Have you thought of it?
That much the same way it’s easy to see the church as non-churchy again, touchingly rowdy and heartbreakingly divisive; often a scattering gathering where you sometimes have to stop to ask what-the-hell-is-going-on here, it’s also not hard to find congregations that are still ritualistic; sects so set in stones of doctrinal dos and don’ts, robotically programmed, that you might with close eyes make a winning wager on their very next move of the Holy Spirit - that’s if He is allowed to blink at all.
In the first, chaos is the order of service, much less so in the later where God appeared tightly boxed that it might take a nuclear blast to unfreeze Him.
But can there be a bit of both in moderation; inasmuch as it is a gathering unto God, where the Spirit of God, the Holy One isn’t limited to move in His orderly manner? That’s exactly what we are in for in this rallying edition — God not being the author of confusion both in our gatherings as written in the scripture. Meanwhile we have to put a quick disclaimer that God is more than happy to cause confusion in any camp made against His peaceful reign. The confusion in the Tower of Babel and the ambush in the camp of Israelites enemies in 2 Chronicles 20:22 are examples of where two or three were not gathered in His name.
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” – 1Cor 14:33
So, if we put a pin on it early, it is ‘all the churches of the saints’ we are talking about. As much as confusion can easily be spotted in the sounds of loveless brass and clanging cymbals, pandemonium of tongues of men and that of angels, stampede of mountain moving spiritual gifts — all which indeed are free gifts of God without repentance, it is also not hard to be caught in the cobwebs of forms of godliness; found as a pillar of salt only edifying self rather than being salt spreading the taste of God to others. It is easy to be met basking in museum of wonders of God, covered with fruitless wreath mistaken for living flowers at graveyard peace that perpetually denies the quickening live-wire power of resurrection.
There truly can be moderation to these extremes of lack of control and remote control, where the order or disorder of Sunday or non-sunday services is interrupted by the move of Spirit of liberty — not into confusion but under the law of Spirit that sets free. Oh! You see it experienced live at the wedding party in Canaan just about running into chaos for lack of wine. Even when Jesus said it was not yet His time, He still followed Mary’s plea by subjecting Himself to the edification of all. Amazing, how that would go on record as His first miracle — outside the four walls of handmade temple. There sure can be modesty in breaking natural protocols as seen again and again in the fulfilled written life of Jesus even till the upper room where the gathering of His saint was.
By the tenth day of waiting upon the Lord together, uncertain of when the Comforter Spirit Jesus promised will arrive and how, most of their differences, including cultural — Jewish and gentile — had melted out into being one accord. With congregational edification dominating self edification, history was made as the tower of Babel of confusion became reversed in an upper room attended by the mighty rushing wind of the same Holy Spirit by language unification. Real outpouring of Spirit of divine seal appeared as visible baptism of tongues of fire on all. This one Spirit gifted out diverse gifts including tongues, such that unbelieving passersby clearly experienced the room spillage. Streeters heard their native languages from disciples who couldn’t have studied them — same Holy Spirit, thereby convicting sinners of their sins. The same Spirit, the new tongue teacher for the disciples was the interpreter for the Pentecostal strangers. Canaan and Pentecost, and every event in between, even public events witnessed the same Holy Spirit confirmed orderliness in the unpredictable move of God.
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
Just as it was in creation, miracles can be orderly. It was the earth that was in confusion; without form, void and dark, not the Holy Spirit of God which hovered on the face of the deep. The Spirit of God lingered close at hand on the confusion to give it form, fill up emptiness and flesh out light at the spoken of the quick word — let-there-be-light in the next verse, down to Eve the crown of creation. God of creation could have completed the work of creation in a single breath if He wanted it so but He choose orderliness. In a sequence of evenings and days, layers by layers, nature and creature unfurled as things which are not became called out as though they were. And now with our aid of space telescope, the book of Genesis is only a zoom out on what unfurled in only one of the planets brought into form — the earth, out of so many, such that ours is judged as just an invisible dot like the one following this word.
