In a rope, you have a bunch of strands that are twisted together around a common core. The strength of the rope is in the cohesion of those strands. As long as all the strands continue to be tightly wrapped together, the rope remains strong. As soon as one lets loose, you have the beginnings of a disaster. Soon others in the vicinity of that one will also let loose. They will become frayed. The rope weakens. And eventually with sufficient outside pressure and sufficient strands that have let loose, you have a break.
This is also a description of Christian orthodoxy. To the extent that each individual is wrapped together with each other individual to a common core, Christian orthodoxy is strong. All believers, clinging together as one (what the Bible terms "unity"), are strong. When one lets loose of that core, you will begin to see an overall weakening. What core? "The foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone." (Eph 2:20) What do we have today of the Apostles and Prophets and Christ. We have God's Word. As long as the strands remain tighly wrapped around that core, there is common unity and common orthodoxy -- strength.
The strands unravel. They unravel by letting loose of the core. Oh, usually it's not all at once. "Yes, the Bible is God's Word. I'm just not convinced that I need to hold to every aspect." For instance, some argue that Paul's writings preempt all other texts. The strands loosen. "Yes," it might start, "the Bible is 'God's Word,' but not the entire Bible. It contains God's Word." Parts of our Bible are and parts are not God's Word and we have to identify which is which. The strands loosen. Or "Sure, the Bible is God's Word, but it's not the entirety of God's Word. God is constantly revealing new things to us today." As they contradict the Bible, the strands loosen. And so it goes.
It seems to be an unavoidable sequence. Over and over we've seen self-professed believers who appear to cling tightly to God's Word until they come across something -- often just one thing -- that they feel they need to deviate on. "It's okay. It's just one thing." But it's not long before it's two, then more. It's not long before it's peripheral, then important, then essential. It's not because there is disagreement. It's because of the heart that has let loose of the core and is ready to travel its own path. The strands loosen, then they take other strands with them, then there is a break.
We are a building being fitted together into a holy temple of the Lord (Eph 2:21). As such we ought to be wrapped around a common core -- the Apostles, the Prophets, and Christ at the center. That core cannot be variable or subjective. "What's true for you may not be true for me." It cannot be or it is not a foundation. We are assured that many will go out from us (1 John 2:18-20); no need to be surprised that it happens. What is critical is that we continue to cling to the core, the common faith, the Word of God. It is dangerous to let go, dangerous for us and dangerous for those around us.
3 comments:
I've got a partially formed picture in my mind based on this. I'm trying to express the fact that there is always a central core of Truth that never quite seems to fray, and that we'll see new strands or splices that come around that central core that repair the frayed areas or strengthen the weak areas.
Hope that makes some sense.
Yes, the analogy of the rope breaks down at some point (no pun intended, but ...). The "rope" that is the Church doesn't actually break. The loss -- breakage -- is actually to the "strands."
That’s where my mind was headed. But that there’s also a sense where new strands get spliced in also. More acknowledging of new believers than new beliefs.
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