Periodically, new churches in the area begin, and they mail professionally-printed advertisements out to residents in an effort to invite them to their new group. The one many received in this area is printed on glossy card stock. One side has a red background with a gray picture of people assembling together, and the lettering is in white. The other side is mostly dark gray with red, white, and light purple lettering. The red side asks four questions, set up in the following style:
What if…
Church was about…
The text that follows offers four contrasts:
LOVING NOT judging
COMMUNITY NOT control
RELATIONSHIP NOT religion
GIVING NOT taking
In their format the NOT is stair-stepped sideways between each pair of words. The other side touts:
A church where you find:
Acceptance.
Relevant messages.
Dynamic message.
Kids can’t wait to go.
At the bottom of that column are three brief imperatives.
LOVE GOD.
LOVE PEOPLE.
AFFECT THE WORLD.
Data concerning the time and place are given.
Probably this will appeal to some people, but what is the advertisement really claiming? Each of these contrasts deserves to be examined in light of the Scriptures.
This contrast is not a valid one. Loving and judging are not opposites; it is not a matter of either/or. All one needs to do to see through this false dichotomy is to consider God and Jesus. Does God love? Yes, God is love (1 John 4:7-8). Does God judge? Yes, He is going to judge the world through Jesus:
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
Furthermore, God expects judgment from His people; Jesus taught: “Do not judge according to the appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Sometimes judgments are based on superficial criteria, perhaps even first impressions, but the facts are absent. Or maybe we might condemn another for something of which we ourselves are guilty.
However, forgoing judgment under those circumstances does not mean God never wants us to exercise any judgment at all. Without it, how would we ever recognize a false teacher who has the appearance of a ravening wolf (Matt. 7:15). In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul chastised the church for not withdrawing fellowship from a brother living with his father’s wife: “And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you” (v. 2). Paul said he had judged the man (v. 3).
What many people fail to realize is that, when one person loves another, he calls upon him to repent, and the reason is the danger that the loved one is in. For example, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah called upon God’s people to repent of their idolatry and their immorality. Did he love them? They ignored all of his warnings, and then Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Jeremiah wept over the destruction. Yes, he loved the people. He did not personally judge them; he was preaching God’s message so that they could avoid God’s judgment for their sins.
Now what about the false prophets who spoke to the people what they wanted to hear? These men proclaimed, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). Did they love the people? Did they weep over the city when it was destroyed? No, they were selfish. They liked tickling people’s ears and presenting a message that was popular and well-received. Yes, they could return home in the evening after a hard day of appeasement and say to themselves, “That poor Jeremiah never learns. He’s so unpopular because he’s so judgmental. All the people hold me in high regard.” As Jesus might observe, the praise of men (and a few shekels) is the only reward such imposters will ever receive. They loved themselves—not others.
In having the church withdraw fellowship from the man living with his father’s wife, Paul was exhibiting love—because acceptance of him would have meant his eternal destruction, which could in no way be construed as love for another. The man needed to repent, and when he did, God forgave him of his sin. To actually love someone is to show them when they are sinning or are in error. Remaining silent is a gutless option. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Pr. 27:6).
For this same reason, all Christians ought to be evangelizing those who are still in sin. We could say nothing and be well-thought-of…at least, by sinners. Or we can be accused of “judging” others and love them enough to invite them to hear the gospel and/or make positive changes in their lives. The point is, however, that the way we live is not a choice between loving and judgment.
Once again, the question should be asked, “Are these two concepts at odds with one another? Paul made it clear Christianity is a “community” concept.
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12-13).
The body or church of Christ has many members. Paul goes on to mention eyes, ears, and smelling as functions of the body. We are all different, as members of the body of Christ, but we all are one. We all became part of the body of Christ in the same way—through baptism, and we all follow the teachings of the Holy Spirit, as revealed by God’s holy apostles and prophets. Every member is an important part of the body. We cannot think that we are unimportant—or that any other member is unimportant. We are all a necessary part of the body, which is our spiritual community. Paul clearly taught about closeness when he wrote “that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25). Christians in Jerusalem were often together at the beginning (Acts 2:44-47).
This closeness is the reason that the withdrawal of fellowship works. It is difficult to withdraw from someone that no one is close to or has no sense of community with. One of the reasons that the sexually immoral man in 1 Corinthians 5 repented is that the Christian community there with whom he was involved would no longer fellowship him. He missed the sense of community he had previously enjoyed. Also, he now understood that the reason for the church’s action was to get him to see the seriousness of his sins—that, if he did not repent, Christ could not allow him into heaven. Just as he was excluded from the church on earth, he would be denied access to an eternal home in heaven and the fellowship of the righteous forever.
Just as nothing unrighteous will be allowed into heaven (2 Peter 3:10-13), so sin should not be allowed in the body of Christ. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven…” (1 Cor. 5:6b-7a). Again, however, the purpose for withdrawing fellowship was not out of cruelty or vindictiveness; the reason for it was to cause the wayward brother to repent, “that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5).
