Debate in theological matters is necessary in a fallen world.
God commands believers to “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). We are to be zealous for the defense and propagation of the whole counsel of God for His own glory and the building up of His people.
Ministers and local church members, in many Reformed churches, take vows to “study the peace and purity of the church.” This includes purity in doctrine.
But, there are also wisdom principles that must accompany a desire to defend the truth. In every battle, there is fallout. There are dangers that we need to seek to avoid when entering into theological debate.
In recent years, there has been a growing debate over the doctrine of sanctification.
Some of the questions involved in this debate include:
Does justification produce sanctification?
Is sanctification “getting used to your justification”?
What role does sanctification play in the subjective assurance of salvation in the life of a believer?
Does justification make union with Christ possible, or does union make justification possible?
In addition to these questions, a myriad of others have been—and ought to be—raised for the sake of clarity and the defense of truth.
There are, however, several dangers that come with controversy.
1. The danger of infection.
There is a danger of infecting others with false teaching—even while trying to refute it.
Under their section titled “On the Preaching of the Word” in The Directory for the Public Worship of God, the Scottish Divines give us a very short and very wise statement about the ministers’ responsibility to refute false teaching in the church. What is most captivating about this brief statement is that it gives us instruction concerning 1) the dangers of talking about false teaching, and 2) the necessity of refuting false teaching in the church. They wrote:
In confutation of false doctrines, he [i.e., the minister] is neither to raise an old heresy from the grave, nor to mention a blasphemous opinion unnecessarily; but, if the people be in danger of an error, he is to confute it soundly, and endeavor to satisfy their judgments and consciences against all objections.1
Since beliefs inevitably have consequences on our lives and actions, the Divines first warn us “niether to raise an old heresy from the grave, nor to mention a blasphemous opinion unnecessarily.”
They do not say this to be censorious or to bury their heads in the sand. Rather, they raise this warning because of the nature of false teaching.
When I was a young Christian, a friend taught me that “whenever false teaching is taught in a nuanced fashion, there is the danger that some who hear it will be drawn into it.” He went on to explain that this is true within the realm of relationships, as well.
Whenever we start to enter into debate with those with whom we disagree, we are in danger of getting closer to them and become more susceptible to being influenced by their beliefs. It is not guaranteed that this will happen, but it is certainly a very real danger.
Tragically, in recent years, my friend embraced a sinful lifestyle due in part to the public discussions about, and approval of, it. I have also watched a minister of the Gospel walk away from Protestantism in the midst of engaging, on church court levels, with a man who was being tried for holding to aberrant theological views on the sacraments and soteriology. Whether his engagement with this man’s views were the cause of his departing from the truth or not, I cannot help but wonder what impact the aberrant teaching had on this man.
