I should have know that this was where this would go -- some people trying to convince that I shouldn't bother rather than answering the question. But, since we had to go there. . .
This is a preposterous conclusion.
True, when we believe a false doctrine we are guilty of spiritual harlotry. The problem is that we all have believed a false doctrine at some point in our lives, and we all believe at least one false doctrine (large or small) right now. This is the only conclusion you can come to because I have never met two believers who agree on all points. The Lord has purposed us all to understand truth in bits and pieces, over the course of our walk with Him. Because of sin, our understanding will never be complete or perfect. Grace covers us in our relationship with the Lord, and grace should cover our relationship with others.
If your conclusion were true, then for every church that Paul wrote to, instead of bothering to help them to correct their doctrine and admonishing them to learn to get along, he should have just said, "you are a bunch of spiritual harlots. go home."
- I believe that gospel fellowship has two parts: doctrine and practice. I model this belief after Paul's letters; in every letter he first writes what the gospel is, and then he writes how we live out the gospel in our relationships
- No. But that does not get us off the hook of demonstrating the gospel in our relationships. The bible still tells us how to live out the gospel in our relationships with masters, civil magistrates, unbelieving spouses, etc. The Holy Spirit often uses such testimony to bring other believers to Him.
- Of course not. Even Paul's local churches always had apostates who crept in unawares. In those cases where the person's status becomes known, we are to cease treating them as a believer. This is a separate issue as to whether they belong to the ekklesia, which they do not and cannot.
- Depends on the church. It is not up to me to judge the hearts of people, but biblically we are to judge others by what they believe and how they live. I have seen many congregations where the majority clearly believe the gospel and worship God in joy. They are few, far between, and comparatively small but they are there. I don't think that everything that is usually done in modern "church" is ideal or biblical, but that doesn't make them apostates either. I also don't think that being in disagreement on a minor (non-saving) point of doctrine is a reason for not fellowshipping. In fact, one of the ways you can determine whether or not a person really believes the gospel is by seeing how they treat others who disagree with them.
- No, but this doesn't apply to my case. Perhaps some people who are very isolated may not have a congregation of mostly regenerate believers with whom they may worship. In that case, they are best to pray for God to bring some believer(s) into their life and they can meet at home or in a Starbucks. I happen to live in a metro area of 15 million people, with over 3 million in my county alone. I know that the believers are out there, and we are working on finding out where God wants us.
- To a group of mostly dead souls that promote mostly false doctrine? Of course not. But I believe that it is critically important to bring your children to worship with other regenerate believers. There are many lessons to be learned in corporate worship and serving others in the body of Christ. I am willing to overlook certain errors and minor sins that I might not have otherwise in order to make that happen.
I am personally convinced that we will see gospel revival not only when more people believe the gospel, but when they begin to truly live out the gospel. Too many people are focused on "making" people believe the way that they do. We so easily forget that everything that we have received is a gift of grace. We are like the unforgiving servant when we accept the grace, learning and growth from the Holy Spirit and then attack others who have not yet understood. Of course, it is much easier to disfellowship people than to get along, and that is why this practice is rampant in so many churches. We should remember that Paul bore with great patience the spiritual babes that were under his oversight.
The other reason that I will always seek a fellowship of believers, and I do not find internet / radio "fellowship" acceptable is that we must seek out ways to use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of other believers. For some reason the Holy Spirit has gifted me with giving and hospitality, and these are not gifts that can be exercised over the internet. I know from experience that when one is not using her gifts, she will always feel incomplete.
Originally Posted by Elreformado
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