God’s word for America from Paul and Barnabas
One of the best things about God’s word is that it never holds back or softens truth. The Bible tells us David was a man after God’s own heart, but it also tells us about David’s sin with Bathsheba. Scripture tells us about Noah’s faithfulness and the shame he experienced later in life. Paul was quoting ancient truth when he wrote to the Christians in Rome, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:11–12). A few sentences later, he told them everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).
Paul was stating the ancient biblical truth that because of the Fall, human beings will never be good enough for heaven without a saving faith. Jesus died because we needed him to pay for our sins. The Bible doesn’t withhold truth about even our greatest heroes of the faith because every one of the heroes needed to have a God who would save them. No one is born a saint, and everyone is born a sinner except Jesus.
Who are the winners and the losers?
The news media has discussed that question extensively in the past week. What is the biblical response and the thought every Christian should strive to remember?
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The winners in this world are the people who have accepted the free grace gift of salvation. The losers are the lost, those who have rejected Jesus. Christians live with the Light of the world so we can live as the light of the world. We are called to be one in Christ and one with each other.
Why, then, do we have so much trouble getting along?
Paul and Barnabas offer some advice
Paul would not have been able to do all he did for the Lord if not for Barnabas. The Bible doesn’t tell us about Barnabas’ sins, but we know he had some. When Barnabas spoke up for Paul in front of Peter, James, and the other church leaders in Acts 15, his words about Paul were received and respected. Obviously, Barnabas was a man who lived with a high and holy reputation.
On the other hand, Paul had a reputation that needed to be overcome. The early church accepted him largely because men like Ananias and Barnabas said they should. Paul and Barnabas traveled together, establishing churches and leading others to a saving faith in Christ.
They did this until they got into an argument over John Mark. The Bible makes it clear that Paul and Barnabas thought they were right about John Mark, even though they disagreed. Bible history points out that they were both right and wrong.
These two saints were about to take their second missionary journey together. Barnabas thought they should take John Mark, even though the young man had abandoned them on the first missionary journey. Paul didn’t want John Mark to come, thinking they might repeat the same mistake twice.
The Bible says, “there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other” (Acts 15:39). Two devout Christians, called and gifted by God, couldn’t agree and decided not to work together. You might say they “agreed to disagree.” The result? Barnabas did missionary work with John Mark, and Paul took Silas.
God redeemed the disagreement and used all these men for his higher purpose. We know that Paul later reconciled with both Barnabas and John Mark because he mentions them in 1 Corinthians 9:6 and 2 Timothy 4:11 using words of praise.
If Paul and Barnabas could give Christians in America some advice today, it might stem from their own experience. These two men might remind us that every Christian on earth is still a sinner. We should expect to disagree, even with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But our disagreements shouldn’t stop us from serving God’s kingdom purpose. When we “sharply disagree,” God can redeem our sins for his greater good.
If we ask a wrong question, we will get a wrong answer
When Christians disagree, it is rarely over who is right or wrong. Instead, we should ask ourselves, “How are we both right and wrong?” We should also ask, “What does God say is right about our point of view, and what is wrong?”
Sometimes, we remain at a place of sharp disagreement. If so, agree to disagree and move forward, together or separately, with God’s calling.
The modern trend in our culture is to take a side and defend it. The problem is both sides can make some good points. None of us are perfectly right or completely wrong. We are just a bunch of sinners who likely want to “feel right” more than we try to “be right.”
What is the first question to get right?
What has God said about it? If we care more about what God thinks and wants than what we might feel is best, the correct answers will likely follow.
If Paul and Barnabas can sharply disagree, so can we. The truth is found at the end of their lives and ministries when they once again thought highly of one another. All of them, John Mark included, knew that God had redeemed their disagreement for his greater good.
Since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, God has been doing great things through a bunch of sinners. We can expect God to continue doing the same until we join him in heaven.
Paul and Barnabas were both passionate about serving Christ, and they did serve him well. We should be less worried about conflict and more confident about God. Truthfully, the absence of conflict often indicates the presence of apathy.
Christians need to become as passionate about God’s word as others are passionate about their point of view. We are called to be the “light of the world.” We can disagree with the world and one another, but we must agree with the humility that comes from knowing only God will get it perfectly right.
