Question
Greetings and thanks for taking the time to answer questions on MOTT all the time.
2 John 9 “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.” (KJV) Galatians 2:11-14 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?’”
I have taken time to study your scriptural positions (from your website) on Women covering and asking question/s during bible study. I agree with your scriptural stand on those questions. However, I begin to be worried about the following:
- In the year 2000, I was trained as a preacher in South-Western, Nigeria. I was taught that it is unscriptural to fellowship with error and false brethren who will not uphold the truth. Honestly, I agree with that position, so I refused to receive support from the liberal brethren.
- However, in the last 20 years, some preachers continue to hold and teach that women covering and asking questions during bible study are a matter of faith with a universal application. They posit that Preachers/Elders who teach and condone such doctrinal errors are leading men to perdition.
- My question: Is it ethical and scriptural for Preachers/Elders in Nigeria to knowingly receive American supports from brethren who teach and condone doctrinal errors that lead men to perdition such as women not covering their heads in worship, and asking questions during bible study? Since the questions are matters of faith, at what point do we draw the line of fellowship?
Answer
Thank you for your very thoughtful question. I will do my very best to give you a scriptural answer.
Your training concerning fellowship was good, and I concur with it (2 John verses 9-11). The apostle Paul labeled the woman’s head covering a “custom” (1 Corinthians 11:16) and commanded the women in Corinth both to wear long hair and an artificial head covering (verses 2-16), because the Gentile custom (Greek and Roman) was for women to do so (Ibid). But churches of Christ generally had no such custom (1 Corinthians 11:16). I learned in my first trip to Nigeria in 1992 that a Yoruba woman would be considered immoral if she failed to wear a head covering. Women who live where this is a custom should follow that custom.
Since I consider the feminine head covering a matter of opinion (cf. Romans 14:14, 23), I do not press my position (Romans 14:14), and I accept those who disagree with me, as long as they accept me (Romans 14:1-3).
It is sinful for a woman to teach the Bible over a man or men (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-12), but that doesn’t mean a woman can’t ask questions or make comments in Bible class, as long as she doesn’t take charge.
It takes more than being wrong on a scriptural issue to make one a false teacher who should be marked and avoided. “False teachers” teach “destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1), things that if followed would cause one to be lost. Some disagreements don’t involve sin or denial of the faith.
We can disagree over what the “gift of the Holy Spirit” is (Acts 2:38; 10:45), as long as we do not claim to have miraculous spiritual gifts, including inspiration. We must be slow to label brethren as false teachers (Titus 3:10-11).
In Galatians 2:11-14 Peter was sinning by refusing to eat with Gentiles, and he was leading others to sin. We must oppose sinful acts, particularly those of influential leaders of the church (1 Timothy 5:19-20).
Even if we identify one as a “false teacher,” some are to be handled differently than others (Jude 22-23). We don’t treat a man who shows his honesty by willingness to study the same as one who stubbornly opposes the truth (Acts 13:6-11; 18:24-28). But, toward those who stubbornly persist in teaching damnable error or troubling the brethren over their opinions, we must contend earnestly with them (Jude 3), reject them (Titus 3:11), and refuse to share with them in their work (2 John 10-11).
Since I consider the woman’s head covering and women asking questions in class matters of opinion, I don’t have the problem of fellowship (Romans 14:1 – 15:4). Furthermore, just as an observation, my experience is that if you persist in opposing error, even with a loving attitude, you won’t have to worry about fellowship. Those who teach the error will withdraw from you. It’s happened to me repeatedly.
Nigerian preachers should honestly, openly let American supporters know their convictions. Americans should listen and discuss these matters openly. I know for a fact there are many outstanding Bible scholars in Nigeria. Be slow to draw lines of fellowship, but never condone damnable error or sin.
