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Should I Continue in a Church that Upholds Doctrinal Error?
My wife and I were challenged with a number of churches that accepted false teachings, albeit subtle in some cases, but malignant Progressive heresies non-the-less. We could have continued by ignoring teachings that allowed deviations away from biblical counsel, but to do so would be an effort to silence the Holy Spirit, the fire that seeks to purify and sustain God's righteous truth. False teachers and acceptance of deviant writings is a matter where scriptures are not silent, “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.” 2 Cor. 6:17. While this passage is quoting Isaiah 52:11, and directed toward the rebellion that rejects God, the counsel bridges with the separation from fellowships that persist in error; those who prove to lack discernment by the very act of not seeing.
“Be clean”, signifies such a purging as is made by separation, by removing the clean from the unclean, by separating the wheat from the chaff. The people of God are a separate people in election, redemption, and the effectual calling, and ought to be so in their conduct and conversation. They ought to separate themselves from all superstition and worldly display and desire rather to worship in biblical wholeness, separate from the evil customs and manners of the world. They are sure to become unwitting prey who continues to expose themselves, finally to accept worldly juxtaposition over Godly counsel.
We are commanded to recognize that fellowship with false teachers and blind leadership and their adherents cannot possibly be true Christian fellowship. We are urged to separate from a church that has not dealt with the deception in its midst; it is, in fact, no longer a true church of Christ. We are instructed to recognize what is at stake: light versus darkness, truth versus error, operating under the Spirit of Christ versus operating under another spirit. It is a matter of healthy spiritual life versus spiritual contamination. Those who desire to walk in the truth can have no part with false teachers or those who uphold divergent doctrines - no communion, no harmony, and no accord with them. We are instructed to come out from among them, to be separate, to stop even touching that which is spiritually unclean. Only then, says the Lord, can true believers themselves be in proper fellowship with Him.
In Revelation 2:20-23 we are told that a woman named Jezebel was teaching false doctrine and accepting false teachings in the church in Thyatira. God had given her time to repent, but she did not cease. It was going well with her, her following was plentiful. Finally God moved the Apostle John by the Holy Spirit to write and publicly rebuked her; “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”
Notice that God also said that those who followed Jezebel would be disciplined too! Every false teacher or mislead church leader needs followers to be effective. In fact, a teacher cannot succeed as an effective figure without a group of people following. Who qualifies as a teacher if no one is following? The answer is obvious: “No one!” Those who follow have either accepted the teaching or are at least passively supporting those who hold to doctrinal error. This passage reveals that the false teacher and her followers would both be punished, and therefore the followers of Jezebel were warned as well. Both the teacher and the followers were responsible for allowing the false teaching.
The question might be asked, “Do we want to be held responsible for what is being taught?” To remain is to participate in what is being taught. The purity of doctrine is more important than most Christians comprehend. For example, in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 we read that two men are rebuked for teaching that the resurrection had already occurred. This is a doctrine about the future. “...and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
These two men were publicly rebuked for their error and Christians over the last two millenniums have been able to read about their error. Is doctrine important? Is it important to be sit under correct teachings – to hold fast in accordance to Scriptural truth? If we find that error is being taught or that subtleties in doctrine is winked at (tolerated), then we have only two choices; a) confront the error, or b) leave the church. While details may vary from situation to situation, we have an obligation to carefully weight what we must do in light of Scriptural revelation.
As the ecumenical movement gathers momentum, we must be strong and continue to contend for the faith, no matter what others might do or say. Let us pray for our evangelical leaders to return to the authority of Scripture for every issue of faith. Let us use God’s Word to lovingly admonish any church leader who encourages unity with apostates or unbelievers. And finally, let us resist the pressure to participate in any activity or event that will deliberately suppress or compromise biblical truth for the sake of unity. We must return to the inspired Word of God to heed its warnings and obey its commands. The Bible exhorts us to test all teachers and spirits (1 John 4:1,6). We are to expose false teachings and the evil deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Christians are to lovingly confront and rebuke false teachers (Titus 1:9, 13). We are to separate from those who persist in teaching error (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10). If we ignore these exhortations we may be disqualified for service (2 Timothy 2:20), or worse yet, be identified with the false teachers themselves (2 John 10-11).
“Be clean”, signifies such a purging as is made by separation, by removing the clean from the unclean, by separating the wheat from the chaff. The people of God are a separate people in election, redemption, and the effectual calling, and ought to be so in their conduct and conversation. They ought to separate themselves from all superstition and worldly display and desire rather to worship in biblical wholeness, separate from the evil customs and manners of the world. They are sure to become unwitting prey who continues to expose themselves, finally to accept worldly juxtaposition over Godly counsel.
We are commanded to recognize that fellowship with false teachers and blind leadership and their adherents cannot possibly be true Christian fellowship. We are urged to separate from a church that has not dealt with the deception in its midst; it is, in fact, no longer a true church of Christ. We are instructed to recognize what is at stake: light versus darkness, truth versus error, operating under the Spirit of Christ versus operating under another spirit. It is a matter of healthy spiritual life versus spiritual contamination. Those who desire to walk in the truth can have no part with false teachers or those who uphold divergent doctrines - no communion, no harmony, and no accord with them. We are instructed to come out from among them, to be separate, to stop even touching that which is spiritually unclean. Only then, says the Lord, can true believers themselves be in proper fellowship with Him.
It is at this point that some Christians will be surprised to learn that they are willfully compromising their relationship with God through Christ by continuing in fellowships that have partially for fully departed from the narrow path. It is not a matter to be trifled with, to be treated lightly as of non-effect.
Notice that God also said that those who followed Jezebel would be disciplined too! Every false teacher or mislead church leader needs followers to be effective. In fact, a teacher cannot succeed as an effective figure without a group of people following. Who qualifies as a teacher if no one is following? The answer is obvious: “No one!” Those who follow have either accepted the teaching or are at least passively supporting those who hold to doctrinal error. This passage reveals that the false teacher and her followers would both be punished, and therefore the followers of Jezebel were warned as well. Both the teacher and the followers were responsible for allowing the false teaching.
The question might be asked, “Do we want to be held responsible for what is being taught?” To remain is to participate in what is being taught. The purity of doctrine is more important than most Christians comprehend. For example, in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 we read that two men are rebuked for teaching that the resurrection had already occurred. This is a doctrine about the future. “...and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
These two men were publicly rebuked for their error and Christians over the last two millenniums have been able to read about their error. Is doctrine important? Is it important to be sit under correct teachings – to hold fast in accordance to Scriptural truth? If we find that error is being taught or that subtleties in doctrine is winked at (tolerated), then we have only two choices; a) confront the error, or b) leave the church. While details may vary from situation to situation, we have an obligation to carefully weight what we must do in light of Scriptural revelation.
As the ecumenical movement gathers momentum, we must be strong and continue to contend for the faith, no matter what others might do or say. Let us pray for our evangelical leaders to return to the authority of Scripture for every issue of faith. Let us use God’s Word to lovingly admonish any church leader who encourages unity with apostates or unbelievers. And finally, let us resist the pressure to participate in any activity or event that will deliberately suppress or compromise biblical truth for the sake of unity. We must return to the inspired Word of God to heed its warnings and obey its commands. The Bible exhorts us to test all teachers and spirits (1 John 4:1,6). We are to expose false teachings and the evil deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Christians are to lovingly confront and rebuke false teachers (Titus 1:9, 13). We are to separate from those who persist in teaching error (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10). If we ignore these exhortations we may be disqualified for service (2 Timothy 2:20), or worse yet, be identified with the false teachers themselves (2 John 10-11).
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