Last week we discussed that there are “true churches” and “false churches.” This week a further distinction must be made: there are more pure and less pure churches.
This fact is evident from a brief comparison of Paul’s epistles. When we look at Philippians or 1 Thessalonians we find evidence of Paul’s great joy in these churches and the relative absence of major doctrinal or moral problems. On the other hand, there were all sorts of serious doctrinal and moral problems in the churches of Galatia and Corinth. Other examples could be given, but it should be clear that among true churches there are less pure and more pure churches.
Definitions of Purity and Unity
We may define the purity of the church as follows: The purity of the church is its degree of freedom from wrong doctrine and conduct, and its degree of conformity to God’s revealed will for the church.
As we shall see, it is right to pray and work for the greater purity of the church. But purity cannot be our only concern, or Christians would have a tendency to separate into tiny groups of very “pure” Christians and tend to exclude anyone who showed the slightest deviation in doctrine or conduct of life. Therefore, the New Testament also speaks frequently about the need to strive for the unity of the visible church. This may be defined in the following way: The unity of the church is its degree of freedom from divisions among true Christians.
The definition specifies “true Christians” because there are those who are Christian in name only, but have had no genuine experience of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Many of these people take the name “Christian” and many churches that are filled with such unbelievers still call themselves Christian churches. We should not expect or work for organizational or functional unity that includes all of those people, and therefore there will never be unity with all churches that call themselves “Christian.” But, as we shall also see, the New Testament certainly encourages us to work for the unity of all true believers.
Signs of a more pure Church
Factors that make a church “more pure” include:
- Biblical doctrine (or right preaching of the Word)
- Proper use of the sacraments (or ordinances)
- Right use of church discipline
- Genuine worship
- Effective prayer
- Effective witness
- Effective fellowship
- Biblical church government
- Spiritual power in ministry
- Personal holiness of life among members
- Care for the poor
- Love for Christ
There may be other signs than these, but at least these can be mentioned as factors that increase a church’s conformity to God’s purposes. Of course, churches can be more pure in some areas and less pure in others, a church may have excellent doctrine and sound preaching, for example, yet be a dismal failure in witness to others or in meaningful worship. Or a church may have a dynamic witness and very God-honoring times of worship but be weak in doctrinal understanding and Bible teaching.
Most churches will tend to think that the areas in which they are strong are the most important areas, and the areas where they are weak are less important. But the New Testament encourages us to work for the purity of the church in all of these areas. Christ’s goal for the church is “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26 – 27). Paul’s ministry was one of “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). Paul told Titus that elders must “be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9), and he said that false teachers “must be silenced” (Titus 1:11). Jude urged Christians to “contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Proper use of the sacraments is commanded in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, and right use of church discipline to protect the purity of the church is required in 1 Corinthians 5:6 – 7, 12 – 13.
The New Testament also mentions a number of other factors: we are to strive for spiritual worship (Ephesians 5:18 – 20; Colossians 3:16 – 17), effective witness (Matthew 28:19 – 20; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:44 – 47; 1 John 4:7), proper government of the church (1 Timothy 3:1-13), spiritual power in ministry (Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 4:20; 2 Corinthians 10:3 – 4; Galatians 3:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:5; James 5:16), personal holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14), care for the poor (Acts 4:32-35; Romans 15:26; Galatians 2:10), and love for Christ (1 Peter 1:8; Rev. 2:4). In fact, all Christians are to “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12), an exhortation that applies not only to an increase in the number of church members, but also (and in fact primarily) to the “edification” or growth of the church toward Christian maturity. The force of all of these passages is to remind us that we are to work for the purity of the visible church.
Of course, if we are to work for the purity of the church, especially of the local church of which we are a part, we must recognize that this is a process, and that any church of which we are a part will be somewhat impure in various areas. There were no perfect churches at the time of the New Testament and there will be no perfect churches until Christ returns. This means that Christians have no obligation to seek the purest church they can find and stay there, and then leave it if an even purer church comes to their attention. Rather, they should find a true church in which they can have effective ministry and in which they will experience Christian growth as well, and then should stay there and minister, continually working for the purity of that church. God will often bless their prayers and faithful witness and the church will gradually grow in many areas of purity.
But we must realize that not all churches will respond well to influences that would bring them to greater purity. Sometimes, in spite of a few faithful Christians within a church, its dominant direction will be set by others who are determined to lead it on another course. Unless God graciously intervenes to bring reformation, some of these churches will become cults, and others will just die and close their doors. But more commonly these churches will simply drift.
New Testament Teaching on the Unity of the Church
There is a strong emphasis in the New Testament on the unity of the church. Jesus’ goal is that “there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16), and he prays for all future believers “that they may all be one” (John 17:21). This unity will be a witness to unbelievers, for Jesus prays “that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).
Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are “called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Then Paul writes to Corinth, “I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
He encourages the Philippians, “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). He tells the Ephesians that Christians are to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), and that the Lord gives gifts to the church “for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12 – 13).
