Don't Label Me, Please

“Oh, you’re a Yankee!” the waitress smiled.

I've lived in Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and both of the Carolinas, so I've grown accustomed to this label when I order unsweetened iced tea.(1)

It’s true that I’m a Yankee when it comes to iced tea and Civil War opinions, but otherwise, I’m kind of hard to pin down. 

I was born in Colorado, and I’ve lived all over the U.S. plus eight years in Europe. 

And I suppose I’m a tiny bit Southern: I like boiled peanuts, shrimp and grits, and the term “y’all.” 

So what's my point?

I think we Christians sometimes give each other simplistic labels too...labels like Charismatic, Calvinist, Arminian, Pentecostal, etc. And we distance ourselves from each other. 

All of these views can be misused or poorly applied, but the general views fall within scriptural boundaries. These are concepts God did not choose to define with absolute clarity, perhaps because our brains are too finite to fully understand them.

But Scripture says, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ... make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind…value others above yourselves.” Philippians 2:1-3

Let’s enjoy our differences and learn from them (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).(2)
----------------------
(1) In many Southern fast food restaurants they label their iced tea dispensers “Northern” and “Southern.” And you can bet the Northern dispenser rarely needs refilling. 😀

(2) We need to be unbending about things that misrepresent the gospel while giving people grace in these areas where legitimate Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christian scholars, pastors, and missionaries have disagreed for hundreds of years. None of us perfectly understands God's sovereignty, man's free will, and the gifts of the Spirit. If we think we do, we need to pray for humility and we need to memorize 1 Corinthians 13:12 and Deuteronomy 29:29. 

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Bible Love Notes