“. . . Is it possible that our criteria for such decisions are out of line with the Lord’s? What if he wants our present church commitment to be a dominating priority, and we relegate it to a matter of small importance? Will this not make all ideas of guidance an empty delusion? Clearly, it is vital for us to know the ‘rating’ our existing church commitment should be given on our scale of priorities. This article will show that some of the other guidance factors are subservient to this . . .”
When loyalty is wrong toward sound churches
Are there any circumstances in which believers ought to leave doctrinally sound churches? Sadly, there are church failings which are so serious that Christians have a duty to withdraw if the situation cannot be corrected. Even though a church may wholeheartedly believe the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, it may fall into such sin that it is no longer fit or qualified to function as a church, and no longer entitled to the loyalty of its members. We see this in the Book of Revelation where the church at Ephesus was told that if it did not repent of its sin it would have its ‘candlestick’ or ‘lampstand’ (its status as a true church) taken away. Here are three areas of church misconduct which involve such serious disobedience to God that dedicated Christians must withdraw – if the church refuses to address the situation:
- First, if a church refuses to exercise discipline when serious offences are committed by members, then we have a duty to protest, and if the church refuses to obey God’s Word, to leave it. ‘Have no fellowship,’ says the Lord through Paul, ‘with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them’ (Ephesians 5.11). The New Testament insists that the purity of the church is taken seriously, and 1 Corinthians 5 shows the necessity of this.
- Secondly, if a church shows no inclination to obey the great commission and engage in Gospel work, and nothing can be done to stir it up to obedience, believers may well have a duty to leave that church. A local church must proclaim the Gospel. If this primary function is ignored, then the church forfeits the loyalty of true-hearted members. How can they be expected to waste their lives in lazy, heartless or disobedient churches? Why should they be rendered fruitless because their church is not interested in the Saviour’s highest work?
- Thirdly, if a church ignores the standards of God’s Word by allowing the use of worldly and carnal styles of worship and evangelism, then true believers are bound to experience a great crisis of conscience. How can they cleave to a church which corrupts holy things and makes its members participate in ungodly worship contrary to James 4.4 – ‘Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ Loyalty to the Lord and his commands in such areas certainly comes before loyalty to the local church.
All three examples mentioned here cancel out the duty of loyalty to a church, regardless of the fact that it may be sound in basic doctrine.
Where such problems do not exist, however, we must believe that God calls us to a church, and commands us to be loyal to it. We should regard ourselves as permanent limbs or parts of that body until he moves us, and have a readiness to be utterly faithful to any sound and active fellowship to which God shall call and ‘post’ us. The Christian life is not a life of selfish individualism, but a life to be spent as a fellow labourer and fellow soldier in that unit of believers where God intends us to be.
Lord, from whom all blessings flow,
Perfecting the church below,
Steadfast, may we cleave to thee,
Love the powerful union be;
Bind our willing spirits, join
Each to each, and all to thine,
Lead us into paths of peace,
Harmony and holiness.
Move and actuate and guide;
Various gifts to each divide;
Placed according to thy will
Let us all our work fulfil;
Never from our service move,
Needful to each other prove;
Use the grace on each bestowed
Fashioned by the hand of God.
–Charles Wesley