(I ask that you please read this post to the end before you have any ill thoughts towards me or what I have written. Thanks :) )
I have known many people that have obeyed the gospel but have become entangled again in error. Most recently, one of my dear friends that was baptized a few months ago. This person has so much potential to do good things for the kingdom. Smart, hard-working, strong, bold, and caring are all words to describe her. With those kind of adjectives attributed to one person, many great things could happen! Unfortunately, she has left the truth and is now wasting her talents on what she believes to be love.
I'll show you what I mean. We moved to Memphis a couple of months after she became a Christian and I decided to check up on her and see how she was doing. (On a side note, we should be doing this to everyone that obeys the truth. We cannot just teach them the gospel and leave them to fend for themselves when they are just infants in the faith. We need to go out of our ways and out of our comfort zones to help the new Christians grow.) Because she studied with me, and was my friend before she obeyed, I believe I am especially responsible for keeping her encouraged and helping her grow.
Anyway, she left the church for a denominational organization. She said that the church doesn't respect that organization as being a Christian group. I explained to her that it's because they are not Christians. We all know that being religious does not make one a Christian. Everyone has to obey the correct plan of salvation and become a member of the ONE church that Christ established. I explained this to her again (she understood this before she was baptized and we studied for a while about it). She had this to say to me:
"I have trouble accepting what you say now because you denounced _____ as a Christian foundation. The people at _____ are better Christians at times than the people at the church of Christ. _____ does a better job with love and acceptance. I mean how can anyone really get across the point of God without first showing love and acceptance. The people at ____ are also humble."
LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE:
Yes, we should be loving and accepting. Yes, we need to love others to teach them about God...but does "loving" someone mean accepting their sins?
NO.
We absolutely cannot accept someone's sins. Part of salvation is repenting, meaning to turn away from sin and live no longer in them (Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30) If someone is still in their sin, they WILL NOT be in Heaven. (Galatians 5:19-21)
If we don't try to lead someone to Heaven, are we really loving them? NO.
We should be loving in leading someone away from their sins and showing them their error, but we cannot let anyone think it's okay to continue in those actions and lifestyles and still get to Heaven. That is completely false. If we do, we are contributing to the condemnation of their soul and ours.
Would you rather have feelings hurt and get yourself and others to Heaven, or be "accepting" and lead yourself and others to Hell?
BENEVOLENCE:
This is not mentioned in her above quote, but I know one reason she is involved with other religious groups is for the acts of benevolence for the less fortunate.
"And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; yet you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?" -James 2:16
In the context of this verse, it is talking about faith being dead without works, but I think we can use this verse to illustrate another point. What will it profit if we save children from a war, feed the hungry, take care of the elderly, etc. if we do not show them how to get to Heaven? Do we only care about the temporary, physical body? We need to care more so for their eternal spirit. We need to feed, clothe, and take of care of the spiritual body as well as physical. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be benevolent. That is a work of the church and we need to do those things...but don't put the emphasis where it doesn't belong. You may keep someone from going hungry, but you are still letting them go to Hell because you are not teaching them the truth.
HUMILITY:
Should we, as members of the Lord's one body, be arrogant? No. Should we deny that there is only one truth to avoid looking arrogant? No.
I think what she meant by saying we are less humble than that other religious group is that they accept all teachings and believe it's okay to believe what you want, be a part of the church of your choice, etc. while we believe what the bible teaches about there only being one body, one truth, one way to Heaven. Does the bible teach there is only one way to Heaven through one church and one savior? See for yourself.
"Jesus saith unto him, I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life: NO man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:16
The way, the truth, and the life are singular. It does not say "a way, a truth, a life"
"There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Ephesians 4:4-6
There is one body.
"And God hath put all things under His feet, and hath given Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23
If the church is his body, and there is one body, then there is one church. It is not arrogant to teach so. Our purpose is not to tell everyone that they are in error, but to show them why they are in error and how to fix it in order to get to Heaven. For more on this subject, watch for my next blog post....or better, go to the new testament and read/study about it- that's where I'll be getting the thoughts for my next post, because I want to only teach what God teaches.
"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11
We love souls and we want to all go to Heaven together. I love this friend of mine very much. I pray for her and cry when I think of her. She may think that I am arrogant and hateful, but friends that don't tell you when you are wrong are no friends at all.
Here's the challenge: Teach the truth in love, not accepting error but teaching truth to take others with us to Heaven. Don't be afraid to get your feelings hurt, lose friendships, etc. It will happen if we are doing the right thing. Are you willing to suffer for Christ? (Matthew 5:11-12)
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