Now abide faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. Love never fails.
Wrong beliefs are not only vain, they are also foolish, reckless, and can develop into sins that lead to death. When wrong convictions become divisive, abusive, and dishonoring they squarely come under the category of works of the flesh. It is very clear that anyone who practices works of the flesh is outside of the Kingdom of God, in spite of the universe of endorsers and supporters who falsely transform darkness into light. Beware that your self-assured position of “righteousness” is not under the judgment of God.
All wrong belief about God, His purposes, and His word are inherently dishonoring as they stand against the unity of the Holy Spirit and the bond of peace that flows from Him. There is a kind of wrong belief that is in this category and one that is in an altogether different category, one which reveals that those who hold such positions are, in truth, enemies of God. Such interpretations stand entrenched against God, at the same time resisting Him and holding His people who believe Him in contempt.
I am not referring to issues that are fundamental to eternal life in God’s people. I am not referring to the things that make us all believers in Jesus; the nature of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the nature of sins that lead to eternal death; the nature of faith and love.
I am referring to interpretations which men hold dear (as wrong as they are) and have to do with particular issues of worship, behavior, and prophecy. These positions are assumed to be inherit in and of the faith of believers. In reality, they are based on wrong interpretations of religious, cultural, linguistic, historical, and nascent events and circumstances. When giving these, I will only state the subjects themselves. What follows is not an exhaustive list. Some examples of wrong worship are; the nature of assemblies; leaders of the assemblies and their authority; gifts of the Holy Spirit; and functionality of men and women. Some examples of wrong behavior are; food and drink consumption; attire – whether for worship or mundane affairs; entertainment; and the order of households. Some examples of wrong prophecy (the application of the same) are; the nature of God’s Kingdom; the arrival of God’s Kingdom; and faith and love about the Kingdom of God. These things are capable of being tolerated by God as produced by weak believers, who God declares are infants or immature children in Christ. God’s verdict on this kind of wrong believing and, therefore, wrong production are that they who hold them are saved, yet so as through the burning up of their works. They end life in Christ as they began it. They live on milk, not on meat.
However, whenever this second kind of interpretation itself becomes divisive in the area of determining that only they who hold to the “correct” interpretation are saved or even worthy of fellowship or honor, then at that point the interpretation becomes deadly and they who hold it are outside of the Kingdom of God. All such division and abuse are patently works of the flesh. And we know that all who practice such things will not enter the Kingdom of God.
To God be the Glory and may His love abound forevermore!