It would be repugnant in the eyes of the Apostle Paul to accept his brothers in error and not seek to enlighten their way. Falsehood can never be "accepted" and we are without excuse having been entrusted the Holy Scriptures for truth and comfort.
Paul in Galatians 2 speaks of such who come in unawares, many of whom unknowingly bring their brethren into fleshly bondage.
Gal 2:4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— Gal 2:5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. Gal 2:6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. (or the true Gospel)
Reformer, you message is not in harmony with the Apostle Paul both here in Gal 2 and in Rom 16.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (Rom 16:17)
I could take you to Titus and other passages which again provide you the example of contending earnestly the faith, which was once delivered to you by the Apostles to the Saints.
Rather than perceiving to be a teacher, we should become hearers of the Word, rather than presiding over it giving determinations which are contrary to the Will of God?
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, (Eph 4:5) - if you are not in possession of these...what do you have?
Yes, even I am comforted when the children of God walk in truth.
Clarity
Clarity, as my column will verify, I addressed only those believers who are
honestly and
sincerely recipients of defective doctrines. Note the following from my feature, especially the statements set in
bold face.
______
I will recognize and embrace any brother who has experienced the new birth and is
honestly striving to serve his Lord as he understands His will—yes, in spite of his doctrinal defects. He may be aligned with a sect, a cult, a religious party, or not aligned with any of them. If he’s a born-again believer but caught up in some divisive splinter group or sect, I will try my utmost to “show him a more excellent way.” I would suggest to him: Reform your walk with the Lord by ousting all shades of sectarianism and grasping true freedom in Jesus.
So, as my brother asked, “Can a man believe and accept false doctrine and still be saved?” Allow me to reverse the question:
Must a man be flawlessly indoctrinated in all areas before he can be saved? If yes, as my brother seems to imply, none of us will be saved, for not one of us has reached an absolute level of doctrinal excellence—not even when we initially came to the Lord for salvation. So, yes, I accept those brothers in error. I have no other kind. To one degree or another, all of us are doctrinally defective. Perfection is—or should be—our goal. But we will never attain such a high level of excellence as long as we remain in this old earthly tabernacle. This is why God’s grace is so vital in each of our lives, for without His grace to balance things out, we would be lost creatures, wandering in an evil world with no hope of rescue. Paul emphasized this truth to the Ephesians,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
_______
As to those who
deliberately and
divisively advocate false doctrine, the scriptures you introduced apply to them. They do not apply to those who are
honestly caught up in defective doctrine. For if they do, even
you cannot be saved, because you have not (nor has anyone else) attained a state of perfection in doctrine.
Buff
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