Is this control? Yes, but it is not the kind that cults use to dominate every facet of a person’s life. It is not control used so that no one will step out of line concerning a list of man-made dogmas. It is only exercised when one is committing sins that are obvious to all. Paul writes: “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person” (1 Cor. 5:11). He adds that it is the church’s responsibility to judge those who are inside—meaning members of the body of Christ (5:12).
Thus, loving and judging are not opposites but can walk side by side compatibly. Having a sense of community does not imply that no control can be exercised; in the first century the two were harmonious. The absence of judging and control leads to rampant and unchecked sin. Is that the kind of community people want—one in which sin and bad examples are allowed to flourish?
The value of relationship between the members of the body of Christ has already been stressed. What is meant by the word religion? According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the definition of religion is:
The expression of man’s belief in and reverence for a superhuman power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe.
Any particular integrated system of this expression: the Hindu religion.
Religion does involve belief in and worship of God. (Superhuman power is probably not the best description). Each one is systematic—that is, it has its own history, teachings, and acts of worship. The history of Christianity is traced through the Bible, covering the Old and New Testaments. Its doctrine is that which was taught by Jesus and His apostles (John 12:48; Acts 2:42). The way in which to worship God properly involves both attitude and truth (John 4:23-24). The acts of worship are specified in the New Testament; they involved praying, singing, teaching, the Lord’s Supper, and giving.
It would only be a matter of speculation to try to ascertain what is wrong with religion. Are the propagators of this new “church” trying to discount doctrine? Everyone has a certain amount of doctrine; if they did not, they would look foolish inviting people to join them. “What do you believe?” “Well, all you have to do to be a member here is to believe in God; after that, you can think anything you want.” Hmm! Such would be chaotic, to say the least. Still, it has become a popular trend for people to parrot the Satanic line, “Doctrine doesn’t matter.”
It matters to God. It matters whether people believe Jesus is His Son or not; Jesus was crucified over that fact (Mark 14:61-62; cf. John 8:24). It matters whether or not people believe that He died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, which is the heart of the gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Acts 17:30-31). It matters whether or not one repents of his sins and is baptized (Acts 2:36-41; cf. Mark 16:16). It matters to God on what day of the week we worship (Acts 20:7). It matters whether or not one is a member of the one body of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:4; 5:23).
Doctrine is so important that false teachers are to be rejected for teaching error (Titus 3:10). Nor are they to be fellowshipped in any way (2 John 9-11). If doctrine is the problem for some, then they have no love of the truth and shall therefore be lost (2 Thess. 2:10). Truth matters when a pharmacy fills a prescription, when solving a mathematical equation, when filing income tax. Why should it not matter to the One Who revealed truth to us? Truth is the difference between life and death, right and wrong, salvation and damnation; a blasé attitude would be a fatal mistake.
How this is intended is anyone’s guess; suffice it to say that the New Testament teaches that giving is a blessing (Acts 20:35). Taking is what the majority of people are interested in—including some who visit a place of worship. They want to know what’s in it for them. What programs do you have? What activities are available for the youth? What trips have been scheduled for the elderly? When was the last time someone said, “I’d like to be a member of this congregation, and here’s what I have to give you”?
Really? What if a person is living in adultery, practicing homosexuality, known to be a drunkard, or living with his father’s wife? Is he accepted? Some people might not want to be part of a congregation where such individuals are accepted without any intention of or sign of repentance. God does not accept such individuals. Those who continue to live in various sins, refusing to change, cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Jesus taught that, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
Is someone preaching irrelevant messages? Maybe. But sermons are not irrelevant if they are from the Word of God. Everything in the New Testament is relevant to our spiritual well-being. The Holy Spirit did not seek “filler” space to meet length requirements. The Old Testament, though describing spiritual life under a previous covenant, still conveys a number of invaluable principles besides showing us the basis for the New Testament, in which prophecies are fulfilled. Our current covenant is relevant to daily living, weekly worship, and knowing how to please God.
In fact, nowhere on this advertisement does one word appear about the Bible. Not one Scripture is cited, nor does any quote appear from the Word of God. Does anyone notice this lack of emphasis? What kind of church is this? What kind of messages are relevant—ones that use some other source than the Bible? Is this a man-made church filled with man-made wisdom? No one can tell from the advertisement, but it is strange that nowhere do they claim to study the Scriptures.
Dynamic music is promised, but Jesus’ apostles simply commanded Christians to sing. (Col. 3:16-17). “Kids can’t wait to go.” They usually cannot. Kids generally love Bible classes and are excited about going. Usually, adults are the problem. As far as loving God and people, that part is certainly Biblical. Affect the world? Yes, Christians ought to have an impact on the world as salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). Those who are not conformed to the world but to Christ should make a difference by their holy lives (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:14-16), as well as by being evangelistic (Matt. 28:18-20).
People are always coming up with new ideas, but the church for which Christ died is sufficient. God knew what He was doing when He designed it. Modern society does not need a church that has changed from the original design. Neither God nor man has changed in character. He is still holy, and people are still committing sin and in need of salvation. The church, the body of those who have been saved, does not need to change; sinners do. Everyone needs to repent and obey the gospel, thus becoming part of the church, over which Christ is head (Eph. 1:22-23). No human being nor council can improve on God’s original design.