It is not permitted to heretics to enter the house of God while they continue in heresy.
Shutting the door on a heretic was a harsh but necessary move for very biblical reasons. The heretic is like unto the person in Hebrews 6:4-6 who has fallen away from the truth of all the Christ has provided for his elect—unable to be restored again to repentance. They tended to prey on weak souls (2 Peter 2:3, 18-19) and cause blasphemy on the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2). For this reason these false teachers must be rejected and not allowed fellowship with true believers (2 John 8-10).
I tend to think that the Church at-large has become overly lenient in its corporate approach to teachers. The modernist would value the academic exercise of engaging the argument to test its rational basis and out-working. The post-modernist would engage in conversation as travelers on spiritual journeys along different paths. The person who loves the triune God as he has revealed himself in his word would listen for the teachings alignment with scripture, and upon noticing the departure would refute it and shut the door to protect the sheep from the wolf.
May our overseers do so with a discerning heart of faith, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Shutting the door on a heretic was a harsh but necessary move for very biblical reasons. The heretic is like unto the person in Hebrews 6:4-6 who has fallen away from the truth of all the Christ has provided for his elect—unable to be restored again to repentance. They tended to prey on weak souls (2 Peter 2:3, 18-19) and cause blasphemy on the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2). For this reason these false teachers must be rejected and not allowed fellowship with true believers (2 John 8-10).
I tend to think that the Church at-large has become overly lenient in its corporate approach to teachers. The modernist would value the academic exercise of engaging the argument to test its rational basis and out-working. The post-modernist would engage in conversation as travelers on spiritual journeys along different paths. The person who loves the triune God as he has revealed himself in his word would listen for the teachings alignment with scripture, and upon noticing the departure would refute it and shut the door to protect the sheep from the wolf.
May our overseers do so with a discerning heart of faith, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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