Pride, Polygamy, and Personal Convictions

Below is an e-mail that I recieved from Rabbi Rendelman's mailing list. It is well worth reading and he is someone to whom I listen daily. However, I do disagree with one or two of his points. My replies are in (italics).



Pride, Polygamy, and Personal Convictions

~ An Editorial ~



By Rabbi Dani'el Rendelman ravemet@comcast.net

of Emet Ministries www.emetministries.com





BNAI YAHSHUA SYNAGOGUE OF PROSPERITY, SC





Imagine you are drifting alone in the sea. Your boat has crashed and you are stranded with nothing but the view of ocean water for miles and miles. The waves pound your body. Sharks and other creatures surround you. You have been alone and adrift for days. Finally, out of nowhere a helicopter descends and offers you a rope to climb to safety. This helicopter is part of a worldwide rescue mission seeking people just like you. Your heart jumps at the possibility of being saved! But as the rope falls from the sky you notice the rope is tied with knots. The colors are mixed in the twine. The knots look safe but the tying isn't perfect. This is not good. It's not your choice of tying. You don't care for the colors. The helicopter isn't as large as you would like. Something looks "fishy" so instead of climbing to safety, you swing the rope away and wave off the rescue mission. You'd rather be lost at sea than rescued by an imperfect vessel. Sound ridiculous? Well, this is exactly one huge problem that plagues the Messianic movement today.



Instead of joining the worldwide rescue mission to seek and save the lost sheep of Israel many individuals choose to focus on differences of opinion. These folks choose division over unity and shame the entire faith. The issue of the day doesn't matter. Just pick any topic and the problem will arise. People have their tight-nit ideas on calendars, diets, home schooling, music, moons, and marriage. Sway from a certain belief and be labeled a "heretic" or "cult." If you don't measure up to a certain standard or hold a different doctrine then you may be considered worse than a heathen. Can't you hear the voices now?



Throughout the world, there are many agents working against the truth which we teach. Sadly, the largest battle we seem to face comes from similar 'believers' who choose to push their personal convictions onto others. A personal conviction is just that - an unique and individual area in which a person is convinced to do or not do something. These are the "grey" areas of the scriptures that the Bible leaves open for believers to make their own decision. These are not commandments or areas of sin. These issues can become sin if they are pushed on to others as binding and necessary. Woe unto the man that pridefully exalts personal convictions as truth.



If YHWH leads you to not drink water on Tuesday then you should not do so. Nor should you push that belief on to other people. Envy and strife occur when you are so convinced that yours is the best way, that you condemn others who do not agree. The longer you have had this personal belief the harder it is to allow others freedom in that area. Have you ever done this?



Today, many individuals would rather choose the path of division by exalting their personal choices upon other saints. Many Messianics become judge and jury because others do not measure up to personal standard. Have you taken one point of disagreement to offense, and forgotten about the other areas in which to agree? If so then you may be guilty of exalting your pride above the body of Messiah. The truth is that there should be very few "fellowship breakers" or issues that separate us from other like minded believers. If and when there is separation it should be over the weightier matters of Torah and not personal choices.



In view of how we seem to devour each other with emails, blogs, chat rooms, and personal networks one MUST ask, "where is the love?" It is through our "ahava" or "love" that the world should tell that we are disciples of our Master. Ahava should offer acceptance and compassion to those with different doctrines, ideas, and convictions. If we can't love and accept our brother with whom we disagree then how can we love a kadosh and holy YHWH? 1 Corinthians 13 says that "if you speak with the tongues of angels but have not love then you are a clanging cymbal." The "tongue of angels" is the Hebrew language. What this verse teaches us is that even if our faith is so perfect that we speak angelic or flawless Hebrew, if we don't have love then our religious actions are in vain.



Friend, you will never find a ministry that is 100% doctrinally correct. Nor will you ever find a person that you agree with on every issue of Torah. It takes a mature believer to accept differences and strive for unity in the body. Immature believers find one issue of disagreement to focus, discuss, debate, and divide. Sadly, the Nazarene faith is full of clanging cymbals who make a lot of noise but show little acceptance or love. Selah.



Perhaps we should call these "personal condemnations" instead of "personal convictions." Take head coverings, wearing a tallit, drinking alcohol, the correct pronunciation of the name of YHWH, or even marriage for example. There is Biblical freedom in these issues. Let's discuss marriage. According to the Bible, each person has the choice to marry or remain celibate. This is your personal choice. There are unique blessings and challenges for either decision. While the Torah specifically addresses homosexuality, sex before marriage, bestiality, and promiscuous relationships, the Torah also allows for much freedom IN marriage. We should not judge or criticize those who make their own decisions on this or any other "grey area" of Torah. My wife and I have a monogamous marriage for almost 11 years and have no plans of changing our relationship. However, we must love and accept those who may choose to have a different marriage relationship.



Having a wife or more than one wife is not a command of Torah. Nor is it sin. This is a personal choice. Sure, Scripture can be twisted to prove any point and any person wrong, but plural marriage is not forbidden in Torah. You might not agree with this or like it, BUT such personal convictions are individual choices that should be respected and accepted. Instead of being judgmental, we should love and celebrate the differences in each other. When we join to worship we should lay aside our personal convictions or opinions and support the leadership totally. There is no place for disunity in the body of Messiah. There is no place for personal attacks in the kingdom of YHWH. 1 Corinthians 13 also says that "When I was a child I acted as a child and spoke as a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things." It's time this movement grows up in the faith and puts away childish pushy personal convictions. We must mature towards love and acceptance. Please don't be like a man who was lost at sea. He drown all alone because he focused on the details of the rope rather than the rescue mission. We have a mission to rescue the lost sheep of Israel. It's time to stop focusing on personal convictions and work towards what is most important - the love of YHWH.

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