“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." - Matthew 23:27-28
I was having a conversation just the other day with someone when a thought occurred to me after we came to an agreement. I wondered, "Are we talking about the same thing?" I had the distinct impression that we were not. We were talking at "cross purposes". Cambridge Dictionary : "If two or more people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking about different subjects without realizing this: I think we've been talking at cross purposes - I meant next year, not this year." We were not understanding each other and were coming to different conclusions about what we each were going to do.
Are you wondering why I am sharing this with you? Well, it is because sometimes Christians do the same thing. Jesus exposed the hearts of the Pharisees and their hypocrisy. He called them whitewashed tombs filled with dead men's bones. When they talked to people about faith, they were talking about a faith lived, but not by the Pharisees. The people heard one thing, but the Pharisees, as it applied to themselves, were talking about something else.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." - Matthew 23:15
I have seen that acted out frequently among professed Christians. For example someone might say "Amen" to me quoting Matthew 22 - the second greatest commandment - or Colossians 3:11 - that there is no difference, in the spiritual sense, between people of different ethnic groups or cultures, if they are Christians. (Come to think of it, there is no difference spiritually for those who are not Christians, all have sinned.) But when it comes down to it, many times those same ones who said "Amen" actually believe that there is, a difference that is. They understand the scripture in a way in which it is not intended. They make a distinction between Christians based upon the natural and reject the idea that we are all the same in Christ. Even though they might agree in principle, they don't in fact agree that we are the same. "Oh you may be a Christian, but are not like me." The truth is that we are all part of the same family of God. We have all been saved by grace and adopted - joint heirs. We are all the same from God's perspective because He sees our hearts and not our skin. When I would speak at churches in Haiti, I would often start with, "Mwen pa blan, mwen fre nou." Translated, "I am not white, I am your brother." I was pretty sure that they were having a hard time getting past my skin. So what causes the cross-purposes problem? Carnality. The only way that you cannot understand spiritual truth is the absence of the Spirit of Truth in you. Now that is different than embracing spiritual truth. You may find you are speaking at cross purposes when one Christian is spiritual and the other is embracing carnality.
Or maybe the conversation is about Jesus. You think you have agreement, but the Jesus that someone is talking about is not the same Jesus that you are talking about.
"He [Jesus] said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'" - Matthew 16:15-17
There are religious groups that promote Jesus, but they are not talking about the Jesus Peter was talking about. To avoid confusion and talking at cross purposes - you must ask the question that Jesus asked. "Who do you say Jesus is?" It will clear things up, reveal the truth and give clarity to the conversation.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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