When is a position just a position
Especially regarding the Word?
“That’s my position regarding this matter,”
I’m sure you’ve often heard.
This is the Wesleyan position
Some would pontificate
And highlighting their denomination
They would go on to elaborate.
Or, they quote a renowned source
And with that one, take a stand
In an attempt to convince the opposition
To join the winning band.
Often there are so many positions,
Each one sounding like the truth
That we constantly change our position
After reviewing another’s proof.
Even as I write this poem
I am confronting this dilemma:
Some, I believe are sincere and genuine
And some with a hidden agenda.
I must confess to you, my reader,
I’ve been convinced to change
Somethings that I taught and preached
And now I think them strange.
Not strange in that I believed them
Or doubt my teachers’ sincerity
But having diligently searched the Word
I can see little veracity.
Some positions have been held
For an inordinately long time
Such that even when the error is shown
Some will not change their mind.
Notice I said “will not”
Though you may argue “cannot”
For some see their denomination first
And consider such their lot.
Primarily it’s men’s traditions
And secondarily, God’s Word
Thus, some hold very strongly to position
Even when position is absurd.
It is not easy after many years
To research with an open mind
If firsthand knowledge seems convincing
And has stood the test of time.
Notice I said “the test of time”
And not the Bible’s approbation
For while we cannot show it in the Word
Time is our abiding consolation.
Sometimes we are gravely afraid
That the truth will find us out
So that the denomination is always correct
Even when we are in doubt.
Like the proverbial north star
Its position holds for life
And studying the Word in light of its stance
Is better than cognitive strife.
When is a position just a position
Especially regarding the Word?
It invariably always is, of course, unless,
It is stated in God’s Word.
As you and I know so very well
Positions change over time
And sometimes do so just as frequently
As people change their mind.
Stewart Russell © August 23, 2024
