Can one false doctrine ruin a church?

 

Short Answer: Yes.

 

According to Jesus, and his message to the Church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:24), even one false doctrine can cause ruin a church.

I mean according to Jesus, one false doctrine can block a whole segment of the church from entering into the kingdom of heaven.

If that does not fit the definition of “ruin”, I don’t know what does.

Therefore, there is good reason, to be diligent, to remove any and every single false doctrine out of the body of Christ.

And to believe and follow the ADVICE OF JUDE (the half brother of both Jesus, our Messiah, and the full brother of James, the Leader of the Church in Jerusalem, and the author of the Book of James.)

 

Jude 1:3 (KJV)

3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

 

We not only have Jude’s (in Hebrew Judah, or Yehudah), we also have Jesus’ Testimony (aka Joshua, Yeshua, Yehoshua): Jesus shares some straight forward, and deeply valuable insights and words on His Perspective as to what is happening in the Fellowship (Assembly, or Church) at Thyratira.  See for yourself:

 

Revelation 2:19-26 (KJV)

 

19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee,

because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess,
to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
except they repent of their deeds [evil works].

23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

If you haven’t noticed previously in your diligent investigations, into the word of God, you can see clearly above that the stakes are high:  Eternal life, and eternal death, right now, are being weighed in the balance.

You can see that both the works of repentance, and the works of salvation have dire consequences for not obeying, and the works of the flesh are devastating, not only to unbelievers, but also to those in the Church.

Each act of disobedience and rebellion can cause harm to not only ourselves, but to the whole body of Christ, and can cause our children to enter eternity unprotected, deceived, and ultimately cast aside, if we choose to live by an example that refuse to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The Saints? They should be us.

 

Those who truly love their neighbors as themselves, and love God, with all their heart, and serve their families with all their soul and strength– they shall overcome the darkness that wants to drag them into the eternal flames. And not to play games with God, worldly games, church games, and not follow those who serve the idols of men, that will be theri destruction. They will have earned the wages of their own deceptions.

 

The truth is: The only guarantee we have in this life comes from Jesus Christ himself. But even Jesus says that only he who endures to the end shall be saved. In other words, even our salvation is resting upon the fact that we must overcome the world, even as Christ overcame the world, even as his apostles overcame the world, even as the whole early church that was faithful, even under threats of persecution, even under the threat of death, and the reality of imprisonment, torture, and worse–They overcame the world, and remained faithful even unto death, so that they would receive the precious crown of life for all of eternity. 

 

God has given us a choice with incredible power, weight, and and authority for receiving, and obeying his commandments, according to the gift He has given, so shall the receiver will gain the reward be given. Freely and abundantly.

 

So in conclusion: yes, even one doctrine in the church can ruin a church.

 

For further study on this subject:
Check it out:

Click on part two:

Can one false doctrine ruin a church? Part 2