How Dogmatic should you be?

When it comes to interpreting scripture, we don't always see eye to eye, but how do you know which interpretation is correct? And more importantly, when is it worth fighting for your specific interpretation?

That is where this comes in. There are five different levels of theological interpretation that you can use to determine the importance of the disagreement.

When you encounter theological disagreements, you have three things you can do, not all of which are mutually exclusive.

1. You can reevaluate your stance
2. You can agree to disagree
3. You can try to convince the other person of your position

Most people will find that if there is a disagreement on the importance of a topic, it is rarely more than one category difference between their perspectives. What I mean, without jumping the gun too much, is that a lot of the time, a salvation issue for one person is a sin issue for another.

So without further adieu, let's look at the 5 levels of importance.

DEFCON 1 - Salvation Issues

These are the most critical issues. And also, in a sense, what separates religions from each other. This category is what is often referred to as "essential doctrine". All of Christianity includes the same basic beliefs here, Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised dead. Some stop there and others add to it. For example, some believe that water baptism is required for salvation, some believe that regular confession is necessary to maintain salvation, and some believe God has preordained salvation and there is nothing we can do about it.

Be very careful when disagreeing in this category because people hold their views for a reason. This won't be something they heard once in passing. Somehow, they, or someone they trust, have looked at scripture and come away with this interpretation.

A substantial disagreement in this area may mean that someone involved in the discussion is not saved. That, however, is between them and God. If you legitimately think someone is not saved, you can bring it up to them, but do it in a kind and loving manner. If you think they are misleading others, you can try to work against it, but don't let it become hostile. This area is one of the most sensitive, so if you find someone with such a disagreement, approach it with much prayer and consideration.

DEFCON 2 - Sin Issues

Not to diminish this category, it is still a crucial one. But when trying to determine where people stand on an issue, be aware of how Salvation and Sin issue can be conflated. This category often splits churches and denominations.

Since Salvation is not physically evident, many people use the actions of others to try to determine their status. This is by no means inherently a bad thing; there is some biblical precedent for this. For example, Paul, in 1 Corinthians, encourages the church to oust a member who was engaging in flagrant sexual immorality¹. However, one of the side effects of this conflating these categories—especially as it pertains to theological disagreements—is that sometimes sin issues co-opt a lot of the importance of DEFCON 1 dogmatism when it shouldn't. Thereby artificially inflates the fervor by which people stand by their interpretations.

All that to say, this category can be frustratingly vague. There are some obvious sins, but a significant portion of the New Testament is coaching people through what is and isn't sin via values rather than case law². This means that sin is not the same for everyone. In Romans 14, Paul talks about how an immature Christian may have a more legalistic approach than a mature Christian who operates with more freedom. This is not to say one is right and the other is wrong. Instead, Paul is trying to communicate that sinning against one's own conscience is a sin. And so, sometimes people see things differently. I elaborate on this more from the other direction in the Wisdom category.

On the other hand, sometimes two people sit down, look at the same verse, and derive two opposing interpretations. When this happens, you need to examine your conscience on the matter. Sometimes you can agree to disagree, and sometimes you may have to choose to break fellowship. That's not to say you are to ever stop loving the person, just that there are issues where you'll have to say, "I'm sorry, I disagree, and I can't be a part of this."

DEFCON 3 - Wisdom Issues

This category is fairly broad and covers things that, while not sins, are probably not smart. These are the first-drink and second-helping areas of the sins of drunkenness and gluttony. The Bible sets up many extremes as sin, but not necessarily the path that leads to them. Wisdom issues discern between God's permissive will and His perfect will. These also tend to be the "may not" half of the "may or may not be a sin against ones own conscience"-type actions.

A more concrete example would be this: The Bible tells us not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever (in the context of marriage³. Therefore to do so would be a sin (in addition to unwise). But what if the other person is a Christian, just a different denomination? That's not a sin, but it may be a wisdom issue. Just like marrying an unbeliever would come with a host of problems due to radically different worldviews, sometimes the same can be true of denomination differences. So the action—being unequally yoked—is a sin issue in one context and a wisdom issue in another context.

Additionally, when evaluating this category, remember that God gave us this reality to enjoy. Sin comes when we pervert those pleasures, or we let them get between God and us. For an alcoholic, who is particularly predisposed to falling into the sin of drunkenness, Wisdom would be not having the first drink. In Romans 14, Paul tells us to not put a stumbling block in front of another, so Wisdom would also be for us to not serve wine at a dinner with an alcoholic friend.

