"Thou Wast One Of Them"
We must fight the Lie! We must stand for the Truth! Who would not agree? However, when this is applied to specific situations many balk and begin to say, "But we don't practice what is condemned. True, it is sanctioned and taught by "the leaders" of the congregation, but the church does not actively practice such. Therefore, we are all right!" Are you? Not according to God's Word!
Let me call your attention to a passage in Obadiah, verses 10-11.
"For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them." (KJV)
The nation of Edom was blood kin to the nation of Judah; however, Edom hated Judah. When a foreign nation attacked Judah, Edom could have and should have gone to their rescue, but they did not! They stood by and watched the slaughter. Thus God told them, ".... thou was as one of them." You did not fight for right when you should have. You stood by without lifting a finger to stop the destruction. You are as the invaders. You have sinned in God's sight.
The same principle is as true today as it was 2500 years ago. If we condone sin by our silence, we are as guilty as those who practice, yes, and even teach, error. The bludgeon falls upon us, "....thou wast as one of them."
We are taught in the gospel of Christ to have nothing to do with false teachers. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul tells the Corinthians, "be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers." Later, in verse 17, he states, "wherefore come ye out from among them." A study of the context will show that he is talking about the false teachers who had invaded the Corinthian congregation. He is pleading that these Christians should return to the Truth teachers and forsake the Lie teachers.
False doctrine will eventually bear fruit! If the fruit is not in some tangible evidence it will be in the intangible corruption of the minds of sincere men and women. Those who, at one time in their lives, would have stood against all expression of error will, after enough indoctrination, condone anything. The minds of those who sanction error that is not practiced are fertile ground for such indoctrination. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt. 7:15)
Does not Paul teach in Galatians 1:6-9 that if anyone preaches a false gospel he is cursed? He said nothing about tangible works or practices, but simply preaching a different doctrine. We must have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness. We must reprove them as well as resist. (Eph. 5:11)
We plead with all sincere men and women who desire pure New Testament Christianity, do not condone sin! Do not be as one of those who would rend asunder the blood bought body of Christ with perverse doctrines and/or practices.
When such statements as the above are made, we are often accused of being arrogant and thinking of ourselves as better than anyone else. But this is not the case. We recognize that all men are equal in God's sight; God is not a respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) He will save all who obey Him. Our plea is: Simply obey and stand with those who have obeyed! Stand and fight against error with those who would live by Truth. Do not condone sin. Live in such a way that God will not say to you, "....thou wast as one of them."
— P. O. Box 2042, Asheville, N. C., 28802