Sin and Error in the Church
by Peter Jensen, Gafcon:
One of the most striking things about the Bible is its reality. It has often been observed, for example that only one of its heroes – the Son of God himself – is without sin. Sometimes the sins of the saints are very serious indeed.
The Bible’s reality includes its description of the Church. As Acts 4 draws to its conclusion with a description of the wonderful generosity of Christian people to those in need, we may think that the presence of the Spirit has led to instant and complete holiness. Then comes the story of Ananias and Sapphira to bring us back to reality. Grievous sin exists in the Church itself. Sometimes those who sin are merely outward Christians; sometimes their faith is much more than that.
And so in page after page of the NT we have the same testimony. One of the key obligations for receiving the Supper of the Lord is that people who have offended each other are reconciled (1 Corinthians 11). Paul has to urge that two women workers become reconciled (Philippians 4:2-3). Paul himself had a sharp conflict with Barnabas about Mark (Acts 15:37-40). Peter had to be rebuked by Paul (Galatians 2). And so the list goes on, including serious offences such as sexual immorality, greed and litigiousness (I Corinthians 5-6) and false teaching (2 Peter 2).
Why am I talking about this?
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