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Precision

There are certain professions where accuracy and precision are expected such as accounting and surgery. The phrase “close enough for government work” captures some of the laxity often found in those who for various reasons are unable or disinterested in doing a job well. There can be another reason for imprecision in work that can be found in one who precisely practices what he was taught when it was imprecisely fashioned. This is the problem for many pastors. They may be diligent in advancing the ideas they were taught when those ideas themselves were not initially extracted from the bible accurately.

There was a huge revelation of discovery that what one was doing was different than what was in the bible that lead to the Protestant Reformation. Having access to newly printed bible gave priests like Menno Simons and Luther the opportunity to see that what they were doing was different than what was in the bible. As a result, they sought to make changes.

It would be unrealistic to expect the Reformers to have corrected all of the imprecision in the Christian tradition of their time. Even today there remains much that can be made more accurate. For example, some advocate that one has to “really repent” in order to become a Christian. This is often based on Acts 2:38. However, this was told in answer to Jews who had just come to understand that they had put to death their Messiah. Greater clarity can be gained in two ways. Firstly, the gospel of the kingdom is different than the gospel of grace (Gal 2:7). The gospel of the kingdom was for the nation of Israel and had an emphasis on works. Secondly the KJV translates two different Greek words as “repent”. Here it is used to translate “metanoeo” which means to have a change of mind.

A degree of imprecision is introduced when someone is told that they have to feel bad (repent) before they can become a Christian. There are still many points of imprecision in various Christian traditions and practices today. The individual Christian can benefit from seeking to resolve the ones he encounters. In the repent example, one can begin with questioning how “repenting” would be required to become a Christian. Even if one used the more accurate “change of mind” definition, one would think that a desire to be a Christian would be something that would have happened already. The detection of something that does not seem to fit is usually an indication that greater precision would be helpful.

One can “limp into heaven” with bad doctrine or an inert faith. However, the Christian life can be more satisfying and rewarding for one who grows in clarity of understanding. Precsion can be helpful, for example, if someone reads in 1 Corinthians about baptism for the dead and follows a denomination that does this, he might ask himself if this is a correct understanding of the bible. It may be that Paul was asking the Corinthians if there was no resurrection of the dead, why would pagans perform such a practice? If this was what was being meant, then adopting the practice of getting baptized for the dead would be the adoption of a pagan practice. Considering the pervasiveness of pagan practices in Corinth as well as the fact that there is no other mention of it in the bible much less any instruction to do it, prudence would seem to forgo the practice.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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