The Truth In The Middle Of The Road
In his Firm Foundation editorial of March 24, Brother Reuel Lemmons made his comments on Phil. 4:5, "Let your moderation be known unto all men," and his application to the present controversy. On this passage, McKnight says, "meekness under provocation, readiness to forgive injuries . . . candor in judging others . . . entire government of the passions." This is what I, too, have always thought the verse meant. Brother Lemmons includes this in his article, and to that extent he is right. Had he gone no further, there would have been no issue. But he extends the meaning to cover a position of faith one takes, touching matters of right and wrong. He goes back to his middle of the road, "between extremes" idea, and recommends a "moderate" position concerning matters of revelation.
I can understand how a person can be moderate in personality, disposition, self-control, etc., but I do not see how one can be moderate in a position of faith he holds that grows out of his knowledge of divine revelation. Whether a person is standing in the middle of the road depends on where the ditches are. We have a "Church of Christ" in our area which uses instrumental music, but rejects many innovations of the Christian church. To them we are "antis", extremists, etc., and they consider themselves as occupying the "middle of the road." By what authority does Brother Lemmons fix the extremes, by which to fix a moderate position in between and call it the "truth in the middle of the road?"
When a man tries to discover moderation in matters of revelation, he usually ends up taking positions he cannot reconcile, and causes others to wonder what he does believe. For example, Brother Lemmons took a definite position against general church contributions to orphan homes under a board that drew considerable fire from the Gospel Advocate. Now that Brother Dixon has threatened to withhold his support from the Firm' Foundation subscription drive, Brother Lemmons declares he is not opposed to "board homes" nor, according to Brother Dixon, "the right of churches to support them." So presto! — Brother Dixon is back helping the Firm Foundation again! It is just that simple. To him, the action is in the realm of human judgment, but Brother Lemmons and all others had better accept his judgment or be "cast out of the synagogue." Now, I wonder if this is a gesture of the "moderation" Paul admonished Christians to have? With this new development, many brethren will probably want to go back to their Firm Foundation files and read Brother Lemmons' very words in which he definitely opposed, on scriptural grounds, church contributions to orphan homes under a board.
There is nothing extreme or immoderate about believing and practicing exactly what the Bible teaches, and rejecting innovations that are without divine authority. The virtue of moderation has nothing whatever to do with the faith that comes from hearing the word of God. (Rom. 10:17.) And neither is Paul's teaching on moderation related in any way to divine truth revealed through him, in the sense discussed in this article. There is no moderation to be desired that fixes a position of faith between what is revealed and what is not revealed.
The moderation Paul speaks about in Philippians is easily manifest in the life of one who seeks to obtain it, but the moderation of Bro. Lemmons is impossible of definition because there is no standard to determine it. In this latter sense, we would be "moderate" only to those who agree with us. Besides, I cannot believe Paul recommended a type of moderation that justifies a brother in adjusting, yea, even changing his position on matters of controversy, that he might commend himself to those whose favor he desires. Moses would have had much to gain with Pharaoh had he been willing for the people to worship in the land, or at least not go far away, but he was too loyal to God to be that "moderate" about it. It is wonderful and highly commendable for a Christian to be of great and general service to brethren, but if he would first be faithful to God, he must avoid those entanglements of obligations to others that will tempt him to violate his conscience, and sense of duty to principle, in order to win their favor and aid to his cause.