What about organ transplants?

 

The subject of human organs has been in the news recently, following revelations about happenings at Alder Hey hospital.* How well thought through are we on the topic? The following brief discussion has been prepared mainly in the light of various articles available on the world-wide web.

 

Transplants

Medical practitioners are keen to get their hands on human organs both for medical research and organ transplants. Transplantation involves taking a section of tissue or a complete organ from its original site and transferring it to another. The term (like ‘graft’) is from the world of horticulture. Transplants are most often from one individual to another (allograft). Xenotransplantation involves transplanting organs from one species to another, eg from pigs to humans. Transplanting of foetal-tissual, except perhaps where spontaneous abortion has occurred, is abhorrent to most evangelical Christians. Since the first transplant in 1954 such surgery has become ever more widespread and increasingly successful, especially since the advent of good immuno-suppressive drugs. It is now possible to transplant some 25 organs and tissues, including corneas, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, skin, bone and cartilage, and more. A single donor may help as many as 60 recipients. However, while waiting lists for organ donation are continually high, the number of donors is low.

 

Live donor

Most transplants are cadaveric. In some cases, however, live transplant is possible (eg a kidney). Results with organs from live donors are slightly better than cadaveric ones. All operations involve some risk to life and so only in exceptional circumstances can such an operation be justified. Kant called it partial suicide but it is better to speak of how anatomical integrity is lost but functional integrity remains. This is why most would see live donation of a kidney (or blood or bone marrow) as acceptable but of a cornea as unacceptable. Provided no undue pressure is placed on a person to make a live donation and provided he is able to act in a fully informed way surely there can be no objection to the practice. However, if the living donor is not a blood relative (as British law requires) in a stable relationship with the recipient there are potential problems. The selling of organs by live donors is unacceptable.

 

The Bible

Most professing Christians, from Amish to Wesleyan, see organ donation as a good thing but usually accept that decisions on such matters must be left to individual conscience. In 1984, the evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Missouri-Synod) passed a resolution stating that organ donation contributes to the well-being of humanity and can be ‘an expression of sacrificial love for a neighbour in need.’ They call on ‘members to consider donating organs and to make any necessary family and legal arrangements, including the use of a signed donor card.’ In 1989 American Wesleyans noted that ‘one of the ways that a Christian can do good is to request that their body be donated to a medical school for use in teaching.’

As for what the Bible has to say about organ transplantation, this is not immediately obvious. Perhaps Galatians 4:19 is a favourable text. Paul reminds the Galatians how when he had originally come to them, suffering from a disease (one that affected his eyes) they had been so concerned that, if possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him. This is a figure of speech but Paul has no innate problem with the idea and this may be significant. Jesus’s figurative words about plucking out eyes and cutting off hands may also be relevant. Perhaps we can say the same for the fact that on becoming a Christian one is spiritually grafted into Christ’s body. Many a preacher, taking his cue from Scripture, has seized on the imagery of a heart transplant as a vivid picture of the change necessary in all our lives if we are to know eternal life. Perhaps the Lord’s example of laying down his life for sinners so that by his death we may know life, an act motivated by compassion and love, is the best light in which to consider this matter. Surely the Christian is to do good wherever he can – dead or alive.

To draw out negative arguments is more difficult. There are prohibitions against being united to another person outside marriage but this clearly refers to sexual union. Some are troubled by the thought of their donation preserving a wicked sinner. The over-arching truth that it is better to save life than to kill is surely answer enough to that thought. The Good Samaritan shows us the way forward. Some may raise the question of how God can raise a body from death when it has been divided. But this problem extends to those who have lost organs or limbs in life, some dismembered and scattered at death, those cremated at death and indeed to those buried. A recent cartoon had a buried skeleton commenting on Alder Hey and saying ‘Scandalous!’ God is powerful and has no difficulty in re-assembling our bodies. Ezekiel 36 shows that! Even in life the atoms of our bodies are continually being replaced anyway. We must not be simplistic in our understanding of the resurrection either. Paul does speak of our resurrection bodies as being transformed so that they are imperishable, glorious, powerful and spiritual.

