Removing our Specks

January 30, 2007

Joe,

Good word from you on the MacArthur/Driscoll post from earlier. As I mentioned in responding to Erin’s comment, I totally agree that MacArthur was negative throughout and that was not necessary. I think you know this already, but I want to make clear that I didn’t post his article because I agreed with him through and through, but because I thought it would stimulate some conversation among the Blog Nation. So far you and Erin have been the only ones to comment, but maybe others will follow.

I was struck in your last post by these words:

“You know I respect him (MacArthur) a great deal, but he speaks in that article as if he had all the answers, as if his church had everything figured out. And though I respect their church a great deal, I’m not willing to go there.”

I am grateful, brother, that you are not willing to go there. It is not a good place to go. But you know as well as I that we have gone just there in the past. In fact, I would say these exact words have been leveled at both of us from time to time, whether justly or unjustly. Many times, it has been justly. I know you have grown in this, bro, and I hope I have too. But it is something how the things that really can get under our skin are the very things that we are often guilty of ourselves. Let us strive to remove the specks in our own eyes before we seek to remove the logs in the eyes of MacArthur or Driscoll or anyone else.

Sometimes God bestows a wonderful grace on us by showing us our own sin through the lives of others. I hope wrestling through this article helps us to better discern and crucify the remnants of our own arrogant, critical spirits. Surely God has been gracious to give you victory. As I said, I hope others can testify that He has given me some victory as well, to the praise of His glory. May we continue to walk in a humility that adorns the great and glorious gospel of Christ.

Larry

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Random Musings