Ben Brinkerhoff - Class 4: Forbearance in Unity

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   This is day four of the 2019 Idlewild Bible School. Our second period teacher is Brother Ben Brinkerhoff. His general topic is unity in Ephesus, the story of the ecclesia in Ephesus. Today's topic is forbearance in unity. Brother Ben. Thank you, Brother Ryan, and apologies for being late. The kids had questions, and the Bible school has been emphasizing to me over and over and over again that they are more important than you are. So tough.

2. 0:32

   All right. So what does it really mean to seek after unity? You'd be underwhelmed how little I know practically of the subject. As I was writing this Bible class series, my ecclesia was ripped apart at the seams by one of those classic controversies of ecclesial life. And on each side of this controversy was a strong will. Both sides had their arguments, reasoned from Scripture, and as the process of ecclesial discussions continued, it became pretty clear that the sides were getting farther apart and not closer together.

3. 1:19

   In Ephesians, Paul makes clear that the basis of our unity is our common need for mercy, by which we are united in one body that Jesus had in common with all men. Could Paul's dealings in Ephesus provide a guide to controversies in the present age? I suppose there's alternatives to Paul's approach. Perhaps we could seek unity on the basis that there's no real evil and sin. In fact, it simply doesn't matter what we've done.

4. 2:04

   There's no need for mercy here because we haven't done anything wrong. Or perhaps we could press for unity on the basis that we prescriptively follow a legal remedy. Perhaps wrecking more havoc as we do so.

5. 2:24

   There's no need for mercy here because by keeping the law, we've made ourselves right. To say we've done no sin makes mercy of no effect. To unthinkingly keep the law and thus making ourselves right makes mercy of no effect.

6. 2:47

   So on what basis should we seek for unity? Law? The Jews' approach? Indifference to sin? The Nicolaitan approach? Or a common need for mercy? Paul's approach.

7. 3:05

   Surely there could be one way forward. That all sin is understood, accepted, and confessed. That everyone appreciates that we are all in need of mercy. Each one of us. Thirdly, that we understand that a formulaic keeping of any law will not reconcile us to God, nor necessarily affect our hearts and minds.

8. 3:41

   And lastly, that we seek forgiveness on the basis that he is right in this and in all things, and we ask for mercy granted through the Lord Jesus Christ. On this basis, a sinner can turn and change their ways. But we consider all of God's principles, all of them, rather just a few laws to determine the best course of action.

9. 4:06

   Now, how many conflicts and ecclesias boil down to these issues? I'm looking at some of the brethren now that have sat on arranging boards for decades. One side recognizes a sin. One side recognizes a sin, and they require a specific legal remedy-based reconciliation. The other side denies it's a sin. They accuse the first side of unrighteous judgment.

10. 4:36

    Both sides argue, trying to determine who's right, when in fact both have taken a wrong approach. I know it's perhaps unusual to speak as candidly as I am here. It'd be much easier for me just to point out a few verses from the Scripture.

11. 5:00

    But for these lessons to have power to change us, we have to see their application. In my case, I wasn't even looking for an application. An application found me. But when you're in the middle of a controversy, it's very hard to see clearly. I can rationally speak about this now, but don't be mistaken.

12. 5:22

    I struggle to apply these lessons. In regards to the issues in my collegiate, I unsurprisingly held a view that we need to unify on the principle of God's mercy coupled with God's righteousness.

13. 5:39

    Unfortunately, in regards to that view, I felt I was right. And that's where I went wrong. I'd like to take the rest of this talk to explain that.

14. 5:57

    What do I mean? I mean, I didn't just have this view, brothers and sisters. I felt this view. I felt this view in the depths of my heart, and I took sides. As I heard the other side argue its case, I found myself getting caught up in emotion. I was offended. I began to get angry with the brethren on the other side.

15. 6:24

    I started to judge them. I would have conversations in my head with them, and I would win those conversations. I say this, then you say that, then I say this, then you say that, then I say this, and you're left stunningly speechless. So here I am doing a Bible study on unity, and in my own heart I felt anything but unity.

