There is a trend in the church of
Christ toward extending "the right hand of Christian fellowship" to
almost everyone in sight, with little regard to the beliefs and/or practices of
those to whom such extension should be made.
Fellowship refers to sharing in common or jointly
participating with others. Those who stay in fellowship with apostates are in
fellowship with their errors. God has never approved of His children’s
having fellowship with His enemies.“Some” fellowship with sin and error is not an option. The consistent
rule of Scripture is no fellowship: “Have nofellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness” (Eph. 5:11; 2 Cor.
6:14–18). In these passages, both the Lord and Paul addressed fellowship
with unbelievers, but the teaching is the same concerning apostate brethren: Receive
him notinto your house, and give him no greeting: for he
that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works (2 John 10–11; 1 Cor. 5:9–11; 2 Thes. 3:6).
There is danger in fellowshipping those
who are not in fellowship with God.Those
who teach error and/or practice false doctrine are not in fellowship with God (2 John 9). As I have already mentioned,
Paul warned, “And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful workers of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). Paul did not say we could
have a little fellowship with error; he did not say we could have much
fellowship with error; he said NO
fellowship. Brethren who encourage by their words and by their behavior
fellowshipping denominations and those who have gone out from us have departed
from the Truth. We cannot fellowship such without becoming partakers with them
in their evil ways (2 John 11).
Fellowshipping those in error is a departure from Truth; it is a departure from
God.
Numerous brethren continue to find
themselves in liberal congregations and are not sure what to do.When God announced the coming destruction of
“Babylon,” He warned His people: “Come
forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev.
18:4). This warning applies to God’s people in the “Babylons” of every age,
including the many apostate congregations of our time that have rebelled against
Heaven. What can/should they do? The answer from Scripture is clear: “Come
forth, my people….” Many good brethren have obeyed this warning and
have left such corrupt bodies in recent years, but I believe thousands of
unhappy saints yet remain in them. The Heavenly voice warned God’s faithful
people to “come forth” because they must “have no fellowship” with Babylon’s
sins. Those who stay in a liberal
congregation are in fellowship with its errors.
An excellent article written several
years ago offers some profound insight into this subject.I provide many parts of it below for your consideration…
Contributing money on the
Lord’s Day is one means of fellowship with a congregation. Contributors in an
immoral church help support false teaching from its pulpit, liberal
missionaries, and all of the erroneous doctrines and practices of that church,
even if they object to them. Liberal elders and preachers (and most Christian
university administrators) pay little attention to verbal opposition. The one
language they understand is M-O-N-E-Y.
We cannot eradicate the current digression so many congregations now manifest,
but it might be significantly slowed if thousands of objecting brethren would
“come forth” from them and cease supporting them financially.
Besides their financial fellowship,
good brethren who remain in a bad church also implicitly endorse the
congregation’s errors. All of the objections one might offer to digressive
elders and preachers begin to sound hollow and insincere after a while when one
stays in spite of the doctrinal departures. Merely registering objections is
insufficient. Verily, as long as one is a member of an apostate church he is
endorsing its apostasy. For
this reason John forbade extending any indication of
encouragement or endorsement to false teachers; to do so is to have fellowship
with their evil works (2 John 10–11).
• To Support Truth and
Righteousness: One who remains in a digressive church not only
supports error, but he robs God and His faithful people of the fellowship and
support due them. Not only should one not
want to support false doctrine, he should greatly desire to support only sound
doctrine. As long as one remains in a liberal church, he robs God (and His
faithful people) of time, talents, money, and every means of his support and
endorsement. This reason alone should be sufficient to cause one to “come forth”
from an apostate group.
• To Save One’s Soul: One
should flee a liberal congregation for the sake of his own soul. Remaining in a
“Babylon” church makes one subject to God’s eternal judgment against it. As
already noted, although Lot objected to Sodom’s sins, had he remained in it he
would have perished with its perverted populace. Similarly, for the sake of
spiritual survival, every Christian who objects to the errors in his “home”
congregation should leave it. We all need to be in a congregation that constantly
urges us to honor God’s Word in everything we do. We need to hear error
identified and refuted. These things will help us to serve Christ faithfully
and reach Heaven at last. In a liberal church, not only are none of these
found, but their opposites abound.
