07/28/2024 – Day 056 – Romans – Chapters 15 – 16 / 16:17 – “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned , and avoid them.”
Let me add verse 18, right after verse 17: “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly , and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”
If a church is or becomes confused as to who Jesus is, that is a time to walk away and avoid them going forward. I will give you an example that is not such a time: We had a discussion in our weekly bible study group on whether or not we believed in the rapture. Our pastor was ordained from Dallas Theological Seminary and believes that the rapture is biblically sound. I believe it can be inferred, but the evidence is just not there. My premise to our group was that regardless of our position – pre-millennial dispensationalist or not, it was not enough to separate any of us from our worshipping church community that took the other position.
Another example for us: We were both baptized as infants. We attended a non-denominational church in Houston that required adult baptisms to become members. We accepted that, continuing to serve just as if we were members, but leaving the church never crossed our minds.
Other examples of churches we would leave if these positions were embraced:
Embracing LGBTQ ,woke ideology, and/or “pro-abortion” all of these run counter to God’s Word, preaching hate, not acknowledging God’s unfathomable love and complete sovereignty over the life He created.
“Replacement Theory” (“supercessionary”) – The belief that the Jews are no longer the covenant people of God; they have been replaced by the gentile christians. I would submit that is clearly heretical, rejecting God’s promises in the Old Testament and in direct conflict with Paul in Romans, Chapter 11: “Israel’s Rejection Not Total.”
Note – You better believe we would continue to witness the Good News!
Thoughts? Reflections?
Soli Deo Gloria!