Titles a Matter of Pride

If any of you call yourself a "Calvinist", or a "Lutheran", or "Methodist" or "Preterist", or "Adventist", or "Christian Science" or "Reform", or "Oneness", or "Trinitarian", or "Messianic", you are disobeying God and His Word.

We are not to call ourselves by any man's name or by a particular Biblical principle, elevating one principle above all the others as though that is the only important principle.

1 Corinthians 1:12-13 "…11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?…"

God called the believers "the Brethren at", whatever town they were in. We are born again believer in Jesus Christ, no one principle or name of a man defines this relationship we have with Jesus Christ.

I have lost friendships over one principle or a man's name while the person who required our friendship to be based on these things, refused to listen to the rest of the Bible.

This matter of cherry picking scriptures to make more important than others is deceptive and prideful. Every principle of Christ is based on the entire Bible.

There is more division going on because people pridefully make their snippets of the Bible more important than other portions of the Bible as though they are isolated truths. We must interpret the entire Bible in terms of everything else in the Scriptures.

When we cherry pick we miss the real meanings of things. It is human nature to enjoy parts of the Scripture that tend to make us appear more intelligent than others. I know this to be true because the people that set me aside as a friend, did it because they could not convince me and they would not listen to my evidence. Theirs was the only evidence that was allowed.

When someone will not look at the evidence while treating others who don't agree as "less than", there is arrogance.

1 Timothy 6:3-4
"If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,"

Many people feel more important when they have titles to identify with, they must have their self importance.