• To Save One’s
Children: Parents of small children who remain in an apostate
congregation are short-sighted. They (especially fathers) have the
responsibility to nurture their children “in the chastening and admonition of
the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Parents who stay in a liberal congregation fail
in this duty, even if they teach their children correctly and provide a good
example at home. Lot lost at least two daughters and their families in Sodom’s
destruction. Although he urged, “Up, get you out of this place,” they had been
so influenced by their surroundings that they refused his plea (Gen. 19:12–14). Lot sacrificed them by foolishly rearing them in
Sodom. Some today are as obstinate as Lot even if it means the loss of their
children to error. They, as Lot did, continue to linger when they should have
fled (vv. 15–16).
Otherwise good parents in liberal churches may at home point out the errors the
children are encountering in “Bible” classes and worship assemblies, but
eventually those children will figure out that their parents are being
hypocritical to stay in such a church. If parents want their children to grow
up with any semblance of strong convictions in the Truth, they dare not linger
in a liberal congregation.
My family and I recently left Waterview church of Christ in Richardson, TX because it became
obvious the elders felt they “knew best” in spite of the clear teachings of the
scriptures. (CD)
In spite of the numerous compelling reasons why Truth-loving brethren should
have nothing to do with an apostate religious body, a large number of them
continue to do so, offering various excuses.
• We Can Help: “We
don’t agree with what’s going on, but we hope we can correct these things by
staying.” Admittedly, some congregations have not reached the “point of no return”
in their digression. In such cases, those who are zealous for the Truth should
stay and “contend earnestly for the
faith” (Jude 3). However, when
congregational leaders have obviously succumbed to liberalism, it is
practically impossible to reclaim them. To them, those who criticize erroneous
doctrine or practice are just pesky “trouble makers.”
• Family and Friends: “Although
I don’t approve of this congregation, I can’t leave my kindred and best
friends.” We should all possess“natural affection” (Rom. 1:31). However, all other
affections must be secondary to one’s affection for the Christ and His Word (Mat. 6:24, 33; 10:34–36; 22:36–37). We correctly appeal to members of denominations
to come out of those sinful institutions, even if it means sacrificing family
and friends. It is no less appropriate to appeal to brethren whose family ties
and friendships bind them to digressive “churches of Christ.”
• Too Much Invested: “I
have been a member of this congregation for years, and I have invested too much
money and time to walk away from it.” It is painful to lose investments, but it
is sometimes necessary. Spiritual issues far outweigh mere material ones. That
one is so concerned over money or time is a “dead giveaway” that the priceless
treasure of Truth and one’s eternal destiny are not one’s priorities (Mat. 6:21). One whose house is in the path of a raging flood is a fool if he tells
would-be rescuers he has invested too much time and money in it to leave. In
both cases, these folk have already
lost their“investments” whether
they go or stay. The member of the liberal church has lost his
“investments,” and by remaining in it, he compounds those losses. He had better
be concerned with the far greater loss of his soul if he continues to support
error and sin (Mat. 5:30; 16:26; 2 John
9–11).
• Fear of Division: “I
don’t approve of the corruptions and innovations I see in this congregation,
but I might cause division if I leave.” One should be cautious and concerned
about division, but one dare not favor a false“peace” or “unity” above Truth
and godliness. Liberals have falsely accused many a devoted saint of “causing
division”when all they did was stand for the Truth and object to unauthorized
doctrines or deeds. I confess to encouraging division when the Truth is at stake.
Our Lord is “the Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6), but He rules with a “sword” that
is often divisive (Mat. 10:34; Luke 12:51–52; Eph. 6:17). When some in a
congregation refuse to submit to God’s Word and others are determined to do so,
division is inevitable. The Lord anticipated such divisions, and they have His
blessing (1 Cor. 11:19). Those
who have abandoned the Truth are the culprits in such cases,
regardless of accusations to the contrary. Brethren should not let the “church
divider” charge intimidate them.
