Though we have often needed to oppose doctrinal error, our primary motive is not to eradicate falsehood but rather to make much of the truth. Error is concerning because it threatens the truth. It obscures the gospel and distorts our perception of Christ. Though it can seem like we’re being crotchety and critical, we oppose counterfeit depictions of Christ because we love who He really is. We are willing to do the unpleasant work of wiping off the mildew and dusting away the cobwebs if that’s what it takes to see Christ’s picture more clearly.
Indeed, we prefer to speak that which edifies. Jude had this attitude, as we see in the opening verses of his epistle. He says, “I was very diligent (eager) to write to you concerning our common salvation.” His primary desire was to glorify Christ for graciously saving sinners. He preferred to celebrate the gospel, but he “found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” We aim to lead The Sword and Trumpet this way—exalting Christ always, and opposing doctrinal error when necessary.
It becomes necessary when false teaching leads people away from Christ. Our mission statement emphasizes that we expose and oppose doctrinal error which leads to apostasy. Errant teaching “spreads like cancer” (2 Tim. 2:17) and can kill the faith of believers. Individual souls go to hell when they are led away from Christ by false teaching. If we are at all concerned about the eternal state of others, we must be concerned about the error which obscures the gospel. Love for others compels us to oppose “the various forms of error that contribute to apostasy from the biblical faith.”
I want to urge church leaders to be willing to confront threats to the gospel in order to protect their sheep. Of course, this requires being familiar enough with the gospel that we can identify true threats. Though all forms of error are serious, not all forms of error are damnable. We need to acquaint ourselves with Scripture to know when to extend grace and when to hold the line. Anywhere the Bible is clear, we need to be willing to stand firm.
But we should do more than oppose false teaching. Leaders also need to teach the truth so their people are not “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). The healthiest Christians are those who fix their eyes continually on Christ. The best antidote to false teaching is a steady diet of the real thing.
When the gospel is blurred, Christ Himself is obscured. A gospel which does not display the “light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6) is not a saving gospel. Only the true gospel can lead people to Christ.
Love for people leads us to want to tell them the truth. In Ephesians 4, Paul encourages the Ephesian believers to “speak the truth in love.” This guides us toward the necessary mix of speaking the truth and speaking in love. All truth and no love only tears people down. All love and no truth makes people feel good, but it does not lead them to Christ. The gospel of Christ must be truly proclaimed, and those who proclaim it should speak in such a way that their hearers receive it as a message of love.