WHAT IF I KNOW MY CHURCH IS TEACHING SOMETHING WRONG?

Is recognizing the truth enough, or does Scripture require us to act?

Introduction — Knowing Something Is Wrong Is Not the Same as Correcting It

Suppose you have attended the same church for many years.

You know the people. You love them. Your children may have grown up there. Your closest friends may worship there.

Then someone shows you a passage of Scripture that challenges something your church teaches.

At first, you disagree.

But you begin studying the passage. You read the surrounding verses. You examine other passages dealing with the same subject.

Eventually, you become convinced that your church's teaching is wrong.

What should you do?

Some people answer, "Well, no church is perfect."

Others say, "I've attended here all my life."

Still others respond, "I don't agree with everything my preacher teaches, but I like the people."

Those feelings are understandable.

But they leave an important question unanswered.

If we become convinced that Scripture teaches something different from what our church teaches, what responsibility do we have?

1. Knowing the Truth Should Change What We Believe

James 1:22 tells Christians to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

James is speaking about putting God's word into practice, not specifically about changing congregations. But the principle matters here.

Hearing God's word without responding to it is not enough.

Consider Apollos in Acts 18:24–28.

Apollos was an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well. He taught accurately about Jesus, but his understanding was incomplete.

Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God to him more accurately.

Luke does not describe Apollos as an enemy of truth. He was a sincere teacher who needed further instruction.

His subsequent ministry shows that he continued teaching with the benefit of that instruction.

There is a lesson here for every Christian, including every preacher.

Sincerity does not guarantee that everything we believe is correct. And learning something new should affect what we teach.

2. What If the Teaching Comes From People We Love?

This is where the question becomes difficult.

It is one thing to correct a stranger.

It is another to question a preacher who baptized you, taught your children, or has been your friend for thirty years.

But Paul gives us an important example in Galatians 2:11–14.

When Peter's conduct contradicted the truth of the gospel, Paul opposed him.

Peter was an apostle.

Paul respected his position, but that did not place Peter beyond correction.

Notice that Paul was dealing with conduct that compromised the gospel, not a minor disagreement about a difficult passage.

That distinction matters.

We should never use Galatians 2 as an excuse to challenge every preacher over every difference of opinion.

But neither should personal relationships prevent us from addressing serious errors.

Love for a person does not require agreement with everything that person teaches.

Sometimes love requires an honest conversation.

3. "But There Are No Perfect Churches!"

That statement is true in one sense.

No congregation is made up of perfect people.

Every Christian still has much to learn.

But does that mean every teaching should be accepted without question?

Certainly not.

Consider the seven churches in Revelation 2–3.

Jesus recognized the good things happening in several of those congregations.

But He also corrected their failures.

Pergamum and Thyatira were specifically rebuked for tolerating teachings and practices that led people into sin.

Jesus did not excuse those problems simply because the congregations had other good qualities.

He called for repentance.

That gives us an important distinction:

An imperfect congregation is not necessarily an unfaithful congregation. But refusing to correct known error is a serious matter.

The question is not whether we can find a church without any faults.

We cannot.

The question is whether a congregation is willing to examine its teaching and practice in the light of Scripture.

4. Should We Speak Up When We Discover an Error?

Galatians 6:1 instructs spiritually mature believers to restore someone caught in wrongdoing with gentleness.

Second Timothy 2:24–25 teaches that the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but should correct opponents with gentleness.

These passages do not mean every disagreement is evidence of wrongdoing. But they show the attitude Christians should have when correction is needed.

We should begin with careful study.

Have we understood the passage correctly?

Have we considered the context?

Have we listened fairly to explanations that differ from our own?

If we remain convinced that a serious teaching is wrong, we should be willing to discuss it.

Not to embarrass the preacher.

Not to win an argument.

Not to divide the congregation into opposing groups.

But to help others understand Scripture more accurately.

A private conversation with the teacher or church leaders may be the appropriate beginning.

We might simply ask:

"Would you help me understand how our teaching agrees with this passage?"

That question invites examination rather than confrontation.

And we must be willing to listen. Perhaps we have overlooked something ourselves.

5. What If the Church Refuses to Reconsider?

Suppose you have studied carefully.

You have spoken respectfully with the teacher or leaders.

You have listened to their explanation.

But you remain convinced that the congregation is teaching something contrary to Scripture.

And the leaders are unwilling even to examine the question.

What then?

This is where the issue becomes more serious.

Acts 5:29 records Peter and the apostles declaring that they must obey God rather than men.

Their immediate situation involved authorities commanding them to stop preaching Jesus. It was not a disagreement about church membership.

Nevertheless, the principle is clear: No human authority may demand obedience that contradicts God's commands.

A congregation's history, popularity, traditions, or leadership cannot make an unscriptural practice right.

