“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33, KJV)
When I was in the military, I had some leaders who just could not make a decision. This is because they were uncertain as to what the right course of action was in a situation. In the military, this can be disastrous. Yes, there are times to contemplate things in some situations. However, there are other times when immediate and correct decisions are essential. The problem with these leaders was that they waffled. The constantly flipped back and forth in their thinking and ultimately accomplished nothing. In a situation of military combat, this is very dangerous. I had a company commander that once told me, it is better to make a decision than to waffle back and forth and do nothing. Yet, there are plenty of examples where military commanders took this approach and made bad decisions, which cost many lives.
Of course, the problem with people in the decision-making process is that every person is imperfect. We are flawed and often make poor choices. It would be great if we were never confused and demonstrated instability. It would be great if every move we made was precise and orderly. Is it possible?
Here, Paul concluded the thought on having order in worship with this thought. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” We need to have a sense of order in our worship experiences, because God is not one of disorder. The word translated, “author of confusion,” is the genitiveof akatastasias, which refers to instability, disorder, confusion (Strong G181). God is not instable, disorderly, or confused. He will never lead us to act in a state of disarray and we must never participate in worship in such a state.
Rather than God being unstable, disorderly, or confused, He is a God of peace. Considering our salvation, God brings people from a state of uncertainty over sin and judgment to a state of tranquility by the assurance that Jesus has paid our sin debt in full and granted us eternal life. God is not one of disorder but of peace.
Paul applies this characteristic of God to the church’s corporate gathering. The church must function corporately in a way that glorifies God by functioning in accord with His divine essence. Disorder in worship does not go along with who God is.
Yet, this truth of God is universal. It goes beyond our church gatherings to every area of the believer’s life. God has provided everything we need to live orderly lives and experience His peace. We will find it by trusting Him in everything. If we trust Him, we will prayerfully study and apply His word in life and trust Him for the results.
Renewing the Heart 