 

Problems

Assuming that the human body is treated with appropriate dignity Christians should have no problem over the basic issue of organ donation. Most problems come further down the line and are to do with the fact that we live in an ungodly society. The whole matter of consent has been to the fore recently. Many would like to move from the position where organs should only be used by consent to one where unless you opt out permission will be assumed. Is that acceptable? Does the body simply belong to the community to do with as it sees fit? As for the high cost of organ transplants this must be weighed against the resultant decrease in medical expenses in other areas (eg dialysis machines). Another issue concerns definitions of death. Donations of major organs are often from patients who have been pronounced ‘brain stem dead’. Some individuals are put on a ventilator simply to help in the process of harvesting organs. Organs are sometimes removed before the ventilator keeping the patient breathing is switched off. As some would argue that ‘brain stem death’ is not necessarily death, there is room for caution. On the other hand, it is only fair to note that transplant teams work quite independently of those dealing with accidents or with other patients. The former are not normally notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined.

The underlying problem in these areas and others is an understandable and widely held perception that the medical profession cannot always be trusted. If this is fair, it needs to be borne in mind when making decisions about organ donation or allowing our bodies to be used for medical research when we are gone. One other thing to be borne in mind in the latter case is that the usual funeral shortly after death is not possible.

*The Alder Hey organs scandal involved the unauthorised removal, retention, and disposal of human tissue, including children's organs, during the period 1988 to 1995.

Originally published in Grace Magazine

The Unequal Yoke

Satan works on many fronts. On one front, he lures Christians into marrying unbelievers. How sad to see a Christian woman and her children sat in church with no husband. If he is sick, that is a pity. If he has gone to glory, sadness is tinged with joy. He is now in heaven. If he does not want to come to church, how truly sad. How did this happen? Is he backslidden? Has she been converted since marrying? Or has she deliberately married an unbeliever? How regrettable that she should have caused herself and others unnecessary sadness.

It is not just a Sunday sadness. Where one partner believes and the other does not, everything is affected. They do not pray or read the Bible together. They do not open their home to needy believers or seeking unbelievers. Fundamental differences mean some subjects are never discussed.

Such believers usually have to be content with a low level commitment to Christ. As Paul warns, the married person thinks not only about the Lord’s affairs - how to please him, but also about how to please her partner (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). How difficult when your spouse is an unbeliever. Will he want to come to church twice on Sundays or even be happy for you to attend regularly? Will he be happy for you to go to prayer meeting? Will he encourage you to teach Sunday School? Will he want to accompany you to a Christian conference?

And what about any children? Will you agree on their education? Will your unbelieving spouse be happy for you to pray with them and read the Bible every day? Will the wife, if she is the unbeliever, be happy when, in reply to the children’s questions, you explain you are going to heaven but mummy is going to hell unless she repents?

What about Samson? His parents objected to him marrying a Philistine, but it says they did not know that this was from the Lord (Judges 14:4). You pray for your spouse’s conversion. We dare not rule out God's Providence. Sometimes the individual has little choice over whom they marry (think of Esther) but God over-rules and converts the unbeliever. Even where a believer deliberately marries an unbeliever God sometimes graciously saves. But are we to presume on God's kindness? What does Paul say? How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? The reverse is more likely. The unbeliever is more likely to drag the believer down than the believer to drag the unbeliever up. By God’s grace, it does happen but do not assume it.

 

Old Testament

Both Testaments oppose believers deliberately marrying unbelievers. For much of the Old Testament period God worked almost exclusively among the Jews. It is true that some godly men, like Joseph and Moses, married women who were not Jewish. No doubt they believed what their husbands believed, although we know Moses’ first wife, Zipporah, opposed circumcision (see Exodus 4). Otherwise mixed marriages were taboo.

Different interpretations are given of Genesis 6:1-3. John Murray (Principles of Conduct) argues convincingly that the sons of God are believers and the daughters of men unbelievers. Their intermarriage is connected to God’s decision to destroy the world. In Genesis 26:34, 35 we read that Esau married two Hittite women - a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah, no doubt because of their paganism. Exodus 34:15, 16 and Deuteronomy 7:3,4 warn against marrying Canaanites who would lead God’s people astray.

