I don’t know about you, but I hate disagreeing with people. Especially with other believers. As I’ve mentioned before, confrontation is not my happy place. But disagreements between believers happen all the time. We have big disagreements, and little ones, and everything in between. What is that about? We’re all one in Christ, so why aren’t we all automatically on the same page? God gave us His Word to teach us, and His Spirit to help us understand. How is it, then, that some of us claim it teaches one thing, and others claim it teaches another? What does it mean that we don’t all agree, and how should we think about that, and what should we do about it?
On top of the in-house (or in-church) issues and discomforts that come with disagreements, unbelievers often bring up the many disagreements between Christians as an argument against Christianity itself. So I think it’s important, both for our own benefit and for the benefit of others, for us to try to understand this issue better – to try to understand this issue biblically.
My teenage daughter walked by and saw the title of this post (“Why Do Christians Disagree?”), and she said, “Because we’re all sinful, fallible human beings, and we’re kinda stupid.” And I laughed, and I thanked the Lord for her. She didn’t sugar-coat it, but she’s not wrong! Let’s dig in a bit, though, and I’ll try to get us to an answer we could tell our friends to their faces (and still keep them as friends).
Why would God let Christians disagree about so many things if He is real (which He is) and if all believers have the same Holy Spirit in them (which they do)?
Many non-Christians use disagreement among Christians as “proof” that there can’t be a God, or that if there is, we can’t really know Him. But I think there’s a way to understand all this disagreement and still hold that Scripture (which is God’s Word) is true and comprehendible.
Here’s a question to get us started: what would it actually take for every Christian to be in agreement about everything?
It seems to me that the only way for God to not let His people disagree about things is to basically perfect us (probably in all the ways, but definitely in knowledge) the moment we become His, at the moment of salvation. He would have to at least give us all complete and perfect understanding of everything in His Word, as well as complete and perfect contentment regarding things we don’t know. But we know He doesn’t do that. Our being made perfect here on the ground, lived out in our current life – our sanctification, as Scripture calls it – is a process (Phil 1:6; 3:12-16), and that includes the perfecting of our minds as well as our actions.
Since we are not each given perfect understanding and knowledge at our salvation, since our sanctification is a process, we see disagreement – both in society today and described in Scripture – about everything about God and His Word and what’s in His Word. Some of these disagreements are between Christians (like we see in Galatians 2:11-14, between Paul and Peter), and some of them are between Christians and those who claim to be Christians but aren’t (like we see in Galatians 2:4-5, where “false brothers” attempted to bring false teaching into the church).
It’s an unpleasant but biblical truth that not everyone who says they are one of God’s people actually is one of God’s people (1 Jn 4:1). People who call themselves Christians bring false claims about how to be saved, about who God is, about Jesus Himself – these are “primary issues,” salvation issues (2 Cor 11:3-4). God is the One who determines how we can be saved. He has revealed that clearly in His Word (faith in Jesus is the only way). Anything that disagrees with what God Himself has said is necessarily wrong. So sometimes the “disagreements among Christians” are actually disagreements between true Christians and non-Christians who simply claim to be Christians.
Among those who are actually God’s people, who all agree (with God first, and therefore with one another) about how we are saved and who God is, we still see a lot of disagreement. These disagreements are about “secondary issues,” not about salvation itself. And these secondary-level disagreements are the ones that are the hardest to understand. It makes sense for believers to disagree with non-believers. But when believers disagree, it can be confusing – and difficult to know how to proceed.
Two Types of In-House Disagreements
There are two types of disagreements between actual Christians. Either A) one view is right and all others are wrong, or B) the issue is only wrong for some people or in some circumstances, depending on one’s conscience (see Romans 14). Anything Scripture gives instruction on, anything God has specifically told us about, is in the first category. This would include what marriage is, whether we should pay taxes, how we treat one another, etc. Anything Scripture does not speak about or specifically gives freedom in is a matter of conscience, the second category. This would include celebrating holidays, what we eat, ways to spend free time, etc. (As an aside, a matter of conscience doesn’t mean something is never truly wrong. It means it’s wrong for you if you think it’s wrong. And this does not apply to everything, only to areas where God has given freedom. Again, please do read Romans 14.)
It’s our responsibility before the Lord to find out, to the best of our ability, what He says about everything we believe and think and desire and do, and submit ourselves to that. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48b ESV). Friends, we have been given so, so much in the Word of God, which He has lovingly provided and preserved for us so that we can know how to live rightly. Many of us have multiple copies of the Bible in our homes, and anyone who’s reading this online has multiple free translations (and countless study helps) at their fingertips. And He will hold us responsible for how we used (or neglected) those resources of His knowledge and wisdom.
This brings up another question:
How can a Christian know what is actually true if so many other Christians disagree with any given belief?
