Churches with unbiblical doctrines

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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Assuming it's unbiblical... you would not be sinning if you purpose to set
your focus on the Lord and His Word, and do what it say...young Samuel found himself serving God in the Temple amongst priests who were ungodly...more on this in chapters 2 and 3 of 1 Samuel...read those chapters carefully.

Samuel is a young child at the time.
Samuel purposed to serve/honor God and His Word.
Eli properly instructed Samuel in priestly duties etc.. but Eli did nothing about
his sons who are priests that took the Lord's offerings and had sex with women
at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
Samuel stayed true and the Lord be with Him.
The Lord would deal with the ungodliness going on in the Temple.

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

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If you mean a church that does things not explicitly commanded in scripture then every church does that.

[for me anyway] it comes down to what the Lord Jesus Christ said referring to hypocrites saying that "all things whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do, but do not ye according to their works; for they say and do not"(Matthew 23:3)
In this when we attend a Church we ought only to listen to the Word of God when it is spoken by the speaker, and nothing else; then we take it from there with God's Spirit directing the idea thereof in scripture.
As for whatsoever else the speaker is speaking of, let us not be brought under the power of anything that does not come by the Word of God, knowing that it is only by the Word of God that faith from from, and comes from none other. (Romans 10:17)

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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There is no sin in not being in a perfect community, because there is no perfect community.

A person can spend his entire life going from place to place looking for the perfect community. The result is an obsession about the flaws of others. You are free to do that, but you will never find happiness or contentness, and worst of all, you won't grow spiritually, you will end up cynical and fruitless.

Ask yourself where will you grow spiritually? Don't give into the temptation of taking a negative approach, but focus on the positives. What does the community have to offer you and what do you have to offer the community?

Redeemed And Renewed said:

First of all, I am a woman. I do not "believe" (not 'interpret') that God told Timothy through our Apostle Paul that when he said "husband of one wife" that he meant a woman, right? God doesn't make those kinds of mistakes. In fact, God doesn't make mistakes at all. So, contrary to what another responder here said, we are not to "interpret" the scriptures, but to choose to believe them. God knew how to get his word to us in our own languages which is a translation, not an interpretation. Nor is my choosing to believe the words on the page an interpretation. It is choosing to believe the living WORD! Thanks for the opportunity to share what God has taught me through believing his Word.

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You can't read scripture without interpreting it. All you are really doing is pretending your not doing it and not realizing your own bias. Translations are in fact interpretations. Translators attempt to convey the meaning of the language.

RadiantGrace said:

You can't read scripture without interpreting it. All you are really doing is pretending your not doing it and not realizing your own bias. Translations are in fact interpretations. Translators attempt to convey the meaning of the language.

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My point exactly.
Even if one understand the Greek used in Septuagint, which I so happen to do a given word often have several different meanings and if I'm reading it myself I'll have to go with one over the others in order to keep on reading and not get stuck in the process.

I know some people mostly radicals hold to one perfect translation, often KJV. Fact however is that the field of translation works have only improved since that translation was done.
Today the KJV is considered to be the best one of its time, but not nearly good enough for readers today. It simply has to many gross errors.

The historical-critical method has also entered the stage since then and it has brought us great fruits.
Also Qumran and the Masoret findings.

No, I'll be as straight forward as to say that one year of basic theological studies or self study and interest is more than enough to leave the no-interpretation idea.
It is undoubtedly a huge fallacy.

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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Dr. Michael Heiser has spoken at numerous churches, he works at one of the best bible software companies that supplies it product to pastor and lay person alike. He spends 14 minutes here talking about the problem of choosing a church.

Stabat Mater said:

Your view on the bible is Biblicism then which is a way of interpretating the bible too.
Woops?

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And yet on another end of a multidimensional spectrum from Biblicism is relativism. That these guys have their belief and the other guys have that other belief and they're all about equal. I know you don't hold to that.

This one criterion raised in these posts is whether women can be ministers/pastors seems apparent from Scripture. It is also apparent from Tradition as neither the Orthodox or Catholics allow it. But a whole lotta 'Sola Scriptura' folks think it's OK for some reason. I can't see it. You can't see it. But they think it is plain as day that women can be ministers/pastors. I guess we would conclude that their thinking on this subject really is in error, even if they might claim they are God's gift to truthful interpretation.