Ezra 9 tells us that some returning exiles had intermarried with pagans. The godly Ezra's negative reaction makes clear how serious is marriage to an unbeliever. Similarly think of Nehemiah (13:23-28) sternly reacting to the same sin. He reminds them that it was through pagan wives that Solomon fell. Particularly poignant here is the reminder of the effect of such marriages on children.

 

New Testament

Where only one parent is a believer children are still ‘holy’ (1 Corinthians 7:15) but to have even one unbelieving parent is still disadvantageous. 1 Corinthians 7:39 reads, A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she chooses, but he must belong to the Lord (literally, It must be in the Lord). What Paul says here about second marriages is equally true for first marriages.

Then there is 2 Corinthians 6:14,15, Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Etc. Under the Law, the Jews were forbidden to plough using different animals under one yoke. It is inefficient and cruel. Paul is not talking directly about marriage but what he says applies to the yoke of marriage. It must not be unequal.

Marriage to an unbeliever is not the unforgivable sin. However, it is dangerous. Unbelievers differ in their opposition to the gospel. He may come to church, he may even be seeking the Lord. However, whatever his state, by marrying him you put a strain on him and on yourself that need not be there.

 

Practically

• Married to an unbeliever? This may be due to later conversion, ignorance, backsliding, etc. If it is due to disobedience or lack of faith you must repent. Confess any sin involved and ask for grace to improve. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 makes clear how to proceed, otherwise. If your spouse is willing to stay, good. If not, there is no guarantee you will convert them. 1 Peter 3:1-7 explains further how to live in such a situation.
• Engaged to an unbeliever? This is slightly different. It is possible, if unlikely, that your intended will be willing to break the engagement if you carefully explain the situation. Otherwise, you must keep your promise. A broken engagement is not easy but it is certainly preferable to divorce or the unhappiness of not being able to serve Christ as you might wish
• Presently unattached? Which is better? Remaining single, a difficult calling but God's gift to many Christians, or marrying an unbeliever who may turn you from Christ or hamper your Christian service. Be careful in forming relationships with anyone unconverted or backslidden. Acquaintance can become friendship, friendship love .... Once that happens it will be difficult to back pedal. Take care.

I am a sinner

 

I am a sinner. It takes only a second to say. A child can say it. We can all say it easily enough, given the circumstances. Yet some people go fifty, sixty, seventy years or more and never use the phrase. Despite the accumulation of evidence, they will not say it. They will not admit it. They refuse to confess. Yet until we do say it, there is no way for us to come to God. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us. But while a person refuses to acknowledge that he is a sinner, while we deny our sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us.

I am a sinner. It takes only a second to say. A child can say it. We can all say it easily enough, given the circumstances. But merely saying it is never enough. We must understand what it means and we must mean what we say. Not only so, but we must grow in our understanding of what it means and in the extent to which we mean what we say. Can you say ‘I am a sinner’? If so, do you understand what that means? And do you really mean what you say? A sinner is someone who has broken the holy law of Almighty God. When I say I am a sinner, I mean I have broken the holy law of Almighty God. More,

• I mean I was born a sinner. From the earliest moment, I was a sinner. At conception I was a sinner. In the womb I was a sinner. All my life I have been a sinner. Not a day has passed that I have not sullied with sin. I have transgressed God’s holy law every day. God’s standards are clear. Yet every day, to a greater or lesser extent, I have fallen short of those standards. In me there is a rebellious spirit that, like a magnet, is instinctively drawn to do what is opposed to God’s will. It is in my nature to do what displeases him. Given the opportunity, left to myself, I will do what is against God. My instinct is to oppose God’s law, always to go in the opposite direction to that which he desires.
• I mean I am totally depraved by nature. No, I am not as bad as I could be. I could be worse. But there is not one part of my life, not one element in my make-up that is untainted by sin. Not only do I do what offends God. Not only do I say what repels him. Not only do I think in a way that at times is utterly repugnant to him. More, my body, my psyche, my genetic make-up, my habits, my thought processes, my instincts and reactions, my conscience, the very way my life is structured in some instances, are all fatally flawed. Worse, my prayers, my worship, my witness, my Christian service - this is all blemished too; spotted with sin. The best thing I have ever done is less than perfect, marred by sin. Even the admission ‘I am a sinner’ is not a flawless admission. It too smacks of pride, which is sin.