16. 6:52

    And I knew I needed to change. Sinning in my heart by judging these other brethren or having bitterness was wrong, no matter what the views those other brethren held. So I needed a distance from all this. I had to get my head straight. So I emailed one of the arranging brothers, Brother Paul, and I explained that I needed to break from these ecclesial discussions.

17. 7:21

    I wasn't of any value in the discussions anyways because I was bitter and I couldn't listen. Simultaneous with this, I started doing two things most every night. The first thing I did was I prayed earnestly for the unity of the ecclesia. And the second thing was I prayed individually for the specific brethren with which I most ardently disagreed.

18. 7:52

    A study I did on resentment taught me to do that. Thankfully, Bible study isn't all academic. And I used the prayer found in Ephesians chapter 3. Next, I started looking at the example of my wife.

19. 8:14

    I observed that my wife was going out of her way to show love to the brethren and sisters with whom she disagreed on the issue. She would bake for them. She would visit them. She would invite them over and show them love when and how she could. She even did the most amazing thing of all.

20. 8:39

    She would listen to them. Even when she didn't agree. I was very impressed by that. It just happened that the next weekend after I stepped aside from our discussions, a brother with whom I held the opposite view went out of his way to show kindness to me and my son.

21. 9:11

    I detail it, but I think it's probably left unsaid. These talks are recorded. He probably thought nothing of it, but given where my heart was at the time, I didn't really have words to thank him enough. He didn't ask for anything in return. I think he just did it because he loved us.

22. 9:30

    And this is one of the brethren with whom I was angry. How wrong I was. He did nothing that day, but show me and my son love and kindness and generosity. And that day, his actions changed my thinking. What does it mean, brothers and sisters, when it says, as James would remind us, to love our brethren?

23. 10:05

    It's not saying to them, be warmed and filled. It's warming and filling. Fine, we say, we're happy to do that. Who doesn't want to help a brother in need?

24. 10:18

    But what if you disagree with that brother or sister? What then? Jesus says in Luke 6, verse 32, for if you love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them.

25. 10:44

    Do you think that brother talked about the controversy in the Ecclesia with me? Do you think he tried to win me over to his side? Do you think he pressured me with his point of view? It didn't come up.

26. 10:56

    Instead, through actions of love, he enabled a feeling in me that I was willing to reciprocate his kindness. And shortly thereafter, I came to three conclusions regarding this specific ecclesial controversy.

27. 11:15

    Firstly, I concluded that no matter what the brothers and sisters' other view on this controversy was, I loved them and I wouldn't stop loving them whatever view they held.

28. 11:30

    The second conclusion I had was I wasn't going to run away. This is my Ecclesia and I was going to serve in that Ecclesia.

29. 11:40

    The third thing I concluded was I wasn't going to try to convince my brothers and sisters of my view by arguing with them. I wouldn't even try to argue. I would just discuss as appropriate besides trying to argue about mercy just seems like a contradiction.

30. 12:04

    My view on the underlying matter didn't change but my attitude did which is probably more important. I've done a much better job listening to others. I no longer hold resentment towards anyone. I've done yeah, based on what?

31. 12:26

    Based on someone else's love and fervent prayer. I found that as I prayed each night the prayer of unity in Ephesians and I prayed specifically for the brethren with whom I most ardently disagreed that my heart softened maybe not for the first two weeks but then softened and softened and it softened. So the issue finally came to a head in Ecclesia.

32. 12:55

    What would we do about this matter? It became clear that to persist in indecision would split the Ecclesia. So I was left with this decision. Do I follow my conscience knowing that the Ecclesia may likely split as a result or is Ecclesial divorce if such a term exists is that such a grievous sin that I put the matter down for a time?

