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Matthew 23:23 – What Identifies Our Church?
Denominations exist often out of the sincerity of the founders for some important truth. This truth becomes the identifying marker for that denomination. For example, the Presbyterians emphasized a form of congregational government based upon presbyters. Baptists emphasized a form of “baptizing” that was immersion because baptism meant immersion. Pentecostals emphasized miraculous activities. So do a little introspective thinking and ask about your local congregation: 1) What is our identifying marker? 2) Does what we emphasize contradict or cancel out some other truth? 3) Do we ignore some truths? There is a Biblical precedent for these questions. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 23:23 (HCSB) – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.” The Pharisees emphasized lesser truths, but Jesus did not say we should ignore those lesser truths. Neither did Jesus say to only keep the greater truths. Both the outward (what some call “religious”) and the inward (what some call “spiritual”) are to be taught and obeyed. Both how we act towards God (i.e., the Pharisee’s tithing) and how we act towards one another (i.e., justice, mercy and faith or faithfulness) are part of what should mark and identify us individually and as a congregation.
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