We live in a time where Christians are troubled by the many doctrines that are present among the saints today.  Apostasy is on the upswing.  Those who are troubled by the errors among us are right to be worried.  Where the confusion and the trouble among us expands, is in how those concerned are dealing with the multiple false doctrines that are being taught within the body of Christ today.  Instead of brethren standing against all false doctrines, it seems as though there is a list of acceptable errors among brethren.  Such of course is not written in the text of the New Testament, but only in the minds of those who have taught, learned, and accepted this way of thinking.

     Among so-called “conservative brethren”, issues like Institutionalism, Instrumental Music, The Boston Movement (a.k.a. Crossroads), and such are broadly opposed.  However, on issues like divorce and remarriage, the literal embodiment of the Holy Spirit, the denial of the attributes of Deity in Christ while he was on earth, unity in diversity from the perversion of Romans chapter 14, and many other issues become doctrines where brethren will give a little and take a little.  In fact, they will give a lot and take a lot.  You hear statements such as “brethren have long decided that these issues are not tests of fellowship.”  Well, as for those who stand for the truth, what brethren decide is not the standard from which we allow ourselves to be guided.  Whether or not to remain in fellowship with those who are teaching error is not our choice.  God has already ruled on the subject matter of with whom we are to have fellowship.

     When brethren agree to disagree and remain in fellowship with one another they are practicing unity in diversity.  Such is impossible so far as God is concerned (Amos 3:3).  In addition to that, unity in diversity is a denial of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asks for in us.  Jesus prayed: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (John 17:20-23).  Jesus prayed for our unity to be likened unto the unity He has with God the Father.

     Since Jesus prayed for us to be one [unified] as He and the Father are unified, how do you suppose we can explain unity in diversity as a doctrine in agreement with the will of our Lord?  God the Father and the Son do not have multiple views on divorce and remarriage that they have decided to live with (Matthew 19:4ff.).  God the Father and the Son do not have conflicting views on where God dwells (I John 5:7).  God the Father and the Son are in agreement because Jesus came to do the will of the Father (John 5:30).  Brethren need to learn from Jesus.  We need to teach and practice the will of God, not that of men.  When we seek to please men we cannot please God (Galatians 1:10).  Unity in diversity is not only a denial of our Lord’s prayer, but it is also in conflict with the inspired writing of the Apostle Paul.

     The church assembling in Corinth had many faults.  One of those faults is that they were divided (I Corinthians 1:11ff.) because of their carnal mindsets (I Corinthians 3:1-5).  Paul, through the movement of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:1-13), wrote the brethren in Corinth to solve these issues.  Paul did not write them and tell them to agree to disagree.  Paul did not write these brethren with a list of what issues were issues that are not “tests of fellowship”.  Paul wrote these brethren saying: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10).  Paul’s writing that they speak the same thing, have no divisions, be completely joined together in the same mind and judgment, was not of Paul, but by the authority of Christ.  Paul’s teaching was consistent with the Lord’s prayer for unity, but the teaching of our brethren on fellowship today is a far cry from what we are reading in the New Testament.

     Paul did not just write to the brethren in Corinth teaching what clearly opposes unity in diversity.  Paul also wrote the brethren in Philippi saying: “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing” (Philippians 1:27; 2:2; 3:16).  How do we arrive at true unity, we walk by the same rule.  That is the teaching of our Lord through the pen of the Apostle Paul.

     Paul was confident that other faithful preachers, like Timothy, would preach the same thing that he himself taught in every congregation (I Corinthians 4:17).  That is unity.  When preachers were trained in the first century, they were trained to teach the same things (II Timothy 2:2).  Truth is not adjustable.  When we change truth either to the left or the right, it is no longer the truth (Deuteronomy 4:2; 5:32; 12:32, Joshua 1:7, Proverbs 30:5-6, Matthew 15:1-9, Galatians 1:6-12, and Revelation 22:18-19).  If something is not the truth, it is therefore error.  If brethren would simply teach what God has spoken and remove their own ideas we would not have these issues to deal with (I Peter 4:11).  We need to walk by the same rule and teach the same things.  Fellowship really is not a hard subject to grasp.  God has made it simple.  Like all other errors, it is men who have complicated this simple Bible Subject.

     God says that we are to have “…no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).  Notice what the Lord has said about fellowship through the pen of the Apostle John: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:1-7).

     Christ came in the flesh, being the Word of Life.  He showed eternal life.  That which the Apostles saw and heard from Christ, the Word of Life, they are declaring that we may have fellowship with God and them.  There is no darkness in God.  If we have darkness in us and claim to be in fellowship with God we are LIARS.  To have fellowship with God and faithful brethren we must walk in the light.  False doctrine is a work of darkness, not of light.  This is simple to understand as it is written in the first chapter of the book of First John.  John later penned through inspiration: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (II John 9-11).  It is simple; if we go beyond the doctrine of Christ we do not have God.  If we support those who do not bring the truth we are partaking in their evil deeds.  Where is the confusion in that?  There are no gray areas with God.  There is simply light and darkness.

     Some will look at this article and attempt to explain it away by appealing to Romans chapter fourteen.  Consider this, in Romans fourteen Paul addresses those who would, by way of WEAK CONSCIENCE, not eat meats.  He says we are to receive that WEAKER BROTHER (Romans 14:1-3).  That chapter is not about weak faith, but about one’s weak conscience.  What if that brother started teaching that eating meats are sinful?  Some would say, “Go ahead and receive him”.  NAY, Paul says that teaching to abstain from meats is a doctrine of demons (I Timothy 4:1-4).  In fact, Paul settled that eating meats was not sinful (Romans 14:14).  In Romans fourteen Paul permits the observation of days.  He later condemns those who held such as a matter of faith (Galatians 4:9-11).  Did the inspired Apostle Paul contradict himself?  No, Romans fourteen restricts the teaching of one’s conscience (14:3), therefore leaving us with a chapter of the Bible that is more restrictive than it is permissive.

     The fourteenth chapter of Romans does not permit the teaching of error.  In fact, that context concludes that we are to be of one mind (Romans 15:6).  Now, how can anyone excuse one who is teaching error by using Romans 14?  Would they say he is WEAK as Romans 14 does?  If so, what is he doing teaching (James 3:1)?  We need to put away the foolishness that has been taught in recent years and go back to demanding an “as it is written”.  If we all use the word of God as our standard we will speak the same things.  We are supposed to be preaching “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), which is doctrine that is pure of error.  That’s what brethren need to demand today.  We should change to meet God’s standard, not change God's standards to meet ours.