It is not easy to write such things honestly. It is not easy to honestly believe such things about oneself. It is devastating at times. But these are the facts. This is the reality. I am riddled with sin. Polluted. Contaminated. The damp of sin has got in everywhere. The rot of sin has gone right through. The dirt of sin is grained in.

• Perhaps most daunting is the fact that when I say I am a sinner I mean that I will continue to be a sinner for the rest of my natural life. While I remain on this earth, I will be a sinner. Not a day will go by without some sin to confess. No matter how sanctified I become, no matter how determined I am, I will still sin. I will hurt people and let them down. Relationships will be soured. Worse, I will displease God directly. I will offend him. My heavenly father’s law will be flouted. I will, as it were, add to the sufferings of Christ. I will grieve the Holy Spirit. Not a day will pass that is not marked by sinful attitudes, thoughts and actions.

It all sounds very dispiriting. Is it any wonder that people are slow to own up to being sinners? We inevitably shy away from such thoughts. ‘How do you live with yourself if you believe such things?’ asks the unbeliever. All believers know the answer. It is that ‘I am a sinner’ is only part of the story.

• By the grace of God, I am a forgiven sinner. Jesus has redeemed me by his death on the cross. Every sin I have ever committed, every sin I ever will commit, it has all been washed away through his precious blood. Not one of all the thousands of sins I am guilty of or will be guilty of, stands against me. Every sin has been covered over, blotted out, destroyed. Every last vestige of sin has been nailed to the cross of Christ. It is buried in Christ’s tomb and no longer has any power to condemn me.
• By the grace of God I am not what I was or what I could be. I am a sinner. But I am not the sinner I once was or that I might have become. God has not only forgiven me, he has also changed me. I have been delivered both from the guilt and the power of sin. I am no longer under its dominion. I still sin but not as I once did. I no longer have to sin in the same way as before. I am not perfect yet, but I am free from the rule of sin. It no longer dominates my life as it once did.
• One day I will be a sinner no longer. Very soon the day will dawn and before it is over I will have sinned for the very last time. When I die, my life of sin will be over. I will awake in the glory of a new world, a sinless world. I will look on the face of Christ. And from that moment I will never sin again. I will no longer be a sinner. Though at present I cannot go a day without sin, then I will be absolutely perfect forever and forever. I will be entirely free from sin. I will be indeed as pure as the driven snow.

Can you say ‘I am a sinner’? Do you understand what you say? Do you mean what you say? Are you growing in your understanding of what you say? Do you mean more and more what you say? And do you know the way out from sin? Are you trusting in Christ for full forgiveness? Are you looking forward to that day when you will sin no more?
First published in Grace Magazine

Come near to God and he will come near to you

In James 4:8a we find a command and a promise. The command is there to challenge, the promise to encourage. Here we consider both.

 

The command

• It would be easy to draw a false conclusion from this command. It would be easy assume that if God says come near, we must be able to. Why give the command otherwise? However, it is clear from a fuller examination of Scripture that it is not so simple. In fact, this command tells us what we ought to do, not necessarily what we can do. Its purpose is not to teach us that we can all come near when we choose but rather to assert God’s will - to show us our duty and convict us of our failure. Such a verse prepares some for God’s grace. It shows us that we need his grace to come near. If I ever begin to draw near to God it is because he has moved and enabled me. It also testifies against those who refuse to come near. If I refuse to come near, I disobey a perfectly clear command. You may say, but we cannot come to God. That cannot is really a will not – that is the problem. God is willing to do all that is necessary to bring us to himself but if we utterly refuse, it will not happen.
• The very command suggests that by nature we are far from God. By birth we are all (Ephesians 2:12, 4:18) separate from Christ, … without hope and without God in the world … separated from the life of God. Because of our sins we are cut off from him. James is speaking to Christians but even when we know God, even when the separation is over, there is still need to be commanded to draw near. The tendency of sin is always to draw us from God. How often we drift, how easily. The current of unbelief threatens to draw us away.
• What is it to draw near to God? God is in heaven, we on earth. The drawing near is not physical but spiritual. It is a matter of our souls drawing near, of coming to him in our thinking, desires and awareness. It is to have fellowship with God. Isaiah 29:3 says These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. It is not enough to come near in word only or in our own fashion. Remember Cain. No, we must come in ways that he commands, looking to him to bring us near.
• Bur how? By nature we are cut off from God and reluctant to seek him but he has taken the initiative and done all that is necessary for his people to draw near. Following Thomas Manton we say:

1. God did something for his people. Christ is revealed in Scripture as the way to God. 1 Peter 3:18 Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. His death has secured atonement. Because sin is now dealt with it is possible for believers to draw near and not be destroyed.

2. God did something in his people. Following Christ’s death, he sent the Spirit into the world. He enables us to draw near to God as we trust in Christ.

• In particular, what we can actually do to draw near?

1. Repent. Repentance is a very important part of coming to God. In fact, without turning from sin, we cannot turn to God. Wash your hands, you sinners says James (see Psalm 24:3, 4); purify your hearts, you double-minded. We must be set on this. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. True repentance involves deep sorrow for sin. It should grieve us whenever we sin. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. With true repentance there is always humility. Unless we humble ourselves before God there is no way into his presence. The promise of lifting up matches that of God coming near.

2. Come near in faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 10:22 says Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

3. Pray. In Scripture seeking God’s face is connected with prayer. That is what true prayer is.

4. Read and meditate on God’s Word. Usually when we wish to get close to someone, it involves words. They speak to us and we get to know them. God speaks to his people through his revelation. There he reveals himself.

5. Seek to be holy. Without holiness no-one will see the Lord. See 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1. Psalm 25:14 says The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

6. Keep the Lord’s Day and meet with his people. Whatever our views on the subject keeping the Lord’s Day can only do us good. As the Lord’s Day comes around week by week we are reminded of the need to seek his face earnestly. Hebrews 10:22 says Let us draw near to God and in verse 25 adds Let us not give up meeting together. If we fail to meet with God’s people we are missing an opportunity to meet with God.

 

The promise

How does God come near to those who come near to him? Similar promises are found in Zechariah 1:3 and Malachi 3:7 Return to me, declares the LORD Almighty, and I will return to you. Romanism speaks of the real presence meaning a supernatural physical presence in the mass. There is no such thing. The real presence of God is spiritual. The way God comes near to his people is by assuring them of his presence and blessing them on different ways in Christ. We mention a few blessings here.

• Forgiveness. In Exodus 34:9 Moses pleads for the sinful people of Israel. O Lord, he says if I have found favour in your eyes … then let the Lord go with us. He wanted the LORD to continue to be near them. He says Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance. When God forgives you he accepts you into his presence. He gives free access to himself. We draw near in repentance, he draws near in forgiveness.
• Peace. Faith leads to justification, justification to peace. See Romans 5:1. In Philippians 4:7-9 Paul urges drawing near to God in prayer. Present your requests to God he says (4:7-9) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. …
• Hope. Hebrews 7:19 speaks of how in the New Testament a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. The nearer we are to God the more hopeful. Colossians 1:27 speaks of Christ in you, the hope of glory.
• Joy. Psalm 1:26 speaks firstly of Christ but also of all believers in him Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

FIrst published in Grace Magazine

Grace Baptists (Continuing)?

We have largely refrained from commenting on the ongoing situation in the Free Church of Scotland. This for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is a great deal of ignorance about much of what is going on and has gone on, on our part. Then, with a magazine aimed chiefly at Calvinistic Baptists in England news of Scots Presbyterianism is low on our list of priorities. However, when the recent split in the Free Church merits mention on BBC Radio 2 news, it would be foolish of us to pretend that this is not happening or that it has nothing to do with us or to say, as the cliché goes, ‘It couldn’t happen here’.

Continuing

It is a well known fact that much of the current debate within and without the Free Church of Scotland has centred partly on Professor Donald MacCleod and various accusations that have been made against him. Inevitably, however, there are other issues, and, although it is no doubt rather uneven, the current split (around 30 ministers have left the denomination) is largely between the more conservative and the less conservative. The latter continue as The Free Church of Scotland, the former as The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).

