Why Balance is Not a Bad Thing in Theology and Life
Balance can be a concept that is used to justify false beliefs, but it is still needed. We must know, proclaim, and live all the Word of God. We must be balanced in all our doctrine and life.
Is the idea of balance appropriate for formulating one’s beliefs and practices? In this article, I explain why I find it to be a very crucial idea in developing theology. Several writings within traditional dispensationalism (a key doctrine as I understand the Bible) are sympathetic to this idea, but the idea has found some criticism. This article begins with several quotes regarding the subject through history. Recall that dispensationalism understands that the Bible should be interpreted using normal methods for speech, not looking for hidden or secret meanings in texts. From this, one concludes that (1) Israel and the church are distinct in God’s plan, and (2) God’s plans are broader than just the gospel.
It is interesting to reflect on how dispensationalists considered the idea of balance. This balance is presented as being needed in both a well-rounded faith and a well-rounded life of faith. I will share quotes from James Hall Brookes, Lewis Sperry Chafer, and Charles Ryrie with side comments on C. I. Scofield and John F. Walvoord, all teachers in the line of dispensational Bible teachers.
The first quote is from C. I. Scofield, the editor of the well-known Scofield Reference Bible, regarding his mentor and predecessor in traditional dispensationalism James Hall Brookes. The quote is found in Charles Trumbell’s work The Life of C. I. Scofield (emphasis is mine in all quotations).
James H. Brookes was the greatest Bible student I have ever known. His great strength lay in the fact that he held truth in balance--he always balanced whatever truth he was giving by some other truth; that is, whether he mentioned the other truth or not, he held it at least in his mind over against the truth that he was giving, and thus was kept from unbalanced or false emphasis.
While speaking of James H. Brookes, one can rightly take this statement as Scofield’s person acceptance of this idea for himself. In this case, the focus is on balance in formulating doctrine from our interpretation of all the Word of God.
The second quote is from Lewis Sperry Chafer’s book Major Bible Themes on basic Bible doctrines. He studied under Scofield and founded Dallas Theological Seminary. In his chapter on sanctification, he offers this thought:
Disproportionate emphasis on any one doctrine, or the habit of seeing all truth in the light of one line of Bible teaching, leads to serious error. The doctrine of Sanctification, like all other doctrines of the Scriptures, represents and defines an exact field within the purpose of God, and since it aims at definite ends, it suffers as much from overstatement as from understatement.
Chafer’s work (published in 1926) was later revised by his successor as president of Dallas Seminary John F. Walvoord (published in 1974), and this statement is left essentially intact and thus would seem to reflect Walvoord’s agreement with it like previously noted with Scofield in his comment about James H. Brookes.
The final quote (emphasis is mine) is from Charles C. Ryrie who did overlap Walvoord’s generation to some degree, but I believe he stands as part of the subsequent generation slightly. The first is from his work Balancing the Christian Life.
Genuine and wholesome spirituality is the goal of all Christian living….By wholesome I mean balanced. There is nothing more devastating to the practice of spiritual living than an imbalance. One of my former teachers repeatedly reminded us that an imbalance in theology was the same as doctrinal insanity. The same applies to the realm of Christian living. An unbalanced application of the doctrines related to biblical spirituality will result in an unbalanced Christian life. Too much emphasis on the mystical may obscure the practicality of spiritual living, while an overemphasis on practicality may result in a lack of vision. A constant reiteration of the need for repeated rededications could lead to a stagnant Christian life in which there is no consistent and substantial growth. An overemphasis on confession could cause unhealthy introspection, while an under-emphasis might tend to make one insensitive to sin. Balance is the key to a wholesome spiritual life.
In this, Ryrie seems to give word to the essence of what was said by the others and gives word to all of it and applies it to both doctrine and life. The reason I view balance is so important is because it allows us to take the whole counsel of God together. In that light, it is not surprising to see the kind of continuity demonstrates in these quotes in the dispensational history all the way back to James H. Brookes in the mid- to late-1800s. The overall presentation from these voices of the past is that we must be balanced in holding our truth in both doctrine and life because to do otherwise will lead to error in our beliefs and our lifestyle.
