Once again, I need to make it clear that my intentions are to come to you from a place of love. I love you and want us all to become a single body, the Body of Christ.
Have you heard of Michael Servetus? He was a Spanish man who lived during the sixteenth century, and he correctly described how the heart and lungs work together to put oxygen into blood. He also wrote a lot about theology, and got into arguments with the Frenchman, John Calvin. In particular, Calvin did not like Servetus' views about infant baptism and the Trinity, and both men perpetuated the argument until Servetus was burned alive, with the approval of Calvin.
So, who won? Both men are dead, and some of Calvin's opinions have formed the basis of doctrines in some protestant denominations, but I'm not sure either of them actually won anything.
Perhaps the real question is, did they "keep their eyes on the ball?" Did they keep their eyes on Jesus and obey his commandments? Did they follow in the footsteps of the people Jesus taught personally, and whose actions, practices and techniques are described in the Book of Acts? I think the answer is no.
Calvin and Servetus argued about doctrines, things taught by men. Calvin argued for baptism of infants and Servetus for baptism based on personal faith and repentance. You won't find anything about infant baptism in Scripture, but there is plenty about baptism based on faith and repentance. They also argued about whether the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate persons, or separate roles of a single God. Servetus was concerned that taking the Gospel to Muslims and Jews would be hindered by conflict over perceived multiple gods, which is probably a valid concern, and Calvin had valid reasons for his positions, as well. It's an interesting discussion, but certainly not one worth killing each other over. Both men were probably1 vile towards one another, and it is hard to believe that either of them were under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Given my recent revelations about the unclean spirits that were in me, I strongly suspect these guys needed deliverance, which, by the way, is something Jesus commanded us all to do. But the Church of their time did not help them, and as a result I'm sure Jesus wept ... again.
Scripture has some things to say about the kind of behaviors these men exhibited:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [an Aramaic term of contempt] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22 NIV)
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:19-26 NIV)
I tremble for Servetus and Calvin, especially Calvin, since he is the one who saw to it that his opponent was put to death. Satan may stir the pot and influence what happens, but men and women are responsible for their own actions. You can't blame the Devil for what you have done.
Thankfully, the death of Servetus eventually led to the ideas of Locke, Jefferson, the United States Declaration of Independence, and ultimately the religious tolerance we have in the West today. But even though we no longer burn heretics, we still argue about many things, shun each other and live fractious and divisive lives. We perpetuate multiple flavors and teachings of Christianity, some of which are more Biblical than others, and we are more divided every Sunday morning than we ever are during the rest of the week. It is very, very sad. Why has this happened? I think it's because we have "taken our eyes off the ball."
I think we need to ask ourselves, am I following Jesus, or am I following the teachings of men? Is my allegiance toward Jesus, or some denomination? Do I measure people by what doctrines they hold, or by their humility, contrition and love for their brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I living under the New Covenant, or the Old? I think these are critical questions, and how we answer them will determine whether we hit a home run, or strike out. Our Manager is watching us from his dugout.
Batter up!
All glory to God!
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UPDATE, July 26, 2022...
1I inserted the word "probably" here because I was not privy to their discussions and have not read their works or correspondence. I do not really know what happened and can only surmise. It is important I do not imply more knowledge than I actually have.
The Holy Spirit led me to some contemporary articles about Servetus and He used the situation as a premise for what He wanted to show me, which ultimately led to my conclusions at the end of the post.
Why do I make seemingly pedantic adjustments and corrections to my blog? Because I think integrity matters and I love the Truth. Credibility is also important, as is trust. I try to maintain the context and reliability of what I have written because many of the dates and details contain, what seem to be, astounding coincidences. I no longer believe in "coincidence." God is fully in charge of all things, and I believe the mathematical improbability of many of my experiences are evidence of His Kingdom. I do not want anyone to think I am making anything up because I am sloppy with my facts or loose with my modifications. Consequently, I have learned it is important to provide some form of a "history log," and that is one reason why I make these updates.