I’ve had Christians tell me we can’t know the answer to certain things that the Bible speaks about, because people have been disagreeing about those things for hundreds (or thousands) of years. But that doesn’t sit right with me as a good reason to think those things are impossible to know. The fact that people argue doesn’t mean there’s no discernable answer. It just means someone is wrong. There are things we can’t know, of course (see Isa 55:8-9), but God gave us His Word for a reason – to reveal truth to us. We can know what God has revealed (Eph 3:4-5, 2 Tim 3:15-17), and He says He’s given us all we need.
I think more often the truth is there are things we, in our sinful human state, refuse to know. There seem to be a lot of things that a lot of people argue about that are actually clear in Scripture. But when we bring our preconceived notions, our biases, our sinful desires, and our refusal to change our minds with us as we read the text, we are very likely to interpret it to mean what we want it to mean rather than letting it correct us.
We too often cling to our own understanding, rather than changing our minds based on what God says.
Philippians 3:15 says God will reveal our wrong thinking to us. He certainly has revealed truth in His Word, and we’re supposed to be comparing our thoughts to it (see James 1:22-25). Are we paying attention to what God has revealed? Are we changing our minds to match what God has revealed? Are we submitting to what God has revealed?
Scripture Only Has One Meaning
I think part of the problem is that people often don’t recognize (or they outright deny) that Scripture only has one objective meaning, which was determined by God when He authored it. It can have many applications, but only one true interpretation. Many people seem to think they can interpret Scripture in any way they choose, and that every interpretation is valid. But that’s not true. God Himself, as the Source of Scripture, determined what it meant. It’s not a Rorschach blot. The meaning of Scripture doesn’t depend on us in the slightest. And as God never changes (Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8), the meaning of Scripture never changes. “The Word of our God endures forever.” (Isa 40:8, 1 Pet 1:25)
We should all be working to learn the one, original, true meaning of Scripture. And then to discern – with the help of the Holy Spirit in us, of course, as with all things – the way He means for us to apply that to our own individual lives and situations. But we need to recognize that if there are differing interpretations of Scripture, only one of them is right, and all the others are necessarily wrong.
How Should Christians Respond to Disagreements?
Until we all see the Lord face to face, we will only know in part (1 Cor 13:12), so I imagine we will continue to disagree about many things. To know how we should respond to disagreements, it’s important to determine whether a disagreement is over a primary issue or a secondary one.
Salvation issues are of primary importance. Anyone who disagrees with the core tenets of Christianity is not a Christian, even if they call themselves one. God defines what a Christian must believe in His Word (1 Cor 15:1-4, Rom 10:9, 2 Cor 11:3-4). For these issues, we must boldly present and defend the gospel in truth with gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15).
All other issues are secondary – disagreeing about those does not affect salvation. When faced with this kind of disagreement, we must dive into Scripture to find the answers God has provided – and whether we find them or not, we must act and speak in grace and love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are family. We are to spur one another on to love and good works (Heb 10:23-25). We are to bear with one another, to love one another, to teach and admonish one another (Col 3:12-17). We are to sharpen one another (Prov 27:17), and to grow up together into Christ Jesus (Eph 4:15-16). We don’t have to agree with one another on everything, but we do have to strive for peace and unity, even when we disagree (Phil 2:1-16).
I do not mean to say that secondary issues are not important, or that there is not a real answer to secondary issues. All issues are important, because all truth is important, because truth lines up with reality and there is only one objective reality. And we want to live by that reality, by truth, as much as possible. But since our salvation is found in Christ alone, once our faith is in Him and we are therefore hidden in Christ (Col 3:1-4), our imperfections (including those things we do not understand correctly) do not count against our salvation – nor the salvation of those with whom we disagree. Once we are in Christ, there is no condemnation for any of us (Rom 8:1). Yes, we should all be striving for truth, but not one of us will fully attain that until we are made new (1 Cor 15:50-58), so we must walk in grace toward one another.
Yes, We’re All Kinda Stupid…But There’s Hope!
I think it comes down to this: God lets His people interpret things differently because He doesn’t force us to do anything, even when we belong to Him. Though we have His Spirit indwelling us and we have His strength and help in every moment, we are still battling the flesh, still limited in knowledge; we still tend toward sin. He works in us to sanctify us – to make us more like Jesus – over time, every day, every moment. He intends for us to choose to love Him with our minds, and to submit ourselves to Him fully, and to study His Word and work hard to understand it rightly, and to work out – to live out – our salvation as He works in us, equipping us to do just that (Phil 2:12-13, 2 Tim 2:15, 2 Tim 3:15-17, Heb 13:20-21, etc). We have to do the work (which He enables us to do) to rightly understand the text of Scripture, and submit ourselves, in thought and in action, to God and His Word. And we have to do the work (which He enables us to do) to love and show God’s grace toward those we disagree with.
And one day…One Day, we will all know as we have been known (1 Cor 13:12). One Day we will all agree. No more arguments, no more misinterpretations, no more rebellion, no more wrong beliefs. One Day we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 Jn 3:2). What a glorious day that will be for the family of Christ!
More Than This Mess 