But we must also distinguish between several situations.

A congregation may teach something we believe is mistaken while remaining open to correction.

A congregation may disagree with us about a passage that sincere Christians interpret differently.

Or a congregation may knowingly insist upon teaching or practicing something that clearly contradicts God's word.

Those situations are not identical.

We should not treat every disagreement as a reason to leave.

But neither should we use Christian unity as an excuse to participate in something we are convinced is wrong.

6. When Should a Christian Consider Leaving?

The New Testament does not give us a checklist of disagreements that automatically require changing congregations.

It does give us principles concerning truth, conscience, fellowship, correction, and faithfulness.

Romans 14 reminds us that Christians must act according to faith and conscience, while also warning us not to condemn one another over matters on which God allows differences.

Ephesians 4:15 calls Christians to speak the truth in love.

Titus 3:10–11 warns against persistently divisive behavior.

These principles must be held together.

We should not remain silent simply to preserve comfortable relationships.

But we should not create unnecessary division over every interpretive disagreement.

Leaving a congregation may become necessary when remaining would require us to participate in what we understand to be disobedience to God, deny essential truths of the gospel, or support persistent serious wrongdoing.

Before making such a decision, we should carefully examine the evidence, seek wise counsel, and make reasonable efforts toward correction.

And if we do leave, we should do so without bitterness, personal attacks, or attempts to injure the congregation.

Our goal is faithfulness to Christ, not victory over other Christians.

7. What About the People We Leave Behind?

There is another responsibility worth considering.

Suppose we discover that a teaching is wrong and quietly leave.

What about our friends who continue hearing it?

Should we say nothing?

There is no biblical command requiring every departing member to conduct a campaign against the congregation.

But love for others should make us concerned about what they are being taught.

If we have discovered a serious error, we should consider whether we can help others examine the relevant Scriptures.

That may involve speaking with the teacher, discussing the passage with friends, or encouraging an open Bible study.

But we must be careful.

Our purpose should not be to recruit followers for ourselves or create factions.

Paul warned against divisions built around human teachers in 1 Corinthians 1:10–13.

We should want people to follow Christ, not us.

And we must give others the same freedom to examine the evidence that we expect for ourselves.

We can present Scripture and explain our understanding. We cannot force another person to agree.

8. What If I Am the One Who Is Wrong?

This question must never disappear from the discussion.

It is possible to be deeply convinced of something and still be mistaken.

That is why Acts 17:11 is so important.

The Bereans examined even Paul's message against the Scriptures.

They did not reject his teaching merely because it was unfamiliar.

Neither did they accept it without examination.

They tested what they heard.

That should be our attitude whether we are questioning our church's teaching or defending it.

A person who challenges an established interpretation must be willing to examine his own reasoning.

Have I considered the entire passage?

Am I ignoring verses that seem to disagree with my conclusion?

Have I confused my interpretation with the actual words of Scripture?

Have I listened carefully to those who disagree?

Am I demanding that others reconsider their beliefs while refusing to reconsider mine?

These questions protect us from becoming the very thing we are trying to correct.

9. Unity Must Be Built on Truth and Love

Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers in John 17:20–23.

Paul urged Christians to maintain the unity of the Spirit in Ephesians 4:1–6.

Christian unity is important.

But unity does not mean that every teaching must be accepted.

Nor does truth give us permission to treat fellow Christians harshly.

Ephesians 4:15 brings these responsibilities together:

Speak the truth in love.

Truth without love can become cruel.

Love without concern for truth can become an excuse for avoiding difficult questions.

Christians need both.

We should seek unity through a shared commitment to Christ and His word, not through silence about serious errors.

Conclusion — What Will We Do With What We Learn?

There is a difference between discovering a mistake and correcting it.

There is also a difference between disagreeing with a church's teaching and demonstrating from Scripture that the teaching is wrong.

Both distinctions matter.

But once we have carefully examined the evidence and become convinced that a serious teaching contradicts God's word, we cannot simply dismiss the matter because changing would be uncomfortable.

We should reconsider our beliefs.

We should correct our own conduct.

We should speak respectfully with those responsible for the teaching.

We should encourage others to examine Scripture.

And when remaining would require us to compromise our obedience to Christ, we must be willing to leave.

Not because we think we know everything.

Not because we have found a perfect church.

But because our first loyalty belongs to Jesus Christ, not to a congregation, a denomination, a preacher, or a tradition.

And that responsibility applies equally to the person writing this study.

If Scripture shows that something we have taught is wrong, we should be willing to correct it.

That is not weakness.

That is faithfulness.

The purpose of studying the Bible is not simply to discover what is true. It is to believe it, live it, and help others understand it.

Return to HOME page

Return to STUDY page

Return to YouTube to ask a question or leave a comment: https://youtu.be/scJpIWqjFV4