmodern society where everything seems to be relative. Truth, if it even exists, is up for grabs. One person's beliefs and opinions, no matter how outrageous, are seen as just as valid as anyone else's. In fact, the only thing you cannot do is say that one idea is better than another.

You know all this. We are surrounded by it every day.

So what do we do in light of this? As Christians, we look for a source of absolute truth. We know the source of that truth is the bible. Without a source of absolute truth, everything becomes relative. With a source of absolute truth, relativism is destroyed. What is right and what is wrong can be known. We can know God's truth because He has stated it clearly in the bible.

We know all this.

Just as a reminder about what the bible has to say about itself, here are a few verses:

Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." (ESV)

Isaiah 55:8, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord."

II Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."

Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

We Christians quickly say that the bible is true and authoritative. The interesting thing is that while we always say the bible is true, we often hesitate to say the bible is authoritative in all areas. Specifically, we certainly say the bible has authority where it commands, but we often shy away from saying the bible is authoritative in what it models for us.

Why is this? It must be because we do some things that are not modeled for us in the bible, but we want to keep doing them. This is the case in day-to-day living and in the gathering of the church.

The problem with this is that we, when we reject the biblical model, are creeping toward relativism in certain areas. How do we know if what we are doing as individuals or as a church is the right thing to do? What do we look to? If we have rejected the biblical model, then we have nowhere else to go. All ideas are up for grabs. There are no absolutes because we have rejected the absolute that was modeled for us in the bible.

The interesting thing in all this is that the bible says that we have been given all we need to live as God wants us to. In II Peter 1:3, Peter writes, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (emphasis mine). We have been given all things we need to know to please God.

What Peter is saying is that the bible is sufficient. We do not need anything else. We do not need to look anywhere else. We do not need to come up with ideas on our own.

When it comes to decision-making in life, we have two options: the bible or relativism. Which will we select?

With the absolute truth of scripture (commanded or modeled), we know exactly what to do. Without the bible, it's all relative.