• Nowhere to Go: “I
don’t agree with the preaching and practices of this congregation, but where
can I go?” This problem especially perplexes those who live where the only congregation
designated “church of Christ” has apostatized. In such cases, it is time to
begin a new congregation. Brethren in hundreds of places did so a century or
more ago when digressives forced the instrument and the missionary society into
almost every congregation. Many sacrificed greatly as heartless heretics,
operating as religious bullies, forced them to choose between compromising or
leaving.
Those faithful spiritual ancestors understood the spiritual application of
Solomon’s words: “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great
treasure and trouble therewith” (Pro. 15:16; 16:8). Some of these godly folk
began congregations in their homes with only their own family unit as members,
but they were determined to be faithful to God. The time has come again to
demonstrate such grit and character for those in unsound churches who would
“worship in spirit and truth” and maintain a “good conscience” (John 4:23–24;
Heb. 13:18). While the modern innovations are more varied than those of the
past, they represent the same kind of rebellion against New Testament
authority. God-fearing brethren who live in areas where sound congregations
exist have no excuse for
remaining in unsound congregations. They cannot sincerely ask,
“Where can I go?”
• We Like the Youth
Program: “Many of the things being done in the church here are
unscriptural, but it has a large group of children the ages of ours.” As I
suggested earlier, having children should be a compelling reason for leaving, rather than
for staying in a
liberal church. What parents “gain” in peers and programs for their children
they more than lose to the harmful influence, emphasis, and teaching, as
already enumerated. It would be far better for one’s children to be reared in a
congregation that provides wholesome doctrine and spiritual emphasis with only
one or two others (or even none) their ages than in a congregation with a
multitude their age where Scriptural teaching and example are absent. Remember
Lot’s folly—and losses.
• No Perfect
Congregation: “I know this congregation has many problems in
doctrine and practice, but so did the church in Corinth, and Paul still called
it a ‘church of God.’”Liberals have so often repeated this prattle to justify
their apostasies that some otherwise sound brethren now parrot it. Such is a
classic illustration of comparing “apples” with “oranges.” True, Paul addressed
the defective Corinthian brethren as “the church of God” (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor.
1:1), but this is hardly the end of the matter. The principal aim of Paul’s
letters to them was to correct
those errors and their purveyors. He believed—correctly—that
the church was salvageable. Most of the Corinthians were penitent (2 Cor.
7:5–16), and Paul warned the few who were not that he would deal with them when
he arrived (12:20–21; 13:2–10). Had the church refused his reproofs, he could
not have continued in fellowship with them and been consistent with his own
teaching (Rom. 16:17–18; 1 Cor. 5:11–13; Eph. 5:11; Tit. 3:10; et al.)
or with the Lord’s (Mat. 7:15–16; 15:13–14; 16:6, 12; et al.). One who
concludes that Paul’s address of the Corinthian church as “the church of God”
somehow justifies a congregation’s apostasy is sorely mistaken.
Paul dealt with these errors as soon as he learned of them—before their
perpetrators had become entrenched and had gained unbreakable control. Unlike
many present-day error plagued congregations, the Corinthian errors did not
represent a long-standing pattern of liberalism and disregard for the Truth.
Numerous faithful brethren have again and again exposed and rebuked the errors
of modern apostate congregations, only to see them resolutely march further
into radicalism. Unlike the Corinthian church, there is no realistic hope that
they will return to the Truth. Anyone who would appeal to the Corinthians as an
excuse for apostasy and/or for remaining in an apostate church should be
ashamed.
In appealing for good brethren to leave bad churches, I am not encouraging
“sheep-stealing.” I am simply encouraging godly men and women to have the courage
of their convictions and to make Truth their priority. Although it may require
sacrifice, the Lord’s command to them is: “Come forth, my people, out of her,
that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
We all need to heed these words for our very soul could be at stake.