I have noticed that Christians more easily label someone a false teacher or false brother when the person who is being labeled is far away. Far away as in, never met before. Maybe the person is some popular "Christian" personality or some teacher in some distant church. Maybe the person really is a false teacher or brother and is doing harm to the Church, but then when a brother nearby espouses some false teachings, he is simply misunderstanding scripture or it is said, " Well, that's your opinion".
Do you see my point? When a person is close by we are more quick to be merciful or to tolerate a brother's misunderstandings or sinful actions, but when someone is far away, we are more quick to judge or condemn.
In some cases, the person far away really is a false teacher and the brother close by really does just misunderstand something, but the opposite is also true. Sometimes the person we are tolerating is the false teacher and the person that is far way, that we are condemning, really honestly misunderstands something and needs mercy.
I think this is understandable to a degree since we don't have a relationship with the person far away, while we do with the brother who is close by. It is also easier to take a stand against a teaching if you do not have to face the person that you are opposing, while it is harder to take a stand against a false teaching, when the person espousing it, is someone that you love dearly.
The Lord is clear though, a double standard is an abomination. A person is a false teacher whether far away of close by, and if someone needs mercy close by, than the person far away also needs mercy.
My goal in writing this is not to encourage you to start labeling every brother with a wrong notion a false teacher, nor is it to encourage you be merciful with and embrace the false teacher who is far away. It is simply to encourage you to judge justly.
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