Being Right and Wrong at the Same Time

I love being right. That quiet satisfaction and subtle ego boost that happens when outside factors prove me right in an argument or circumstances support my stance can be as addicting as cigarettes. The more I'm right, the more I want to be right, and eventually I get to the point where there is nothing better than being right.I'm not alone. Most people want to be right. There are talk shows, radio shows, books, magazines, blogs, all extolling the same virtue and working from the same presupposition: "I'm right and you're wrong!" It would almost seem like "being right" is the greatest accomplishment a person can attain to. It's almost like the meaning of life is to be able to get to the end of it and tell the world, "I told you so."This is certainly true about the church. At seminary, I am constantly overhearing and participating in conversations about the rightness of one theological nuance over another. A brief look at church history would show split after split over differences in interpretation of doctrine, all because both sides hold to being right. That's not to say that all of these disagreements were insignificant, but there is a problem when we see the effect being right has had on Christian unity.Last week I asked the question how do we maintain Christian unity. It would seem that the greatest enemy of unity is the driving need for us to be right. But does this mean that we accept wrong things for the sake of unity? There needs to be room in the church for us to disagree without disbanding.

Being Right is Wrong When...

1. It's More Important than the Person Marriage has taught me this one the hard way. If Lauren and I are arguing, even over something trivial, and my goal is to prove that I'm right regardless of how it makes her feel, everybody loses. I think most of us would agree that this is a bad habit to form in a marriage. However, I'm not sure if we would see it that way when it comes to the church. I've seen Christian brothers and sisters berated in public for not holding to five point Calvinism or not being willing to call Rob Bell an outright heretic or thinking there might be something we can learn from Catholicism. The "berater" will walk away with a self-righteous victory for having "defended truth" (as though it needed us to do so) and leave behind a broken, embarrassed, and outcast believer. If being right means destroying somebody else, it's wrong.2. When It's Motivated by PrideThere are reasons to fight for and seek out what is right. This is especially true of things with regard to the Scriptures. If we are to preach the Bible, learn from it, live by it, then we need to be careful to be as right as we can. This should be our motivation in the church to be right. Sadly, I don't think it is most of the time. I know its not for myself. Most heated theological, political, social, or philosophical conversations I get into are about boosting my pride. I argue because I like to hear myself talk. As Christians, we can become so enamored by the clever ways we defend our opinion that it doesn't matter if we're right; our attitude makes us wrong.3. When it Divides the Spirit1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” Because of the English translation of the verse, most people miss the fact that this verse is referring to the second person plural. Paul is warning the Corinthian church about dividing the church over arguments because God's Spirit is One and cannot be divided. Unity to God is not a small matter, it is not a side note. Nowhere in the Bible does God say I want my whole Church to be right, no matter what. Jesus does however pray that his church "might be one as He and the Father are one" (John 17:21). When God sanctified us through his Blood and gave us the gift of his Spirit, we became bound by the same bond shared amongst the Trinity. THIS IS IMPORTANT! When being right means dividing the Spirit's bond amongst his saints, we are attempting to divide God!My prayer is that as we disagree (which we will) that we do so in a way that promotes and deepens the unity amongst believers. I hope that God will continue to break the selfish desire ingrained in me to be right all the time. For the sake of his church and his glory!