Disagreements among Christians

Christians do not agree with each other on every matter of faith. A Christian might hold an idea that we think is wrong according to the Bible. How should we respond?

False Teachings

If an idea contradicts the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then it is a false teaching. A false teachings are a serious matter because they prevent people from believing the true Gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 15:1–2, the Apostle Paul wrote:

Now brothers, I remind you of the gospel that I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ₂ and through which you are being saved, if you hold on to the word that I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

A person is saved if he believes the Gospel. However, if a person believes a false teaching, then he does not really believe the Gospel, and so he is not truly saved. Hence, if a person believes a false teaching, then we should not consider him a Christian. Rather, we should treat him as an unsaved unbeliever, and we should seek to share the true Gospel with him.

Wrong Teachings

Not every wrong idea is a false teaching! An idea might be wrong according to the Bible, but if it does not contradict the Gospel, then it is not a false teaching, but at most a wrong teaching.

In Romans 14:1, the Apostle Paul wrote,

Welcome the person who is weak in faith, but not to quarrel over opinions.

In context, Paul was writing about a group of Christians who believed that Christians should only vegetables, and not eat any meat (v. 2). This vegetable-only teaching was certainly wrong according to the Bible! Yet, this vegetable-only teaching does not contradict the Gospel. Hence, it is a wrong teaching, but not a false teaching.

A person who believes the Gospel is still saved even if he believes a wrong teaching. We should not judge or despise other Christians just because they have wrong ideas that do not contradict the Gospel (vv. 3–4, 10). Rather, we should accept him as a fellow Christian.

Conclusion

The Gospel is the core message of the Christian faith, and we must not compromise on the Gospel! Yet, we should allow for differences and disagreements with one another over non-essential elements of the Christian faith.