Dean wrote: > I am sorry you cannot see that and as I haven't made > it to heaven yet I will have to keep my distance from > those tainted on this list-including you unless you > stop this- which is sad because I believe we would > have become great friends.
Hey Dean, we are only talking. Why separate from me over talking about these things? Shouldn't you separate from those who sin? My point in bringing this question up was because I see a difference between errant philosophy and errant action. While sound doctrine is important (absolutely essential) to keep one walking in Godliness, I don't think wrong beliefs in and of themselves are sin. For example, if you believed that the moon was made out of cheese, I wouldn't say, "Get away from me you evil man!" That might be an extreme example, but it makes a point. I don't divide from men who baptize infants or believe in King James Only or reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit or frequent institutional churches or will only attend home churches, etc. I don't even divide from the Kill Abortionist Cult people, but you can be sure I rebuke the false teaching. I would excommunicate someone who actually did a sinful action like Paul Hill did, but not those who talk about it and explore the philosophy of it. In the many denominations of Christianity, errant ideas are rampant. If we separated from everyone who thought about things in the wrong way, as we matured and came to know more and more things, we would not be able to have fellowship with anyone. In fact, we would become a god in our own little world. I think this is exactly the sin of Joseph Smith. He created his own world and own religion in his mind, and millions follow that system to this day. I've looked through the list of errant doctrines of DaveH that you have shared, and I'm still looking for the sin. Is there any particular sin that you can point to? I'm not saying that these philosophies aren't dangerous. They can lead to a great amount of sin. I share your concern about these things, which is why I often take up many of these topics and discuss them. But surely you can see that there is a distinction between errant philosophy and someone who sins. Now DaveH has admitted that he continues to walk in sin, and that is sufficient for me to know that he has not yet seen Jesus. However, there are a whole lot of Christians who say the same thing. Not just Judy. I think Kevin believes this way too. It seems that way from some of his posts. Do we separate from everyone as soon as we realize that they have some errant philosophy? I don't think so. Kevin is King James Only, and you also were at one time, but I don't think you are anymore. Do we divide over issues like this? Wouldn't it be better just to talk about why we believe what we believe? To drive the point home, just look at the Judaizers in the book of Galatians. Paul never urged excommunication over this false doctrine. They disputed about it and disputed about it. Even when they went to Jerusalem and doctrinally settled the matter with the apostles and elders there, they still did not come back with excommunication for the Judaizers. They simply taught the truth and said that the apostles and elders in Jerusalem agree. And for Paul, this doctrine meant damnation for the Galatians if they followed the false doctrine, yet, he never excommunicated them. Why? Could it be that truth can stand up for itself? The thing that we separate over is actual sin. I think this is a very important principle. Suppose someone stands up in church and says Jesus never came; it was all a fairy tale. I don't excommunicate the man, I stand up and show how he is wrong. The Scriptures teach that the elders need to be able to exhort and convince the gainsayers (Titus 1:9). You can't do that when you have excommunicated everyone who is in error in their theology. The Scriptures also say that there must be heresies among us to show who is approved of God. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (1 Corinthians 11:19 KJV) Again, how can that happen if we run off everyone who comes up with bad philosophy? It took me awhile to come to this understanding. I don't expect you to embrace it overnight, and hey, maybe I'm all mixed up or something about it. That's why I share it, to see if you have a good response, and I just keep moving forward. If I'm wrong, I correct my understanding and hopefully we can be very good friends. I'm hoping that 2004 will be the year we preach together back to back as Ruben does, or side by side as has been my custom on campuses. We always seem to be missing each other in our travels by just a day or two. Hey, I met your brother preaching at Mardi Gras earlier this year, so we are getting closer! You had to leave just the day before I got there. I sure hope some lively discussion on TruthTalk doesn't make us enemies. Again, we are only talking here, discussing ideas. Iron sharpens iron. Don't be afraid of a few sparks. Without the grating on one another, the sword doesn't get sharp! :-) Please stay, be patient, and continue to be a bright shining light. God only made one Dean Moore, and the body of Christ needs him. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
