Thursday, June 10, 2010

Partaking in Wicked Works

2 John 1:7-11 (ESV)
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. [8] Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. [9] Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. [10] If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, [11] for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
This is wholly ignored way to much these days. If more attention was paid to it closed communion would not even be a question. John is pretty clear here. Those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, are deceivers, we aren’t even supposed to greet them. So you can’t have Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and the life communing at the table. We can’t recognize them as brothers.
Perhaps it is a bit murkier with those who confess the Trinity, so in essence confess the coming of Christ in the flesh. Yet, the reformed doctrine concerning Holy Communion is nothing less than a conclusion of a very bad Christology which in essence denies what they confess when they confess belief in the Triune God. And this confession cannot be tolerated in orthodox churches.
It becomes a hard thing to deal with over time. We all have friends and family of different confessions. They believe in Jesus Christ even if they are misguided. I don’t know that we have to question their salvation. Yet we have to recognize their false doctrine and the destructive effect it has on the body of Christ, and those who believe in him. The biggest problem with false doctrine is that ultimately it leads to unbelief.
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house. And here we have to differentiate a bit from the teachers and the students. Many Baptists would know better with just a little teaching. But the Baptist Pastor, the teacher of baptistic doctrine, is going to have to answer for what he has taught, and we do not want to be a part of their wicked works. Have no doubt, false doctrine is wicked.

1 comment:

Larry said...

Bror,

Without a doubt this is the hardest one of all. Our entire family and friend network is baptistic or reformed of some kind. “Lutheran” is not in my family tree and I can trace it back nearly 13 generations (at least one side) and the other nearly as far. My wife’s is similar, ironically with German roots unlike mine.

It’s doubly tough on her side of the family. My family is non-formal ministry as far as the eye can see. Just laymen, mostly farmers and labor types. Her’s, though, is caught up in “the ministry”. You have to understand that in many if not all baptist circles the “ministry call/door” opens up pretty much on a whim or desire to “do that ministry” with or without any formal seminary training/education. The sum total of which is “pastors everywhere” and “calls like rain drops out of the sky”. So there are many pastors in her family some formerly trained at seminary some not, and these are in her immediate family. So that makes it REALLY tough. I told her once I don’t know which is worse my family who have quite going to church and have nothing to do with it pretty much altogether and don’t speak of ANYTHING of the faith or hers who do and you know its all false!

What you said here “Yet, the reformed doctrine concerning Holy Communion is nothing less than a conclusion of a very bad Christology which in essence denies what they confess when they confess belief in the Triune God. And this confession cannot be tolerated in orthodox churches.”

I think is the CRITICAL focus and issue if you will. It was and has been the “eye opener” to me, having read Sasse’s. It’s not as obvious as “denying the Trinity” and I’ve yet formulate in my pea brain a nice concise “connection of the dots”. It’s there but it always takes a bit to formulate it.

It would be good if someone could write a book/paper focusing on this very issue (connecting the dots if you will in particular to this, the sacrament’s connection with the incarnation, two natures, Trinity, etc…). And that focus only. There might be one out there and I’m just ignorant of it though.

Larry