The Nazarene Manual

I have spent too many hours in the last few years apologizing for what I believe as a Christian. Unfortunately the majority of those hours have been apologizing to fellow Christians. I admit it has not been beliefs from the Word that I have argued for; rather it has been my strong belief in the tenets of the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene that I have most often felt the need to justify and explain.

I am not one who is able to articulate my thoughts in an off-the-cuff manner. Often when attempting to do so I find myself buried in my own words; usually after uttering phrases that do little to enlighten and more to confuse. In other words, I know what I believe, but feel incapable of expressing those beliefs in a convincing manner.

All too often I=ve been asked to put aside the Manual and hold strictly to the Bible when trying to explain or justify what I believe God says about living a Christian life. On the surface that seems like a reasonable request. After all, even the Church of the Nazarene would concede that the Bible is the final and only true authority for Christian living. Yet to disregard the Manual, I believe, may be an indication of our unwillingness to truly face up to what God really expects from us as Christians.

Many of you reading this right now are appalled that I would make such a statement. To many it surely must seem to border on blasphemy to even suggest that the Manual would have more to say about Christian living than does the very Word of God. But that is at the very core of the problem. Those who balk at the use of the Manual as an aid to discovering how to live for Christ are in reality turning their backs on the Word of God.

These guidelines, however, are not what I am talking about when I say that to deny the truths written down in the Manual is the same as denying the very Word of God. There is a section of the manual that presents the Articles of Faith. To deny these is to deny the Word of God, because none of these are presented as being thought up by fathers of the Church of the Nazarene. They are given to us straight from the Bible; the Word of God.

Each Article of Faith is followed by numerous scriptural references to point out where each belief came from in scripture. Why then do I believe in a triune God, in the Holy Spirit, in personal sin and original sin? Why do I believe in atonement, free agency and sanctification? Not because it is a Nazarene belief as stated in the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene, but because it is Biblical.

I need not apologize for reading and using the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene as an aid in determining what the Word of God says about Christian living. I need not apologize because the Manual is not presented as an appendix to the Bible. Rather it merely provides a reference to verses, subjects and themes in the Bible that deal explicitly with areas of Christian living. Rather than apologize for the Manual I praise God that He led me to the Church of the Nazarene where the Bible is preached, taught and used as the only basis for its doctrine.

I will have to admit that much of the Manual has as its purpose to be a guideline for Christian living. And as such cannot and should not be presented as the inspired word of God and thereby must be followed to the letter if one is to make it to heaven. These are guidelines only, yet offered to us as Nazarenes as a very helpful way for us to live the life Christ expects us to live. These are proven guidelines that, if followed, will better ensure the believer that he or she will not fall from God=s grace. These are only guidelines, but very good guidelines. Any person would be wise to follow them. But not following them does not mean one will backslide.

No where in the Bible does it say that you must not dance. No where does the Bible condemn having fun in life. No where does it say that we cannot enjoy some pleasures. The Manual does not pretend to imply that the Bible does say any of these things. The guidelines the Manual sets forth simply offer what the Church of the Nazarene considers a lifestyle that will best ensure the Christian that he or she will be able to live without temptation. You will have to concede that even the strongest Christian would be better off without viewing 90% of today=s movies. Is going to movies a sin? The Bible does not imply it is, and the Manual does not say it is. You will have to admit it would be safer to stay away from dancing where the touch of one of the opposite sex could possibly arouse some sensual thoughts, or the sexually implied moves of today=s dances would probably do the same, if not with greater intensity. But is dancing a sin? The Bible does not say it is; neither doe the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

But those who see the Manual as being too restrictive in these areas all too often cannot see beyond these guidelines. These people tend to look at the Manual as nothing more than church doctrine based on the personal beliefs of the leaders of a denomination who try to subject the church=s members to their personal lifestyles. Yet a careful reading of the Manual proves otherwise. No where in the Manual is there any attempt to tell anyone they must live by certain standards if they are to remain a Christian. Unless those standards come directly from the Word of God. The guidelines are based on Biblical principles. If you live in this way you are more likely not to fall. If you subject yourself to certain lifestyles, and thereby certain temptations, you are more likely to fall. This is Biblical, not just denominational doctrine.