Millpond Ink Musing – The Doctrine of Charity

“But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”
1 Cor. 12:31

“Charity has nothing to do with doctrines,” wrote the Reverend Edward Payson in his 19th century sermon on the divinity of Christ. It is a timely reminder that our call to love one another is not bound by doctrinal agreement, and to the extent that atheism is one doctrine of a sinner’s world view, we are still commanded to love. However, while it is much easier to say that we love someone who does not believe; for in our own mind they are the evangelical target, it is much more difficult to love those who profess a faith in Jesus but who we suspect do not believe exactly as we believe. We become wary and cynical; dubious of a Devil’s sleight of hand; intended, we convince ourselves, to strike at God…as if we must defend God. Living honorably, and that by His grace, is His defense through us, and that through charity.

However, that is not what we do. Rather, we question the legitimacy of the brother’s faith, and though we will not ask him to explain what is the hope that is in him, we will convict and sentence them to a purgatory of fellowship until such time we feel comfortable with them, and we then become puffed up, saying that it was God’s grace that reigned in our heart and brought the poor brother to our acceptance. God gave us the necessary discernment, we say; as if discernment was the greatest gift. How sad.

I agree with Payson. Love has no doctrine to guide or bind it to a condition. We are commanded to love regardless; then, the rest will be brought to pass and we will know the true measure of a man, and that by lovingly discerning the spirit and doctrines.