If there was ever a Big Bang of confusion in this creative wows, it wasn’t to born any evolution of continuous random selection but an effulgence of intelligent design. Just take a keen look at the artistry of God in yourself, in human bodies combed down to our DNA. Sightsee His embroidery on the gouldian finch, His peacock pipping finis on mandarin duck and unfading artworks hung in the sky as the rainbow. Even when He parted the Red Sea, it was orderly, walled out sideways, mashy sea-ground made a drylands and timed to precision before the waters clapped back on the pharaohs – call that an orchestra of miracles. Think of the Spirit of God right in the last days of Elijah, the reins of unity was so strong that students of different school of prophets knew the exact day God was going to take Elijah up! Though some rubbed the knowledge in the face of Elisha to spite at his soon-to-be leaderless apprenticeship, there was still clarity that everyone knew what was coming, irrespective of their differences. Look at the same spirit confirming unison between the menopausal Elizabeth and the teenager Virgin Mary; a baby leaping in one and another kicking in the others womb. We don’t need a translated Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church to see that the Spirit of God is orderly.
Imagine the church knew about pandemics inside out, the outcome of every wars, disasters and the signs confirming week of the coming of the Christ, though the day and the hour no man knows! Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, it’s like a flowing ointment that doesn’t just stay pooled on the head edifying itself, also doesn’t spare the beard, speak less of missing the edge of the garment. Every part, member of the body is baptised in the same spirit, yet different roles.
It’s in the place of congregational edification that Spiritual unity is forged and confusion is banished. Confusion arises from personal, spiritual and individualist edification puffed in flesh, arrogance imposed on others just because one truly has a measure of the Spirit of God but has allowed their flesh to think they are the only one on the Lord’s side. It was how Lucifer, the author of confusion started out in the day his wisdom was corrupted right in the congregation of sons of God. Elijah nearly over-edified self. Read him in Kings who had thought he was alone with God, until God told him there are 7,000 other prophets unknown to him who were unbowed to Baal the idol. Perhaps those have subjected their flesh to the Spirit, not because they have been given the Spirit of fear but of power, love and self control to allowed Elijah to lead aloud. So even when we are right, we only know in part. Yes, this same spirit of God is one we are we are all baptised into. In I Corinthian 2:4, Paul wrote, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” It’s has different gifts manifested but same fruits which include self control — same as sound mind, with Gods intention to get us to the point where we are filled with the Spirit, which He determines.
Perhaps it’s those differences experienced by each congregational parts of the body of Christ that are being exploited by the confuser. Yet these are realities that we only have different measures of the same spirit — which by itself shouldn’t trigger variance but strength into complements. Some congregations serve largely as arm in the body of Christ, you see them dominant in all you can think of the functions of the arms in a body. Some represent the eyes; some legs and are more into evangelism; some the voice and appear pitch in praises, others mouth, you see them often in prayers and you wonder if the tongue is their whole body by their gift of tongues.
Now you see why Jesus prayed John 17 on unpadded knees, breaking sweat that they may all be one as we are – making the son in flesh and God in Spirit as the reference. Again, the flesh can be subjected and not think it robbery to be equal to God – clearing another confusion of anyone doubting if Jesus is the son of God. He made this oneness prayer, concluding that oneness alone is a sign to unbelievers to believe. And it turned out so as unbelievers ended up believing in at the Pentecost of one accord.
So why then do we still see divisions?
It was the same question on the lips of Paul in the early church, especially where he spotted heresy in I Cor 11. He advised tarrying for one another, they did same in ten days before Pentecost, using bread breaking as an example to the end that the rallying cry is towards church edification over self. Which further shows that division often ensues when self edification puffs to override church edification.
What exactly is this edification?
Constructive teaching, uplifting when down, iron sharpening iron when dull countenance is sensed, building up one another in most holy faith and not tearing apart. Not sowing seeds of discord among brethren is the edification of the Church which is the gathering of lively stones — mobile temples not built by hands. Even the bricks built by hands had to stick together to stay up. n the bricks built by hands had to stick together to stay up. True, where the children of God are gathered, dividers under the author of confusion also lurk around. Perhaps there’s a confusing Judas in every pack of dozen.