For denominations with more traditions or legalistic tendencies, you might find that Wisdom Issues have become second-class Sin Issues. When done in good faith, this is usually someone identifying the line between "sin" and "not sin", then setting up multiple fences before the line. As referenced in the section on Sin Issues, sometimes these fences legitimately become a matter of conscience for people. However, this category covers things that most people would not consider a sin.

DEFCON 4 - Foundational Issues

Realistically speaking, a lot of these things are as important as Wisdom issues. And many Wisdom issues can be ranked down here. A lot of these issues divide churches. They can range from "secondary doctrine" down to outright petty. Unfortunately, many smaller denominations that pride themselves on a literal interpretation of the Bible come to blows over issues that would be categorized here. But it is by no means limited to them. These sorts of people tend to act as if failure to adhere to their interpretation is tantamount to sin.

Generally speaking, though, these issues should not matter in the grand scheme. Now, if you disagree with someone on literally everything at this level, then perhaps it's worth looking into that. But at the end of the day, the Young Earthers and the Old Earthers⁴ are saved by the same Jesus and are going to the same Heaven. As long as no one sets up these items as a prerequisite belief for salvation, it is not worth being anything more than a lively discussion.

The one asterisk I would put here, though, is when finding a church or a body of believers to fellowship with and with whom to entrust your spiritual growth. In that situation, you should agree more often than not. Or at least be willing to change your mind. Young Earthers and Old Earthers may be going to the same Heaven, but they have a different worldview that will flavor how they perceive the rest of the Bible. I'm not trying to specifically pick on this issue; it is just a convenient proxy for the issue at large. The point here is to make sure that the flavor of teaching you receive is one you can accept.

DEFCON 5 - Interpretational Issues

These are the least important issues like what a particular word meant in the original language, or what happened to Jephthah's daughter. These are the more esoteric things that people find fascinating. Don't take this at face value, though. Sometimes what the word means, or what someone did, is very important. Instead, this category is for all the leftovers that have already filtered through the first four levels. If something is down here, it is not worth losing fellowship or friendships over.

Caveats

Obviously, this is not the end-all-be-all. The point here is that not everything is worth fighting about. Sometimes, however, there will be exceptions. I hinted at this in DEFCON 4. Every disagreement is a deviance, and enough of them can send people in two different directions. When this happens, always retreat up the list until you can find common ground, then work back from there.

Sometimes that won't work out, though. Maybe you'll discover that you hold something as a sin issue and they hold it as a salvation issue. Or even worse, it's foundational vs. salvation. In those cases, it's best to disengage and pray how to respond. But if it's not that extreme, usually you can find a middle ground. Not to say you should compromise on scripture or salvation, but more that you should find some way to cordially disagree.

For example, I believe that water baptism is not necessary for salvation, but I have friends who disagree. I believe that asserting baptism to be required is creating a works-based salvation. However, I do believe it is a command, that if not followed, is a sin. That said, I'm confident that all of us are saved. But perhaps it is not wise for us to evangelize together.

Keeping it In-House

And this is the biggest thing. There is no need to expose non-believers to in-house contention. Unfortunately, this is not as easy when it comes to salvation issues, but it's not impossible. What this looks like is that I try to change my friend's mind about baptism while at the same time begrudgingly admitting that it is not the worst thing in the world. They still check off all the same boxes that I do for salvation; they just have an extra one. I have to have faith that God can still use them to bring people to Him, even if I think they are flawed in their approach.

Sometimes this is not possible, though. I believe that Catholicism is 90% off the mark. I've encountered a few Catholics I think are saved, but while the Catholic Church can lead to God, it's not a tool I would use to reach a non-believer. They have too many extra boxes, a couple of which contradict my "Salvation Issues". I don't know what Catholics think of me, but I'd imagine that they would see my approach as blithe or irresponsible.

Conclusion

So how do we know who is right? Either between the Catholics and me, or on any other disagreement? Well, until we meet Jesus, we won't know for sure. The best we can do is go to the scriptures and pray that the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and understanding. Then we do our best and let God do the rest.

And that's the point. Statistically speaking, a lot of us are wrong on a lot of things. But how many of those really separate us from Christ? So don't let that stuff get in the way of Faith or Fellowship. There is a reason the New Testament shifted away from the Old Testament law. It's not about The Law anymore. It's about aligning our Hearts and Minds with Christ. Make sure you apply the right criteria when approaching disagreements. Your friends do not need to meet the same standards as your church. If it does not separate you from Jesus, don't let it separate you from fellow believers.