Why Debate?

Now one of the things that that we're running into is we're getting this question a lot from from both sides of the debate is aren't you just furthering division and disunity amongst people in the community by holding a debate like a theological debate?

Why can't we just celebrate what we have in common? And so we're getting this question constantly so I thought I would give you an opportunity to really walk us through the thought process. Why do we here at 12 .5 value these things and why are you being driven to pursue things such as.

This debate? Yeah and I think it's a great question because a lot of people when they start thinking about debates what do they start thinking about? They think about the political debates where people are just fighting hurling insults at one another and that's not what we intend to do.

We would encourage people to realize that truth divides from error but truth spoken in love unites. And we want to be biblical. This is really our heart attitude and so when you look at the early church in the book of Acts you see that Paul and Barnabas they were actually debating with the the Judaizers who are trying to add to the gospel.

They said you actually have to be circumcised in order to be saved and it said that they had no small dissension. In fact they debated with them and here's the thing that everybody has to understand. You better believe that the Apostle Paul did all of these things in love.

He tells us in Ephesians 4 verse 15 that we must proclaim the truth in love and what we see later in the book of Acts Paul actually goes to the synagogues. He began to reason with the Jews there. I just want to share with this passage with you out of Acts chapter 17 and when Paul went into the synagogues as it was his custom and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and proving that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead saying this Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.

And so what I love so much about that is that he reasoned from the scriptures. He encouraged them to examine the scriptures and he was proving his case the truth. Later in Acts 17 we see that the scriptures called the Jews at Berea noble because they actually tested the things that he was saying to be true according to the Word of God.

The Gospel of Grace and Salvation by Faith

So that is my heart Nathan in this debate is to simply prove from the scriptures God's truth and to prove what the gospel of grace actually looks like and how we are to receive forgiveness of sins by repentance and faith in the perfect work of Jesus Christ in him alone.

And we must do this in love right? We are just simply noisy gongs and cymbals if we don't have.

Love as the Necessary Mark of Christian Speech

Love. Well thank you for sharing that with us and I hope some of you that are watching the video it might explain why we're pursuing this type of ministry and hopefully we'll have some more in the future.