So how do we handle such? Jude, in his single chapter, gave an approach to handling all forms of apostasies among the apostles. This is one chapter you wouldn’t want to miss out on. He mentioned, how after being marked out, certain men crept into the church unnoticed, making lewd the grace of God. His letter is littered with all there they can be, of confusion in any congregation. Yet key for me was verse 19-21, “These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
Yes, confusion into division is authored by unholy spirits, the more reason it takes having the Holy Spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba father and praying in it, to discern which Spirit doesn’t say Jesus comes in the flesh. It’s by the same Holy Spirit we are kept in love from division as he mentioned in verse 21, “keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” God has a way of sorting dividers out like he did Judas if they don’t come to repentance, but like Jude would close that chapter, ours is to contend for the faith.
Focus on the author and finisher of our faith and not that of confusion.
How? By the Spirit of love, mercy to all, compassion on some of these dividers, even going to the extent of saving others again with fear, that one lost sheep of hundreds like Peter was after denying Jesus. In all, Jude ended this chapter much the same way he started it, looking for what binds us together rather than our differenciates us, ‘concerning our common salvation’ —verse 3.
The reverse of self-edification ensues when a prophet’s flesh isn’t subjected to the Spirit of that prophet. Then, personal confusion begin to surface in the public, and not even the intended edification. You don’t want your self- edification to lead to self-glorification tramping church edification. But it can go unnoticed if not subjected to this Same spirit. When it happened in the clique of Jesus, and the disciples rebuked those not following Jesus for using His name as though it was copyrighted to the chosen dozen, Jesus was quick to diffuse it: anyone not against us, is on our side. Then He pressed ahead strongly to ask his disciples to discipline their flesh, mentioning different body parts, go for it from Mark 9:40 and downward. Isn’t it humbling that without anyones permission, the Holy Spirit is being poured on all flesh both individually and collectively. Now we know the outpour is to set the flesh free from law of selfish sin and death and quicken it.
When Paul wrote that God isn’t the author of confusion but of peace in verse 33 of 1 Corinthian 14, he was addressing the confusion brewing up in church at Corinth in order to edify its members, and not to tear it down. While he touched on prophesy, songs and other gifts of God, He made a thematic case for the gift of speaking in tongue, and chose self control — a fruit of the same spirit which all should have irrespective of their different gifts as the way out: such as taking turns, silence of self edification especially in the public, allowing one to speak and another interpret just as their new tongues were heard by strangers in Antioch. He made clear that central to peace in the church is subjecting personal edification to the edification of the church
If I haven’t lost your attention, each member of the body needs to kindly understand that we are such a big body of Christ, where there are bound to be different languages, transcultural and translational assumptions for want of expressional exactness but sound doctrinal sameness. Even God is a fellowship of expression: as a Spirit which fathers a son in flesh – little wonder Christ died on the cross at realising God forsaking his only begotten flesh. This body edification is such that a part can’t say it’s self edified and doesn’t need others, as the manner of some forsaking the gathering of the brethren. You are God’s building and let everyone take heed how they build their little parts, how they edify. Imagine building yourself alone in self edification — a side of the building appears okay and others are left crumbling. The edifice, the assembly then begins to hurt from creeks. But thank heavens, selfish edification can’t hold the body to ransom. For God is the builder of all. Peters can keep planting, Apollos watering, neither brings increase. God is the one who adds daily to the church. God knows just how to step in. He’s the one building His church against the gates of hell, remember the foundation of the Lord stand sure. However bruised and wounded the body of Christ is or crucified again by apostasy, even to the renting of his cloth, his bones was never be broken, would always get fleshed up to live again.
Again, let every one take heed how he builds. For Behold I Come Quickly, to give everyman according to his works. Not only doesn’t God raise confusion within gatherings unto Him, He also doesn’t in the gathering of His spoken words written out and we have named the Holy bible. For by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be confirmed – edification! God doesn’t breed confusion with other books, once a book you are reading runs contrary to that simple one gospel that Christ Jesus came in flesh, crucified for your sins, resurrected and is coming back to again to gather His believers – which is also a gathering in the clouds, God isn’t the author, the scripts aren’t inspired by His Spirit. Sounds a bit blunt, but sorry.
