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Truth is narrow. There is no doubt about it. It is extremely narrow. Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:14).” In the words of our Lord, the path to heaven is “strait”. The word means “restrictive”. Truth therefore confines. It is like a narrow passage of travel that hems the passerby up on all sides. It does not permit one to stray to the left or to the right and at the same time walk in truth.
Extremism on the other hand is an abuse of truth. It binds or loses where God has not. Though liberalism is a very identifiable arm of extremism, legalism must be seen for what it is as well. It is destructive and disheartening to brethren. It can destroy a congregation in a short period of time. It can disrupt the unity that could and should exist between congregations. It appears as something harmless, admirable at first, and even good, but like a serpent it too will inject its poison into the body of Christ.
Brethren must learn how to handle the snakes of extremism. We must learn to identify the extremists for what they are. We must know a little bit about them. We need to know their characteristics, methods and modes of operation, and be careful not to misidentify extremism as something good.
Good brethren can often see liberalism for what it is, since its tenants of philosophy are such an obvious attack on the integrity of the Bible and Bible authority. However, legalism is a bit more deceptive. It camouflages itself better among brethren. Since truth is narrow and one who is pursuing legalism pursues a narrow path, there can be the danger to see such as a noble venture, and brethren who are narrow minded as necessarily faithful.
However, narrow-minded thinking is not the supreme test of walking in truth. An Islamic radical is very narrow minded, yet they walk far from the truth. Thus, one can be very narrow and yet walk in darkness. One can restrict and still not be hemmed up by “the” truth.
Jesus dealt with a number of people during his ministry who did that very thing. They were known as the Pharisees. They bound were God had not bound. They attempted to elevate their opinions regarding various spiritual matters to the level of doctrine and fellowship (Mark 7:1-9). Those who did not “squeeze” through “their” strait gate were considered unfaithful and lacking in their spiritual life.
It is important to remember that the gate that the Lord said we must enter therein was one devised and constructed by Jehovah Himself. Man does not have the right to build spiritual gates for the church. If some brother erects a restrictive gate and attempts to herd brethren through it, one does not sin whom refuses to pass through such. In fact just the opposite would be true. To allow ourselves to be governed by such brethren would be a mark of apostasy itself. There is only one Shepherd and that is Jesus Christ (John 10:27). We must allow him to be such and the only one we get our marching orders from.
So what is the paradox in all of this? Here it is. Though truth is narrow, narrowness is not always the truth. That is the pointed paradox that we need to ponder. Don’t you agree?
--Barry Gilreath, Jr
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