Churches with unbiblical doctrines

[Dave-W]

his 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.

False gospel - true.
But As a Wesleyan Arminianist - do I consider Calvinism to be a "false gospel?"
Or as a Messianic do I consider replacement theology to be a "false gospel?"

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

it is not a sin to visit a church that has error in it.

Jesus told His disciples to LISTEN when the religious teachers taught TORAH, as that is and was good, but NOT to live like they lived, because they were hypocrites.

Those who went and lived like the hypocrites, seeking the approval of men instead of God, sinned.
Those who obeyed Jesus, and did what is right, did not sin by doing so.
Who they trusted and obeyed, the 2 opposing groups, determined if they were right or wrong, according to YHWH's Word.

If someone does what YHWH says, it is right.
If someone disobeys YHWH , is is wrong.

 

[woobadooba]

If someone does what YHWH says, it is right.
If someone disobeys YHWH , is is wrong.

True. But even the church at Corinth had issues. Otherwise, it would not have been necessary for Paul to say the following:
1 Corinthians 1:10 NKJV "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

And let's not forget those letters to the churches spoken of in Revelation (see chapters 2 and 3).

Indeed, every church has issues. How its leadership responds to godly correction will help to determine whether you should stay there or not.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

...."by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
This was and is the prayer of Jesus, the Apostles, disciples, then and today,
and
is true in a few assemblies.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

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.

I agree that it's boarder preposterous to register just how deep into the cornfield some people who claim Sola Scriptura get.

One source is one source to many, kind of baffling.

 

[Vicomte13]

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?

There is a doctrinally perfect Church: the Catholic. Its doors are always open, and the Savior is always "In".

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Not.

 

[AlexDTX]

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?

Your question is based in a works mentality. The real question is where does the Lord want you to be? Every congregation is filled with faults. But if the Lord has directed you there, then you are in "sin" if you do not go there.

 

[devin553344]

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?

Churches that lead you down false doctrine areas are bending beliefs towards corruptions. In my personal views. Although one should attend some sort of church to fellowship. For instance I used to be Mormon until I embraced the truth and accepted truth for reality. They had a great spirit in the church, but the spirit always seemed to say, "Is this correct?" Allowing me to decide for myself. So I was confused cause they always said, "you can feel the spirit in the church" And while that was true, the message of the spirit was never accepted for what it was.

Now I'm Catholic and they have a spirit in their church. So I learned something about churches. That God will be there testifying of His truths when spoken in any church.

I think this is an important topic. So then I would say be careful that you don't accept false doctrines, only doctrines that the Holy Ghost affirms in the spirit of truth. God Bless and thanks for sharing

[edit] The spirit of truth can be identified by it's fruits when God is working in his spirit:

Galatians {5:22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, {5:23} Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

[Phil 1:21]

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?

To me, the best guide is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians regarding what we call Christian freedom. In one example he discussed food sacrificed to idols and whether or not to eat it. Since those with strong faith know that idols are nothing but wood and stone, and not gods, eating meat sacrificed to them is nothing sinful. On the other hand, if doing so creates a stumbling block to those with lesser faith, then it is sinful. But the sinfulness is not in the eating itself, it’s in the lack of concern for others and the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 23-33)

So then is it sinful to attend a church with unbiblical doctrines? First we have to determine whether the doctrines are actually unbiblical (or worse yet, counter-biblical), like Joel Osteen’s prosperity gospel. Or are the doctrines simply a matter of differing interpretation, such as the RCC’s teaching of venial and mortal sins verses all sins being the same in the eyes of the Lord? The first is a problem. The second, not at all. We need to make sure we aren’t missing the proverbial forest for the trees here.

What you’re asking is something with which I’ve personally struggled. Since leaving my former denomination I have had occasion to return to services of theirs for things like weddings, funerals, and baptisms. It’s always a struggle for me to walk back in the door because I feel like I’m returning to what God led away from (Proverbs 26:11). I always worry that my participation implies consent. But I understand that refusing to attend such events would not show love to those involved—create that stumbling block—and the edification of others is far more important than not walking through a certain threshold.

Aside from those special circumstances I will not attend services at my previous denomination because doing so would give consent to their doctrines, make me an enabler. There is nothing to gain by me sitting in their pews, no one is edified by my attendance. So for me, I would consider it sinful in that situation. That’s not to say everyone who attends their services is sinning. Far from it. But for me, it would be sinful. So I do not attend.

 

[rockytopva]

I believe in the seven churches as ages...

Ephesus - Messianic - Beginning with the Apostle to the Circumcision, Peter
Smyrna - Martyr - Beginning with the Apostle to the Un-Circumcision, Paul
Pergamos - Orthodoxy formed in this time... Pergos is a tower... Needed in the dark ages
Thyatira - Catholicism formed in this time - The spirit of Jezebel is to control and to dominate.
Sardis - Protestantism formed in this time- A sardius is a gem - elegant yet hard and rigid
Philadelphia - Wesleyism formed in this time - To be sanctioned is to acquire it with love.
Laodicea - Charismatic movement formed in this time - Beginning with DL Moody, the first to make money off of ministry

In the Christian church we have a great variety of teachings. And none of the churches are perfect! I am Pentecostal Holiness which is basically Wesleyan doctrine. In my younger days I thought this was perfect doctrine. Our pastor was an expert in finding good evangelists and we basked in revival my first couple of decades there.

When my pastor retired we never did do any good. For all our perfect doctrine the church basically died away with a once lively bunch of people now sits there looking like totem poles. The once exciting church now is like watching the mule in the field eating briar. In my being disturbed by such events, I attended revival while seeing my mother in an Assemblies of God church. It was there that I overheard two ladies saying that they heard a prophecy in which the Spirit said that in the last days the people were going to have to, "Cut their own paths." I believe it was meant for my ears to hear that prophecy.

I think that in this Laodicean church world the issues is not doctrine, but spiritual. People can go to a correct church, but still a million miles from God. As Isaiah the prophet said...

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: - Isaiah 29:13

Isaiah seems to call out these people as puppets on a string, with no heart communion at all with God. I would even say that they attended biblically sound churches.

 

[woobadooba]

There is a doctrinally perfect Church: the Catholic.

Not even close.

 

[Vicomte13]

There is a doctrinally perfect Church: the Catholic. Its doors are always open, and the Savior is always "In".

(You can tell He's "in" because when He's in, there's a candle, usually in a red glass, burning over the tabernacle, where the consecrated Body of Christ is kept. That candle is never permitted to go out, 24/7/365.25, so you are always reminded, by looking over at it, that "The Savior is...IN".)

 

[Vicomte13]

Not even close.

You'll see.

 

[woobadooba]

You'll see.

Believe me, I do see.
Have you watched this documentary? A Lamp in the Dark

 

[Vicomte13]

Believe me, I do see.
Have you watched this video? A Lamp in the Dark

What's in the video?

 

[woobadooba]

What's in the video?

Watch it. And your eyes will be opened.

 

[HighCherub]

I understand that I wont find a doctrinally perfect church

If God wanted any church to be perfect, he would simply dismiss the priest or preacher and take the pulpit himself.

It's through our imperfections that we really chase after God and, through experience, genuinely learn.

 

[GingerBeer]

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)....

I think that a group that pretends to do only what is explicitly written in scripture is pretending to something that it cannot do and that would be terrible to do.

 

[rockytopva]

If any group here thinks they have the denominational superiority I would simply say not to shake that old denominational tree too hard! You may find some bad apples a hitting you on the head!