Paul can command the church to live in unity because there already is an actual spiritual unity in Christ which exists among genuine believers. He says, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). And though the body of Christ consists of many members, those members are all “one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12 – 26).
Because they are jealous to protect this unity of the church, the New Testament writers give strong warnings against those who cause divisions:
I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. (Romans 16:17 – 18)
Paul opposed Peter to his face because he separated from Gentile Christians and began eating only with Jewish Christians (Galatians 2:11 – 14). Those who promote “strife… dissension, party spirit … shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:20 – 21). And Jude warns that those who “set up divisions” are “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” (Jude 19).
There are sometimes reasons why the outward or visible unity of the church cannot be maintained. Although there have almost always been strong theological differences in major church divisions, one fears that too often, especially in more recent history, the real motives for beginning or maintaining separation have been selfish ones, pride or self-glorification is the cause and starting point of all controversies, when each person, claiming for himself more than he is entitled to have.
Reasons for separation can be considered in three categories: (1) doctrinal reasons; (2) reasons of conscience; (3) practical considerations. I have listed some situations where it seems to me that Christians would be required to leave a church.
Doctrinal Reasons. A need for separation may arise when the doctrinal position of a church deviates from biblical standards in a serious way. This deviation may be in official statements or in actual belief and practice. But when does doctrinal deviation become so serious that it requires withdrawing from a church or forming a separate church? There are no commands in the New Testament to separate from any true church, so long as it is still a part of the body of Christ. Paul’s response even to people in erring churches (even in churches like the one at Corinth, which tolerated serious doctrinal and moral error, and for a time tolerated some who rejected Paul’s apostolic authority) is not to tell faithful Christians to separate from those churches, but to admonish the churches, work for their repentance, and pray for them. There are commands to discipline those who cause trouble within the church, sometimes by excluding them from church fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:11 – 13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14 – 15; Titus 3:10 – 11), but there are no instructions to leave the church and cause division if this cannot be done immediately.
Second John 10-11, which forbids the receiving of false teachers, makes perhaps the strongest statement in the entire New Testament: “Do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work”. But it should be noted that such a visitor is teaching a serious heresy about the person of Christ, one that prevents people from having saving faith. (John is talking about anyone who “does not abide in the doctrine of Christ” and “does not have God” [verse 9].) Moreover, this verse refers to false teachers, not to all individuals who hold false beliefs, because it speaks of someone who comes to you and “does not bring this doctrine” (verse 10; reference 2 John 7, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh”). John even uses the word antichrist for such teachers.
Matters of Conscience. In the area of conscience, if a Christian had no freedom to preach or teach as his or her conscience, informed by Scripture, would dictate, it might be thought that separation was necessary or at least wise. But caution and great humility are in order here: individual judgment may be distorted, especially if it is not informed by the consensus of faithful believers throughout history, and by the counsel of believers in the present.
The command in 2 Corinthians 6:14 not to be yoked together with unbelievers could also require a person to separate if the parent church became so dominated by those who gave no evidence of saving faith that such “yoking together” could not be avoided. In this passage, the prohibition against being “yoked together” with unbelievers forbids not mere association or even acceptance of help, but rather the giving up of control over one’s activities and the loss of freedom to act in obedience to God, for these restraints are what is implied in the metaphor of being “yoked” together. Some people might also find it necessary or at least wise to leave a church on the basis of conscience if staying implied approval of some unbiblical doctrine or practice within the church, and thereby encouraged others to follow that wrong doctrine or practice. But others may think it right to stay in the church and voice clear disapproval of the faulty doctrine.
In other cases, some have argued that it is required to leave a denomination when a higher governing authority in that denomination, which one has promised to obey, commands an action which is clearly sinful (that is, an action which is clearly contrary to Scripture). In such a case, some would say that leaving the denomination is the only way to avoid doing either the sinful act which is commanded or the sinful act of disobedience to those in authority. But this does not seem to be a necessary requirement, for many Scripture passages could be cited showing that disobedience to a higher authority is not wrong when one is commanded to sin, and that one may disobey but remain in the parent church until forced out.
Practical Considerations. Christians may decide to separate from a parent church if, after prayerful consideration, it seems that staying in the parent church will very likely result in more harm than good. This could be because their work for the Lord would become frustrated and ineffectual due to opposition to it from within the parent church, or because they would find little or no fellowship with others in that church. Some may decide that staying in the church would harm the faith of other believers or would hinder unbelievers from coming to true faith because their continued affiliation with the parent church would seem to imply approval of false teachings within that church. Again, Christians might find themselves in situations where they have prayed and worked for change for some time but there seems to be no reasonable hope for change in the parent church, perhaps because the present leadership group is resistant to correction from Scripture, is firmly entrenched, and is self-perpetuating. In all of these situations much prayer and mature judgment will be required, because withdrawing from a church, especially by people who have been there a long time or have established leadership functions in the church, is a serious action.
The third and most extreme kind of separation, the avoidance of all personal fellowship with members of another entire church group, is never commanded in the New Testament. Such an extreme measure of “no fellowship” is only implied in serious cases of church discipline of individuals, not in cases of differences with entire churches.