2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15
Ps Paul Cheng
“…the slippery slope of utter doctrinal compromise…”
~6 min read
Dear Bethelites,
A continuation of last week’s pastoral chat.
I. A Separation From Disobedient Believers
2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15, Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us … And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
In this passage, concerning errant believers, the Apostle Paul commanded the congregation to withdraw yourselves (v.6), and it speaks of avoidance and shunning. The believers were also told to cut themselves totally off from a fellow Christian who walketh disorderly, the word disorderly (ataktos) is a military term used of one who is “out of ranks.” In other words, this disobedient person is not standing in line with the apostolic “tradition” (paradosin). Tradition as used by Paul refers to the infallible teachings of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, or the Holy Scriptures (1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16). Paul continued, And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed (v.14).¹
¹Jeffrey Khoo, Theology for Every Christian, 216
Therefore, any member of the Church who is not walking according to the Word of God faces disciplinary action and the possibility of excommunication from the church. Paul told the church to note that erring individual and have no company with him. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. The word admonish (noutheteo) can also be translated as “instruct,” or “teach.” This tells us that excommunication is for the purpose of correcting the errant believer so that he might repent of his sin, and be restored to the fellowship of the Church. The disciplinary act of separation is thus constructive and not destructive.²
²ibid
II. A Separation From Those Whose Teaching And Practice Are Contrary To Sound Apostolic Doctrine
The believer must separate from false teachers and all religious apostasy. Sound apostolic doctrine is to be preserved by the churches while false doctrine is to be avoided. When an ox and a donkey are yoked up together they are involved with the same work. They are “on the same team,” labouring together for common goals and objectives. Believers are not to work together in co-operation with unbelievers (cf. Ezra 4:1-5). The Lord Jesus never enlisted unbelievers to carry out the work of God. By way of illustration, the football player would never think of giving the ball to a member of the opposite team.
Other passages which demand separation from false teachers and religious apostasy are as follows: Avoid them (Romans 16:17), Reject them (Titus 3:10), Receive him not (2 John 1:10), From such turn away (2 Timothy 3:5) and Let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
Church history has proven that separation is the only solution to apostasy. It is worthy to note that there is hardly an instance in all of church history where a denomination has departed from the Word of God and then some time later returned to a more solid Biblical position. Sad but true, the only effective answer is to come out from among them and be separate.³
³The World Council of Churches is an instrument of the Ecumenical Movement. By ecumenical, it means the one inhabited world, and ecumenism is a satanic attempt to bring about a unity between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and eventually between Christianity and all other religions. The Charismatic movement has caused much confusion within Christian circles. Today, one can find charismatics in Anglican, Methodist, Brethren, Baptist and Roman Catholic Churches. The charismatic movement cannot be from God not just because of its strange doctrines and practices, but it is also the ecumenical matchmaker between the Protestant Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Michael Harper says that the charismatic movement functions uniquely as a “bridge-builder.” The Neo-Evangelicalism is a spirit of compromise popularised by Harold J Ockenga in 1948. Ockenga positioned neo-evangelicalism in between modernism to the left and fundamentalism to the right. Fuller Seminary, established in 1947, became the school to train the whole new generation of ministers with this new compromising mindset and spirit. These new evangelicals wanted to go about converting the neo-orthodox, modernists, agnostics and atheists, by way of infiltration instead of separation. Within their faculty, there were those who did not believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Bible, and they held to “limited inerrancy” (for example, the Bible is inerrant only when it touches on salvation, but not history, geography or science). As part of this, many evangelicals are now accepting the higher critical methods in the study of the Bible. Fuller is a classic example of how a non-separatist position can eventually lead one down the road of apostasy and unbelief. Praise the Lord for raising Dr McIntire to start a counter movement called the 20th Century Reformation Movement, the International Council of Christian Churches (ICCC). It is to carry on the 16th Century Reformation Movement of Martin Luther and to separate from the Ecumenical Movement. God used the ICCC to speak against Romanism, Ecumenism, Neo-evangelicalism and Charismatism. (Jeffrey Khoo, Biblical Separation, (Singapore: Far Eastern College Press, 1999)
A true and faithful Christian must separate from those whose teaching and practice are contrary to sound apostolic doctrine. A true and faithful Christian not only believes in the fundamentals of the faith, and separates from all forms of unbelief and apostasy, but he also defends the Christians faith. Every Christian who loves the Lord, will also love His Word, and Dr Jeffrey Khoo aptly said, “Truth unites and love divides” (1 Cor 13:6). Every Christian should be a defender of the faith.
III. To Be Separated, Not Isolated
The believer is in the world but not of the world. Believers are pilgrims and strangers (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13), they are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20; John 14:1-3), and they have the privilege of representing Christ on the earth (2 Corinthians 5:20; Isaiah 43:10-12). As the believers represent Christ in the world, they are to keep themselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27) because they are not of the world. The Lord Jesus is the perfect example of biblical separation for such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens (Heb 7:26), yet he strongly condemned the isolationism of the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 5:27-32; Luke 7:29-34; Luke 7:36-50; Luke 15:1-32; Luke 18:9-14; Luke 19:1-10). The believer in Christ had explicit responsibilities towards all men as he represents Christ in the world.
- He is to be a witness before all men (Acts 1:8).
- He is to be Christ’s ambassador to all men (2 Corinthians 5:20).
- He is to preach the gospel to all men (Mark 16:15).
- He is to shine as a light before all men (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15).
- He is to do good to all men (Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:15).
- He is to walk in wisdom towards all men (Colossians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 10:32).
- He is to pray for all men (1 Timothy 2:1).
- He is to provide things honest in the sight of all men (Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:12).
- He is to love peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14).
- He is to honour all men (1 Peter 2:17).
- He is to let his moderation be known unto all men (Philippians 4:5).
- He is to have a good report before all men (1 Timothy 3:7; 3 John 1:12).
As the Christian applies the doctrine of biblical separation from sin, worldliness, falsehood and ungodly associations, he may be mocked and slandered on every side because the entire world, both secular and religious, is crying out against separation.
A non-separatist position will eventually lead one down the slippery slope of utter doctrinal compromise. As Francis Schaeffer, the late neo-evangelical turned fundamentalist, once said, “There is only one word for this – namely accommodation.” The practice of separation is truly an important doctrine, it will keep the church free from false teachers, heresies and compromises, it will keep the members from sin and error, unto truth and righteousness, and it will bring great blessing. May the Lord grant His people boldness to apply this vital doctrine into their lives!
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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