33. 13:27

    In other words do I need to seek for Ecclesial unity when I'm right? or when I think I'm right? In that moment of decision it was to Ephesians my mind turned and I called all the Ecclesia to look at these words together and the words were found in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 2 to 3 which we read this morning.

34. 14:00

    And after all the Bible study and all the talk of Nicolaitans etc finally this verse made sense to me. A choice for unity however short lived it turned out to be was a choice to suffer long. It was a choice to forbear in love it was a choice to be low. What does it mean to forbear in love?

35. 14:34

    It means to bear or endure. It's the word that Paul uses in Romans 3 for how God dealt with sin prior to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. God didn't accept sin God didn't tolerate sin as the words used in modern times he endured it till it could be forgiven through the work of Jesus.

36. 14:55

    Forbearance in love means we bear and endure what isn't right because we are trying to work out the truth in time. You see the world suggests that we advocate tolerance right? That's tolerance.

37. 15:21

    It's acceptance but in honesty the ecclesia does not have the liberty to do that. See tolerance is a willing to accept ideas and beliefs different than your own and that has a lot of merit in regards to my own self-centered ideas with I'm trying to foist on you but I can't do that in regards to God's truth and his righteousness right?

38. 15:46

    I don't have the liberty to change God's truth because I want to or to accept something that God doesn't accept. The ecclesia can't tolerate or accept views opposed to God's. That's really not our prerogative brothers and sisters. The Bible never uses the word tolerance. The English word tolerance is not found in the King James Version.

39. 16:10

    It actually doesn't appear in most modern versions either and where it is used it's a mistranslation of the word forbearance. Let's turn to one of those places to illustrate the point right? So this is Romans chapter 2 verse 4 in the New American Standard Bible.

40. 16:30

    Or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and tolerance and patience not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? See tolerance as the NASB which is actually most of the time a very good translation. So I don't want to disparage the NASB here but tolerance as the NASB uses it in Romans chapter 2 verse 4 is really forbearance.

41. 16:55

    See the verse defines the issue perfectly. God doesn't tolerate sin rather he forbears with it in order to lead you to repentance. There's no need for repentance with tolerance or acceptance but there is with forbearance and that's the crux of the difference.

42. 17:18

    Could I forbear the way Paul asks of me keeping the bond of peace even though to do so would be opposed to my view and in my understanding opposed to God's view as well.

43. 17:32

    In my case choosing to forbear felt bad. choosing unity felt bad. Do you know how long suffering feels to me? It feels bad. Do you know how meekness feels to me? You guys might have guessed. when I get down to the crunch everything Paul asks of me in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 2 and 3 feel bad.

44. 18:12

    So a decision for unity is a deliberate and painful choice to act in contrast to my belief on the issue because the greater principle of ecclesial unity was at stake.

45. 18:31

    Wasn't that the essence of Paul's message in Ephesians chapter 4? By choosing unity I choose in essence to endure and bear the contradiction of my view. I was not going to have it my way and in my heart I felt my way was the right way. It was God's way even though first principles at least defined as by the BASF were in question here.

46. 18:57

    So unity felt like I was abandoning my principles and it felt like I was abandoning my conscience. As Paul suggests unity required lowliness. It requires me to put down self to see a larger principle at stake to bear in love those that disagree with me by hoping that they would bear in love me in return.

47. 19:21

    I'm not sure what you think of my little example. It's my attempt to make these things real because I don't think this is an academic issue.

48. 19:35

    The choice to forbear is a real one. And it's a technique we see Paul using in Ephesians when reaching out to those in the ecclesia that I think we're starting to drift towards Nicolaitan views. So the question I put to you is this. Is there room in our ecclesias to exercise forbearance for the sake of unity?

