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I asked my friend what was the most radical position, in a religious context, he had ever seen where a matter of judgment was held to the exclusion of doctrine. In other words, what had he witnessed people do that may have been right in itself, but when pressed to extremes, became harmful or even contradictory to other Bible teachings. He began to talk about a couple of things, one of them being the Lord’s Supper and how it was observed; he also mentioned how some had pressed the idea of one [communion] cup to the point of making it a matter of fellowship.

I had a hidden motive in asking him this question; it was about this article on balance. I had previously thought of an illustration of a man I knew one time in a local congregation. It’s been a while back; the controversy was over the placement of the outdoor men’s and women’s toilets (restrooms it you prefer). It seems that he wanted a fence built between the restrooms of the two sexes such that one could not so much as see the other building. That seemed pretty radical to me. However, as my friend talked, I thought of things I had done that were just as radical as the things he mentioned, or perhaps as radical as the desire to build a fence between the two restrooms.

I grew up in a church that stressed the need to adhere to the principles of New Testament Christianity. This meant doing Bible things in Bible ways, and calling Bible things by Bible names. I am thankful for that heritage and still support it in as much as it was right. As a young man, I remember how careful the ladies were of the congregations I attended to always have a clean and pressed set of white table cloths on the “Lord’s Table” (the piece of furniture where the communion set was placed during worship services). It was understood that whoever had the responsibility of servicing the communion ware to insure that unleavened bread and fruit of the vine were present, also had the ancillary duty of cleaning and pressing the white table cloths.

On this particular Sunday, this responsibility had fallen to my family. We remembered the communion ware and made sure that it was filled for the time in the service that the Lord’s Supper was served. However, upon arrival at the church building, we soon discovered that we had forgotten to bring the pair of white table cloths that was customarily placed on the table! Horror of horrors! I was elected to drive back 9 miles to the house and retrieve the forgotten articles. Bible classes were beginning as I left for our house, but with relative minor bending of the speed limit and a rolling stop at a couple of stop signs, I made it back easily for the worship service that was to follow. Reflecting on this event, I think I found the illustration I needed!

How ridiculous it was to actually break valid laws of the land in order to preserve what we certainly should have known was a custom of the time! We need balance in our Christian lives; we have to distinguish between the desirable and the mandatory! Else, table cloths, fences, and any and everything else will occupy our time as opposed to the mandatory.

Questions:

1. When, if ever, is it OK for a custom to cause us to violate law?

2. When and why are human customs important? What place do they have in a congregation and its work and worship?

3. Why is balance needed in dealing with customs and law?

4. Are such questions unique to our time? What similar issues bothered the first century church?

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

The Saints Who Slept