Articles
The Presence of Problems; The Source of Solutions
The church is made up of two sides: the Divine side and the human side. While the
Divine side is perfect, the human side is far from it. Accordingly, the church that originated in
the mind of God (Eph. 3:10-11) and was brought into being just as He purposed and planned
(Matt. 16:18; Acts 2), is not absent of obstacles. After all, it’s made up of imperfect people
—many desiring to be better individuals, but some seeking their own selfish interests. A mere
glance at the New Testament proves that the church has had to deal with difficulties since almost
its very beginning. Practically every New Testament book was written to confront doctrinal
and/or moral issues. To prove this, consider some of the contents of several new Testament
books.
Acts records the sin and punishment of two early members of the church, Ananias &
Sapphira. Romans speaks of promoters of error who caused divisions contrary to the doctrine. 2
Corinthians implies that forgiveness was being withheld from a penitent brother. Ephesians
indicates that some Christians had not completely put off their pre-conversion, sinful activities.
Philippians reveals that strife existed between two sisters in Christ. 1Timothy predicts the
development of certain errors that would plague the church. Titus mentions stopping the mouths
of false teachers. James warns teachers to watch what they say. Jude exhorts his readers to
“earnestly contend for the faith”.
In making known and preserving the record of these and other problems, God has not
demonstrated approval of sin and strife in the body of Christ. To the contrary, He has displayed
His displeasure with such and revealed that solutions are available and must be applied. We must
not give in to the practice of ignoring the issues that creep into the church. Instead, we must face
the obstacles that confront us, and meet them with the divinely inscribed source of solutions
—the Word of God that is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The presence of problems is quite inevitable, but the source of
solutions is readily available —let’s use it!
(Edited for space) ~Preston Silcox