49. 20:03

    There must be because Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 to 3 I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness with long suffering forbearing one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace now I believe we see in the letter to the Ephesians a good example of Paul forbearing with brethren from which he disagreed that he might win them over time to the truth I suggest this because I think there's ample evidence that when writing to the Ephesians Paul was really at least in part trying to appeal to those that had started to have Nicolaitan ideas I'll attempt to show evidence for that in a moment and if that's true then Paul's words to exhort to unity are all the more impressive because it means that Paul is encouraging unity in a group that probably held some divergent ideas it's a group where forbearance wasn't just a nice idea it was a necessary quality indeed the fact that forbearance lowliness and meekness are suggested to the Ephesians really tells us that unity is not found by whittling down the ecclesia removing all who dare disagree so that we're left with a group of very scared or very weird people you guys know what that means unity is found by taking a group of people with divergent views some with misguided ones some with naive ones and with forbearance and love consistently and persistently encouraging right teaching is such a thing possible it better be because most of you have

50. 22:01

    stories about me being a really terror when I was young right but there was a bit of forbearance wasn't there you know boy imagine if you would have saved yourself a bit of trouble I'm sure right would have saved yourself a little pain and inconvenience probably right but you forbear we understand this principle with children sometimes when people get to be adults we forget that that principle is still a principle so can I demonstrate this in Ephesians I think I can now look at I want to look at Paul's prayer in chapter one I know that the Nicolaitans emphasized as you know because of prior classes they emphasized they had a special knowledge or gnosis now that word gnosis knowledge doesn't really capture the idea it wasn't just knowledge but rather it was revelation an enlightenment an awakening of the spirit now you might recall that brother Mansfield quoted from the encyclopedia Britannica and I'll just reproduce that quote below to emphasize these points in case they're forgotten or some of you have showed up earlier in the week read there all the majority of the followers of the movement gnosis among the majority of the followers of the movement gnosis was understood not as meaning knowledge or understanding in our sense of the word but revelation these little gnostic sects all and groups all lived in the conviction that they possessed a secret and mysterious knowledge in no way accessible to those outside and not based on reflection on scientific inquiry and proof but on revelation it was derived from the times of primitive Christianity and from the Savior himself and his disciples and friends

51. 23:48

    they thought with whom they claimed to be connected by secret tradition or else from later prophets of whom many sects boasted so Paul prays for the believers in Ephesians chapter 1 with this prayer now keeping in mind what noxics believed knowledge I now want you to consider that in light of this prayer okay Ephesians chapter 1 verses 15 to 18 wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the God of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints so Paul prays that the believers would grow in wisdom in revelation in enlightenment and in knowledge wow so you can see that those that had gnostic leanings in the ecclesia being really supportive of this prayer but was Paul supporting their view well there's nothing wrong at all with the prayer itself the prayer itself is fine and we can understand how those principles are all true can't we but certainly did emphasize the gnostic point of view so what's Paul doing I believe Paul is forbearing see he knows brethren with those views exist in the ecclesia and I think he's building a bridge based on common ground but it's common ground that he's going to use later to help them see a greater

52. 26:00

    truth so he starts by saying here's the bridge here's the common ground do you believe that's true I believe that's true we can grow in knowledge and in enlightenment and revelation we can grow I think those things are true too Paul is saying so let's build a bridge I can see how that's true but then what's going to happen in Ephesians chapter 4 which we read today now remember that Nicoladians taught that knowledge and enlightenment was the pinnacle of spiritual development they also taught that they could forsake the moral teaching of Christ so how should Paul counter these false doctrines

53. 26:45

    them saying you're wrong now we try that technique often in the Ecclesia you're wrong doesn't work very well but we give it a go good old college try right now he could do that but Paul uses subtler and better methods instead he uses their belief about knowledge to show the contradiction ! in their doctrine so I want to summarize Paul's argument before I quote from Ephesians chapter 4 okay so this is a summary of what we're going to read in Ephesians chapter 4 and I've outlined it 1 to 5 so you can see how the argument develops okay alright so Paul's argument is this if you believe that knowledge is so !

