Warnings About Ecumenism:

Unity At The Expense Of Truth

Attention all twice-born bible-believing Christians:
Unity at the expense of truth is TREASON!

“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.” [2 John 9-11]

What the Bible says about the ecumentical movement

We are going to examine what the Bible says about the ecumenical movement in Christianity today and how it is compromising the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The term ecuminism – or also known as ecumenicalism – is described by its proponents as: “a movement promoting cooperation and better understanding among different religious groups or denominations” [1].  In many Christian churches ecuminism is viewed more specifically as: “the aim of unity among all Christian churches throughout the world” [2].

This all sounds like a good concept considering various bible passages that seem to encourage unity among Christians, but is unity always a good thing for Christians? What if we are encouraged to (or forced to) set aside important biblical truths in order to work with other churches or other professing Christians?  Does unity take precedence OVER doctrinal truth, and if so, when?  It is very apparent that biblical truth is of paramount importance when we look at some of the final words of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” [John 18:37]

Biblical warnings about unequal yokes with unbelievers

The apostle Paul also warns us: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” [2 Cor 6:14-16]

In the very next verse in that same passage, Paul goes on to say: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” [2 Cor 6:17].  This sure doesn’t sound like a call for unity now does it?  Scripture is telling here that God does not want us to become polluted by the sinful ways of the unsaved souls around us.  And in Galatians, Paul strongly warns us that God does not want us to water down the Gospel to make it appealing to the lost and less offensive to God’s enemies:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.” [Galatians 1:8-11]

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing” [Galatians 4:16-18]

In the interest of biblical truth and honoring the integrity of God’s word, all true Christians need to be very careful about sweeping things under the carpet by withholding the truth about the things that distinguish the true Gospel from the false.  You cannot make the gospel unoffensive to man’s pride and man’s warped ideas of fairness, without removing critical, yet offensive doctrines such as God’s sovereignty and man’s total depravity.

Where Is The Most Danger And The Most Compromise?

1. Referring to Catholics as Christians and the Church of Rome as just another “Christian” church.
2. Preaching that God is a genie who can make you materially prosperous if you have enough faith.
3. Preaching that you can lose your salvation, something that Christ paid for once and for all time at the cross.
4. Decisional Regeneration – preaching that sinners are lost but still capable of choosing Christ.

Many professing Christians are aware of the error in the prosperity movement, the “name it and claim it” doctrine as it is often called.  But how many professing Christians are aware of the danger of the “free-will” gospel that puts man in control of something that God says he is not in control of… his own salvation. — RM Kane

What Godly Men Have Said About Ecumenicalism

“Numbers of our good brethren remain in fellowship with those who are undermining the Gospel, and they talk of their conduct as if it were a loving course which the Lord will approve in the day of His appearing. We cannot understand them. The bounden duty of a true believer towards men who profess to reject the fundamentals of the Gospel, is to come out from among them. Complicity with error will take from the best of men the power to enter any successful protest against. When will Christians learn that separation from evil is not only our privilege, but our duty?” – Dr. C.H. Spurgeon

“A generation and more ago evangelicals all over the world thanked God for the Reformation and recognized it as the greatest and most blessed event in the history of the church since Pentecost. They rejoiced in the light of the Biblical revelation whereby their lives were persuaded of such doctrines as those of the infallibility of Holy Scriptures, the Trinity, the virgin-birth, blood-atonement, bodily resurrection and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, regeneration by the Holy Ghost, and justification by faith. They experienced in their souls the sweetness of the grace of God. They were convinced that the Papacy was a gigantic delusion of Satan, one of his chief strongholds of falsity and darkness, and that religious Rationalism was equally heinous in the sight of God… But many descendants of the God-fearing stock are today stigmatizing as narrow-minded, ignorant, uncharitable and even unchristian, that which their forefathers had held as divine truth. Instead of holding the Scriptures as the infallible Word of God, they reject this doctrine as untenable and dangerous; and as a consequence they compromise and surrender the fundamentals of the Christian Faith. It is of such the Lord has said, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).” – Pastor Perry Rockwood

“In our day, we have a lot of foolish Protestants who believe that the old Rome is now a harmless old pussycat sitting on the banks of the Tiber; she purrs so contently. They say, ‘We never understood Rome. What a pity we ever had a reformation at all!’ What foolish people the Protestants are! – Protestants who long ceased to protest against evil doctrine, forgetting the millions of lives that were sacrificed for the precious truth” – Dr. H.A. Ironside

FOOTNOTES:

[1] – The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

[2] – Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

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