Authored by the Holy Spirit, the scripts populated as Scriptures in your hand was written by the inspirations of God in men who wrote their encounters with God; in forms of revelation, prose, poems, prophesy, register, recounts, letters and visions in different languages across different ages, few of whom have never met but met by the same Spirit. So, while we can jettison what the devil said in the scripture which obviously aren’t the words of God, or at best twisted, we need the same Spirit that inspired the scripture to understand the spirit of the letter, otherwise the letter kills. And most especially, it’s by this same Spirit we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God in it, which are Spirit and life.
Apologies if you had expected loads of hunted verses on proving the perceived errors in the bible as dogmatically right. I too was, until I understood by the Spirit of the letter that Paul used the word, “author” in the context of God not being the source of congregational confusion first. Having not confused that verse ourselves, we can now pitch into a few examples of apparently confusing verses which have caused divisions even among believers. Certainly not with the aim of editing the word of truth, to which nothing can be done for or against but lay them bare as they are, however logically tempted one is to make another revised edition.
You can be sure while some seeming erratic verses were simply misunderstood based on words said on different sides of the new covenant on the cross, which amount to shadows and substance, pre-exilic and post-exilic views, promises and fulfilments, mysteries and revelations, parables and interpretations, summaries and precisions, the wrath of God on self righteousness and His love through mercy, some indeed are on the same side. So, we wouldn’t go pretending that there aren’t a few inconsistencies in the bible however syrupy our faith is, not even to say being a theological apologist. But to what extent do they matter? Perhaps why Paul wrote to Timothy to shun profane and idle babbling and avoid foolish and ignorant disputes that only generate more strifes in 2 Tim 2 vs 16 and 23 respectively. Of what eternal relevance are variant verses largely borne out transliterations, scribal and copyist errors than winning the arguments but losing one’s soul? Which further tells you the enthusiastic roles humans played in the collection of these words from different witnesses and characters but often conveyed the same clear message.
We have God to thank for not picking up the holy ink by Himself to scribble the entire Pentateuch, to start with. Not that He couldn’t but would rather have them dictated to Moses. Imagine the entire creation, generations after generations from Adam down to Moses Himself was a revelation into timeline realities! And yet, isn’t it touching that the church are divided right from the first chapter of book of the bible? Whereas Genesis chapter one was about creation and formation which ended with spiritual creation of man in the image of God as male and female, chapter two speaks of our formation into reality. So creation and formation aren’t contradictory as many perceived, they simply demonstrated sequence.
To add that Moses words in the Hebrew Torah were confirmed in several verses by Jesus which space would fail us to list out, that He went ahead to reveal Moses and Elijah to His disciples with Himself on the mount of transfiguration should put a lot of doubts to rest, especially when he began to fulfil the law – read Matthew 5:21 downward. But what the confuser would like anyone to hold onto from that is the mountain itself, just as in Matthew 17 - arguing to make the mountain a place of worship. So we see a lot of doctrinal locale made symbols and idols of confusion just as Peter was going to start a building a tabernacle on that right away. But Jesus’ response to them to keep hush as was to the Samaria pitching the Jerusalem mountain remains the answer to such confusion. God is Spirit and can’t be localised or confined to any object of worship.
I recall 1Chronicles 21:1 and 2 Samuel 24:1 had raised arguments whether it was God or the devil who moved David to do a census on Israelites. But a closer look sees these two verses demonstrate God’s anger at David, and it becomes even simpler when you understand God can permit satan to test anyone, as was the case of Job. And if this wasn’t a test but a temptation which Paul said let no man say he’s tempted of God but of his own lust, God simply answered David according to the idols in his heart. Satan can’t even do anything without God permission, which makes it harder to see any confusion here.