In contrast, J. I. Packer's classic Knowing God (a non-dispensationalist) includes the following statement about balance while discussing the need to know God not just know about Him. He says:
The question is not whether we are good at theology, or 'balanced' (horrible, self-conscious word!) in our approach to problems of Christian living. The question is, can we say…that we have known God, and that because we have known God the unpleasantness we have had, or the unpleasantness we have not had, through being Christians does not matter to us?
With reference to balance, Dr. Packer seems to be speaking strongly against a concept of "balance" as it pertains to how we live our lives. He is not the only one today. One thinks of a book titled Radical by David Platt from several years ago expressing, in general terms, a similar sentiment. There was even a blog post a several years ago by Anthony Carver titled "Is ‘Balance’ a Four-Letter Word?" in which the author expresses the overall sentiment. He states, "I have found in my own life, and the life of many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, that balance is too often a means of covering up cowardice and even disobedience." He concludes his post, "The more I live the Christian life, the more challenged I am not for balance but for boldness; not for safety but for courage and strength."
Admittedly, I think that some of these authors and speakers are addressing specific concerns regarding Western Christian lifestyles whereas I am more speaking about the issue on a theoretical level. However, I do think some discussion of the concept is needed to better express what can be good and what can be bad about balance. First, there is the matter of balance in doctrine, which I do believe we should possess. Because of the way the Bible was written, we have a progress of revelation in which later revelation builds on earlier revelation. This building can come in more than one way, by details being added to existing doctrines and also new doctrines and concepts being added to previous doctrines. Thus, to use Lewis Sperry Chafer's example, we cannot let one thing taught in the Bible such as sanctification take anything away from justification by faith alone also taught in the Bible. This being said, it is easy at times to try to fit the middle of the road on a controversial issue just to try to not take side on an issue that we should be clear on. Perhaps as a non-Calvinist that area of doctrine is an area in which I am tempted to be guilty of this. This is not good. As always, we must be guided by the Bible, and thus when I say we should be balanced I am referring to our need to fit the Bible together properly.
What about balance in life? This is the major focus of the previously mentioned comments about balance. Some of those mentioned perceived, perhaps rightly, that some just are seeking to be balanced for the sake of being balanced rather than being faithful and Biblical. Like noted with doctrine, this is a legitimate danger. Is it ethically challenging especially with respect to the concept of an "American Dream", and how we shape our Christian lives. However, I also would be quick to say that so much of my Christian experience has been marred by overemphasis on one part of our duty in the Christian life to another. Some of the very verses in Carver's blog post are ones that have robbed me of a proper, Biblical spiritual life. It is true, as Carver quoted Richard Pratt, that "[b]ecause the deck of life is always shifting, balance can be nothing more than momentary synchronicity." (Richard Pratt) However, this does not mean balance is bad. It rather illustrates the need for consistent worldview thinking in order to keep on track spiritually, rather than saying balance is an unhelpful concept or a "four-letter word." We do though need to take seriously the calls for discipleship and radical action in our Christian experience, and seek to apply them in context to all the Bible says and also let them be guided especially by our doctrine.
In conclusion, I would say that we do need balance. I wonder if there is anything about dispensationalism with its emphasis on letting each text speak more firmly, rather than importing a doctrinal system on the Bible, that contributes to an impulse to express balance in theology and life. As Dr. Ryrie indicated in the quote above, a synonym for the word balance is wholesome. I don't think we should throwaway the word balance, but it does need to be used properly and not a cover up. In our balance, we must not have in view a purposeful attempt to "meet in the middle" in our doctrinal positions or a kind of life that is more akin to the American Dream. When we think of balance in our lives, we must have in view a full picture of everything God has revealed in His Word and all He expects of us, without diminishing anything that shouldn't be or magnifying anything that shouldn't be. We must know, proclaim, and live all the Word of God. We must be balanced in all our doctrine and life.
Amazon Affiliate Links for Books Mentioned (you can support my work by purchasing from these links):
The Life of C. I. Scofield by Charles Trumbull: Paperback or Kindle
Major Bible Themes Revised edition by Lewis Sperry Chafer and John F. Walvoord: Hardback or Kindle
Balancing the Christian Life by Charles C. Ryrie: Paperback or Kindle