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The Local Church in the 21st Century Observations and Discussions regarding the Local Church Movement in the Here and Now |
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12-15-2011, 12:23 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,100
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Mark them which cause divisions...
I'm back.
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Terry wrote about this verse on another thread. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and have some questions about its meaning and application. Hopefully some of you can comment on the verse. 1. "Mark them". How? How do you mark someone you determine to be guilty? 2. "Divisions". Define "divisions". Divided from what? Divided from whom? 3. "Offenses". What offenses? What specifically are considered "offenses" in this context? Sinful behavior? 4. "Contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned". What doctrine? What specific doctrine/s have you learned? 5. "Avoid them". Mark them and avoid them. This verse is addressed to the brethren, so that's all of us. Right? It seems to me that this verse is open to interpretation on so many levels, that us brethren need to be really careful before "marking" and "avoiding" someone, based on this one verse. If you suspect someone you know is being divisive, and committing other "contrary offences", what is your responsibility to this person? Communication? At a bare minimum, are you responsible to communicate with them? If so, to what extent are you responsible? What would scripturally bring an end to communication? Specifics? Are you responsible for defining YOUR standard for divisive behavior and offering proof of how this person has deviated? Contrary doctrine? Contrary to what specific doctrine? If you take action against someone just because they are contrary to what you learned, do you have a responsibility to prove that what YOU "learned" is scriptural, and that YOU are not the one who is deviant? Does this verse stand alone for disciplining a brother or sister, or are you responsible to encompass all relevant scripture, (Matthew 18 for example) rather than merely act based on one verse and your learned doctrines? Is it possible that the "mark-er" become more divisive than the "mark-ee" by misapplying this verse? What do you think? Nell |
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division, romans 16 |
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