I do think it would be a sin for me to go join a group that erred significantly in teaching. It might even be so bad a sin it could put my salvation in jeopardy. I do not think people who grew up in such an environment and never knew better are sinning by being there, but hopefully they are listening to God's calling. I think that's the kicker. Are we all listening to God's call to being us to exactly where He wants us to be? I'm pretty dense most of the time.

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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I am of the opinion that every denomination has some form or fashion of the faith wrong. So any church you go to will be seriously lacking if you expect a "perfect" gathering.

Ask God to help you find the church he wants you in and keep searching until he says "This is the one"

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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If she is teaching good sound doctrine, then that's great.


John writes to a woman who Pastors, and teaches truth.


1 The Elder,

To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. 2 John 1:1-6

• I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

JLB

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

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That is only one of any number of potentially wrong doctrines. And not even as major a one as Replacement Theology. Or Calvinism vs Arminianism. Or cessationsim.

In 1 Cor 13 Paul tells us we "see thru a glass darkly," meaning there are many things we think we see but are actually not in focus. And I believe that is by God's design.

So unless you hear God specifically leading you TO or From a particular congregation and its belief system, you are not in sin by being there.

ByTheSpirit said:

I am of the opinion that every denomination has some form or fashion of the faith wrong. So any church you go to will be seriously lacking if you expect a "perfect" gathering.

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I have heard it said that if you EVER find the "Perfect Congregation," be sure NOT to join it. As soon as you do it will no longer be perfect.

GingerBeer said:

If you mean a church that does things not explicitly commanded in scripture then every church does that.

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Perhaps every church you know of does that.
Seek the ekklesia who always do what YHWH says to do, every day seek ,
and YHWH says you will find. (don't be in a hurry; they do not advertise, nor publicize, nor seek attention for themselves; they only do what is right, and that is not at all common nor usual)....

JLB777 said:

I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

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Amein. HalleluYAH !

Redeemed And Renewed said:

Yes, there ARE allegories in Scripture. But they are clearly allegories and easily recognized by the people Jesus intended them for.

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Whether it is clear or not, identifying a biblical text as an allegory involves interpretation.

woobadooba said:

Whether it is clear or not, identifying a biblical text as an allegory involves interpretation.

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While this may well be true,
the understanding of Scripture as written:
" Then opened HE their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,"
as
revealed by YHWH, as must be,
does not create any conflict at all with any other Scripture,
nor with anyone else to whom YHWH reveals it, as written He does.

The false contradictions and arguments occur when YHWH does not reveal the understanding of Scripture, but people plow on anyway, without true understanding. This is most common on earth, everywhere.

We go into supermarkets and malls where "sin" is rampant.....yet do not think to ask if we are sinner because we are in the same buildings as they are. I feel this should hold true in church buildings in which we feel some practices arent biblical.

But it is up to what you feel in your heart....If you feel bad in a location, maybe God is moving you to leave it. I do, however, question sometimes whether the "come out from among them" verse is referring to "the world of sinners" or the religious.....

Dave-W said:

So unless you hear God specifically leading you TO or From a particular congregation and its belief system, you are not in sin by being there.

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This is basically false.
God's Word says it is sin to be in any place approving
of or learning from them that teach a false gospel,
and it is sin, even if the person does not know it yet.
There are many places to be, or events to be at or in, and many many things that people do, that are sin, even if they don't know it yet.

Ben Collyer said:

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church, but am I in sin if I attend a church that subscribes to and practices unbiblical beliefs?

i.e a church that allows women to be pastors. without getting into a debate, lets assume that this is unbiblical, Am I sinning if I continue to attend? what are the biblical principles for this?

Click to expand...

Sin is an issue of faith (that works by love) not what someone else believes about what only God can define.

Ben, it is not a sin to visit a church that has error in it. However, you need to ask yourself if it is wise to join it, for if that church is led by a false teacher, it could lead you into sin, and away from God.