When Micah, the wife of David was tagged barren in 2 Samuel 6:23 and yet said to have children in another verse 18 of 2 Samuel 21, it’s easy to get confused, yet both are true as she didn’t give birth after her public despise on David dance. But she fostered the five children of her sister, Merab the wife of Adriel, as it was clear she married only David. Or was it the recount of the witness to Saul’s death by suicide after his armour-bearer refused his plea for mercy-killing in 1 Sam 31:4 and then, the apparently irreconcilable story of the mercy killer Amalekite in 2 Sam 1: 6-10? But a summative view explains that a mortally wounded Saul fell on his own spear after his armour-bearer refused to finish him off. It was in order that the loyalist armour-bearer killed himself afterwards and perhaps Saul was still not fully dead when the enemy —Amalekite —caught up with him. Whether or not Saul still had the nine lives left to ask for an enemy to finish him off or the Amalekite was just an opportunist thrusting a dead man to see if really dead, he brought the royal diadem with a story of avenging David’s kins-enemy. But would the death of Saul decide how we live when the two accounts could fit in if seen in a sequence. Searching the scriptures which Jesus recommends and a bit of interest in Israelis culture might can make things clearer.
You will need the Holy Spirit of wisdom to know when to answer a fool according to his folly and when not to, otherwise the poetic parallelism of King Solomon in Proverbs 26 verses 4 and 5 will be confusing: don’t forget that, the writer later said ecclesiastically that there’s time for everything.
Another is the seventh day in II Kings 25:8 versus tenth in Jer 52:12, both fifth month regarding when Jerusalem was re-invaded. It’s popularly defended that these were out of numerical copyist error where a single fading dot could change the entire figure. But could both be true? Possibly, if Kings recorded the day Captain Zebuzaradan left Babylon for Israel to invade it and surely Jeremiah documented well their arrival and bible commentary have mentioned it took about 3 days trip in-between. We can go on and on on true numerical copyist errors as in the Books of Kings and Chronicles conflicting ages of some kings when they began to reign; Jehoiachim, Ahaziah - began to reign 8 or 18. They will amount to academic exercise if not only lead to vexation of the Spirit. Perhaps a reason we have to thank medieval scroll keepers who have had to guide several scripts on the pain of death and to whom we might be compared a posh generation.
A touch on the gospel according to Matthew and Luke. Anyone would see that while Matthew, a disciple of Jesus rendered the beatitudes in chapter 5:1 as held on the Mount, Luke a follower of Paul in chapter 6:17 placed the event on a plane. So what happened? Perspective, the importance of mountain to a Jew matters than a cursory glance of the plains in-between the mountain is to a Gentile physician whose emphasis was first on Jesus healing people and could have moved from the crest to downside of the mountain. Move to Act 1:18 where Luke recounted Judas purchased a field with the blood money and was eviscerated. Whereas Matthew 27:5 told of how he hung to death. But a wider look at Matthew 27: from 3-10 explains how’s the field was bought in his name and a bit of deeper thought could bridge the gap that someone hung on a tree for days could fall and have their tommy bursted in the physician interest again. That’s an example of a scripture interpreting another.
We would close with reports of how many women saw the resurrected Christ first. It’s reassuring that the accounts from Matthew to Luke, all mentioned Mary Magdalene while view varies as this aspects were reported joyously by the women to different disciples. It was not impossible that all these women were seen together leaving for the grave but all didn’t reach the expectedly militarised grave at the same time, but no writer would forget the women leader. However, what is more important to a believer is living ready to get caught up in the air just as the people saw Him taken up into the clouds. Feel free to message us below with any bible verse you consider confusing and contradictory with a corespondent message on bicqmag.com and we would look at it together in its simplicity.
The letters of the Scriptures alone truly kill if read without the Spirit of the letter that inspired it. Whereas the entrance of the words give understanding to the simple. So it’s not about the sacredness of the paperback bible under our pillows, which is another cause of idolatrous confusion, but the liveliness of these spoken words that edifies all. That these word performs takes it beyond academic exercise. However conveyed in media such as tablets, prints or audio, they are meant to become written in our hearts where they abide, and when we live in them and become the living epistles, they are made flesh, for the words I speak to you are spirit and life .
—Olusola Olusanya, Topical Writer
BICQMag TEAM Salem Otto - Ghana Jeremiah Ishaya - Northern Nigeria Oluwatobi Shoyoye - Southern Nigeria Olusanya Racheal - England Odunayo Olashore - Canada
Olusanya Olusola - England
Bohbup Ltd
3rd Floor
86-90 Paul Street
London EC2A 4NE