We love our labels! They allow us to stand out in the crowd, to create a unique identity, to be 'me.' This trait is even prominent in Christian circles. "I'm Pentecostal." "I'm Charismatic." "I'm Reformed." "I'm Third Wave, mixed with Emergent." (whatever....) Now a new snobbish descriptor is finding its way into the lexicon. "I'm an RLC." That's an acronym for "Red Letter Christian." This group is a spin-off of the old "What Would Jesus Do," crowd. They claim that they focus 'on the words of Jesus,' which are printed in red in some editions of the Bible. And all this time, I thought the whole Bible was the Word of God.... silly me. My point is that the old sin of pride loves to dress itself up in religious clothing and we practice it with fervor in our labeling of ourselves and each other.
The downside of zealotry is that those who are full of zeal usually think of themselves as a 'cut above' the rest of the crowd. Because they are passionate about their cause - be it baseball or Jesus - they think everybody should as they are. It does not matter much when the debate is conducted between fanatic supporters of the Phillies or the Red Sox. But it matters a great deal when one Christian considers himself a cut above another because of his doctrinal views, his spiritual gifts, or his attainment of some level of personal holiness.
Paul wrote a strong corrective word to the Believers in the city of Corinth. The church there had become a pit of division - factions that held that their way was the 'right' way, that they had a superior spiritual experience, or some insight that made them 'super Christians.' Their pride broke their pastor's heart and he wrote - "Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul." Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter," or "I follow only Christ." Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!" (1 Corinthians 1:12-13, NLT) "I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, The Message)
Proudly wearing labels is really a sign of immaturity.
How so? A mature person knows who he is without needed to discriminate. He has a strong inner sense of his identity, and is not threatened by those who differ from him. Less mature persons (think teenager here) is comforted by fitting in, by conformity to a group, by identifying himself as part of a group with external labels. Spiritual maturity makes itself known by self-effacing service, by deep love that foregoes announcing its good deeds, and by creating unity by giving value to all people appreciating the contribution they make, at whatever level, to the Body of Christ.
Later in Corinthians, Paul gives us the well-known illustration of our interdependence. He says, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:7, NIV) "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NIV)
Believer, let's build the Body! Let's find creative ways to encourage one another, to see the many ways in which our unique experiences and perspectives complement each other. Sure, doctrine matters. Certainly good Biblical scholarship is important. Identifying our understanding with convenient labels can be helpful, but let's not allow those labels to divide us who drink of the same Spirit and who stand on the common ground at the foot of the Cross of Christ, who saves us from our sins and makes us children of God. And then the words of Jesus will be true.... "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35, NIV)
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