54. 27:36

    important and if you think that this knowledge makes you better than the unenlightened and the ignorant and the blind and you observe that the ignorant and the blind greedily give themselves over to unbridled lust in excess in every unpure thing as if they can't get enough then doesn't it stand to reason that through your enlightenment you stop acting like the unenlightened wouldn't you put to death the ignorant life and lead an enlightened life based on righteousness and holiness essentially Paul asks if you're enlightened why do you act like the unenlightened why don't you act like Jesus did he was the most enlightened one of all and his famous line here is but ye have not so learned Christ you have not so learned Christ so see if we can follow this as I read this passage from Ephesians chapter 4 starting at verse 17 I've numbered the same numbering I used for the five points I mentioned earlier this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth !

55. 29:25

    walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness but you have not so learned Christ if so be that ye have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt !

56. 30:12

    according to deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness so what is Paul saying he's saying that if the Ephesians contend that they are no longer ignorant if they say they're no longer blind like the other Gentiles if they say they have the light within if they say they are enlightened that they have revelation if they say they have learned Christ then they should live as Christ did let the renewing of your mind which they so cherished enable them to put off an immoral and corrupt way of life so what does this teach us I suggest that Paul built a bridge of common ground to set up a greater lesson later on I believe it also suggests that the ecclesia to which Paul was writing wasn't perfect that Paul was exercising forbearance in order to teach the truth accurately this is not to say that forbearance means we allow false doctrine to propagate in the ecclesia let me just be clear on that remember Paul's first instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 1 is as I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went unto Macedonia that thou might have charged them that they teach no other doctrine so forbearance means that we hold on as long as we feel we might gain some for Christ there are wolves and there are sheep in the ecclesia the wolves you deliver unto Satan what about the sheep gone astray the ones influenced by the teaching what do we do with them they may

57. 32:09

    or may not know what to believe they probably held some wrong doctrines but perhaps they weren't convinced of them Paul's attitude appears to try to actively convert them to the truth and keep the undecided in the ecclesia in a non teaching role in fact most of Paul's exhortation to walk in the truth found in Ephesians 4 and 5 is really just to inform believers that might be susceptible to gnostic teaching I'll give you a couple examples of where Paul also might be using this principle later on Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6 let no man deceive you with vain words or Ephesians chapter 5 verse 9 ye are the children of light well walk then as children of light I believe the implication from Ephesians is in regards to unity when there's disagreement we begin by emphasizing the common ground what does always begin by emphasizing the common ground to use the common ground as a launching point to show the righteousness and consistency of the truth and three to forbear as long as possible only taking drastic action of severing relations when views are hardening and the leading away of others is occurring if Ephesians illustrates the forbearance with which Paul was willing to deal with such a serious controversy what does that tell me about unity on issues not nearly so fundamental !

58. 34:13

    or closely related to first principles? Perhaps I should be willing to consider there are some things which I should be willing to bear forever maybe not forever in the kingdom but until Christ returned even if I think my nuanced and carefully constructed and very convincing argument is right you think?

59. 35:00

    Are there some things brothers and sisters that we can bear that we can bear to the return of Christ is forbearance still a principle that we can apply there's one caveat though worth pointing out Paul's method probably led to the saving of many but ultimately it didn't work on everyone there were groups within the ecclesia that still held the false doctrine and antagonized the ecclesia from within and this is the lesson from Timothy we discussed in our second class now it was these that the apostle John also confronted head on and we'll discuss that in a future class recall that Jesus commends the elders at Ephesus because they can't not bear them which say they are apostles and are not at some point especially in regards to first principles and we're going to see that later on as we trace this ecclesia in time at some point especially in regards to first principles the time for forbearance ends but the point of this study is at the point of writing Ephesians decades prior to Revelation !

60. 36:29

    Although David Cooper disagrees and we can talk about ! later apparently Isaac Newton does as well but at the point of writing of Ephesians that time had not yet been reached so every effort at patience and bearing is made first it's wisdom to know when that point has been crossed and it's wisdom to know when it hasn't and that is a wisdom born only of lowliness and meekness and long suffering to keep the bond of peace