Obviously, most of our readers are not Presbyterian but belong to local independent churches. The level of independency in such churches means that although an individual church or churches may choose to sever a connection with another church or churches the idea of forming The Association of Grace Baptist Churches (Continuing) or meeting for the Grace Baptist Assembly (Continuing) is hardly thinkable. Having said that, it would be very naïve to suppose that such a situation could not exist nevertheless de facto. Although there are few personalities around which to group ourselves, there are definitely differences among Calvinistic Baptist churches over many issues. Merely glance through the magazine directory of churches and see the variety of hymn books in use and you will see what I mean. A visit to some of the churches would further illustrate this.

Issues

What are the issues that tend to divide us? A number come to mind. There is the matter of versions of the Bible, for instance. While some believe the NIV to be the ‘Nearly infallible version’ others are convinced that if the King James Version was good enough for Paul then it is good enough for believers today. I mentioned hymn books a moment ago. There is a broad spectrum – all the way from a capella exclusive psalmody through Gadsby’s, Grace Hymns, Christian Hymns, Mission Praise and on to The Source backed by a choir with a beat combo and horns. The cessation of the charismatic gifts is another issue that often divides along with attitudes to revival and spiritual experience. In the area of evangelism we divide over both doctrinal and practical matters. The matter of separation, ecumenism and church discipline is another thorny area where there are disagreements.

Now my point in raising this issue is not to highlight division or to promote it in any way but simply to say that we can surely learn a lesson from what has happened in Scotland. All too quickly opinion there has polarised and this has led to the current split. Things are different here but let us not suppose that we are immune to the temptation to pull away in the direction we see best either within or without the various organisations that represent the Grace constituency or parts of it. Those who are more conservative are tempted to steer clear of their more liberal brothers because of the harm they believe they are doing to the cause of Christ. The less conservative are genuinely concerned about the future and the harm they believe the more conservative are doing, quenching the spirit of young people and hampering evangelism. Very often such concerns are ill-founded but they are nevertheless real concerns.

Most of us do not occupy extreme positions but are in the middle somewhere. We are glad to hear some notes being sounded but much more unimpressed with others. Now, obviously we need to come to firm convictions on a whole range of issues. However, we must have some perspective on these things. If you say ‘I will not go to a meeting where they sing Graham Kendrick hymns’ or ‘I will never attend a church where the Authorised Version is the main version’ surely you are being divisive. We deplore both wishy-washiness and mere traditionalism certainly but surely we cannot work on the basis that we will never have fellowship with anyone who disagrees with us on issues that do not deny the heart of the gospel.

Suggestions

So what can we do to foster fellowship with one another? I may be mad to try but here are some obvious suggestions.

1. Seek a better understanding of the positions held by those with whom you disagree. It is easy to mock or to parody a position but often the mockery betrays a fundamental lack of understanding. I have met very few people who understand and sympathise with those who want to retain the Authorised Version. Nevertheless they are quick not only to reject but also to ridicule the position. Now in some cases that ridicule may be deserved but certainly not in all.

2. Be clear in your mind where it is worth taking a stand and where not. If at a gathering of believers a Graham Kendrick song is sung – does that mean we can have nothing to do with it? Or, put another way – would it hurt so much if we did not sing it? The danger of Pharisaically straining out gnats while swallowing whole camels is a danger for us all.

3. There will always be strong believers, weak believers and Pharisees. Strong believers are not a problem although they ought to be treated with respect. We must not give in to Pharisees, of course, but we must take great care over weak believers. You know that having an Anglican or a Charismatic to speak will not be a problem for the mature believer but what about the weak believer? Is your freedom, you radicalism, going to be a stumbling block to others?

4. Let’s emphasise the areas where we do agree. If we are Calvinistic Baptists then it is not only the gospel but Reformed theology and Baptist church principles too that unite us. There is a lot more uniting us than dividing us. Let’s accentuate the positive not the negative. It is a sad fact that the issues that unite us often get so little attention.

5. Don’t get on a high horse about something written here that unintentionally offends you! I have often observed that the subject most likely to divide a discussion group is Christian unity. My intention has not been to score points but to plead for greater unity.

This article first appeared in Grace Magazine in 2004