Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company… Acts 15:36-39
When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles… Galatians 2:11-12
Arguments and divisions in the church are nothing new; they go right back to the earliest days.
That has been the thrust of my last two posts, taking as examples (a) Paul’s fall-out with Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:36-41), and (b) his public condemnation of Simon Peter over his refusal to eat with gentile believers (Galatians 2:11-21). Unhappy events, however you look at them.
In a strange sort of way we can take it as encouraging that such things could happen even among the early giants of the church – there are no “plaster saints” in the Bible, so let that give us hope!
But, of course, it is the will of Jesus that his church should be united – just take a look at his great prayer in John 17: “…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I in you”. So we should never excuse disunity among us as Christians, and certainly not be complacent about it.
All of which raises the question: At what point (if ever) should we break fellowship with others who claim to be Christians? To use the technical, if rather ugly, word, at what point might we regard them as heretical, so seriously in error that we can no longer feel united to them ? The answer is easy to state in principle but often very difficult to pin down in practice.
Regarding the examples we have looked at, there can surely be no doubt that Paul was right to condemn Peter that day in Antioch, embarrassing, painful and even humiliating though it must have been. If Peter and the “circumcision group” had won the day, it would have inflicted a massive tear on the fabric of the church: can you imagine a situation where Jewish Christians sat to eat in one room, and their gentile brothers and sisters in another? It would have been scandalous, outrageous.
Even more, it would have been a denial of the very essence of the Gospel, for Jesus died and rose again for all those who trust in him, and so they are all equal in his sight. There were no first- and second-class Christians in those early days; and nor should there be now.
So, going back to the question of when, if ever, we are justified in breaking fellowship with others who profess to follow Jesus, the answer is simple: only if they are saying or doing something which violates the very essence of the Gospel. Never over a personality clash or an issue, practical or doctrinal, which is only of secondary importance.
But that raises another question: Yes, but how do we decide what is an essential first principle and what is merely secondary? To which the answer is often: with great difficulty!
A few examples may help us to pick our way through this.
We’ve all heard stories of Christians falling out over issues that would be funny if they weren’t so sad – What colour should the new carpet in the church be? Should the morning service start at 10.15 or 10.30?
Others aren’t funny at all, but are just very sad. I was once attacked (not physically) in a scornful and insulting way because I expressed the view that the King James Version of the Bible wasn’t the only “proper” translation.
And there is a multitude of doctrinal questions where equally sincere Christians disagree – What is meant by “the baptism of the Holy Spirit”? “What is the ‘millennium’?” How do we reconcile divine predestination and human free will? What place do women have in church leadership? Is it right to “christen” babies? How precisely does Jesus’ death on the cross accomplish our salvation? What is the nature of hell? How literally should we take the Genesis creation story?
I could go on! The Bible, even though inspired by God, is not always a simple book to understand!
For what it’s worth, let me suggest a rough rule of thumb.
If somebody claims to be a fellow believer in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and I have no reason to doubt their genuineness and sincerity, then – well – that’s enough for me, even if I may sometimes shake my head when I learn about various of their beliefs and practices.
I may not feel comfortable about being in the same church fellowship as that person, or about encouraging others to be; but I will not refuse to regard them as a fellow Christian (and very likely a far better one than me!). After all, there is no-one who has everything pinned down, no-one who is without error. And if that is so, it follows that I should always be open to the question, “Never mind that heretical person… What if it’s me that’s wrong?
A teaspoonful of vital truth outweighs a lorryload of secondary error. (Discuss…)
Loving Father, please give me a passion for the truth as it is in Jesus, a wise and discerning mind, and also true humility and generosity of spirit. Amen.
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