The Deadly Sin of Indifference

Indifference is one of the most significant problems in the church today. The real threat is not always the false teacher or the open liberal, but the Christian who tolerates it when they know better. It is those who can see their church drifting into man-centred worship, doctrinal compromise, or liberal theology, yet convince themselves that the best thing to do is to “stick it out” or “be a good influence.”

This was precisely the problem in Machen’s day. When the PCUSA began to crumble under the weight of modernism, the liberals were loud, but the moderates did nothing. They valued peace over purity and tolerance over truth. Machen saw this with painful clarity when he wrote his famous book Christianity and Liberalism.

The Scriptures have something to say about tolerance. In Revelation 2:20, Christ rebuked the church in Thyatira. Christ did not rebuke them because they had embraced false teaching, but because they tolerated  it: “You tolerate that woman Jezebel.” Their sin was not participation, but passivity and blind submission to error. Jesus holds His people accountable for what they permit as much as for what they practice.

Paul echoes the same command: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Faithfulness sometimes requires distance. He tells the Ephesians, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). The unfaithful blend in or wait for better days, but we should stand apart and shine light into darkness.

Throughout Scripture, God’s faithful people have been called to separate themselves from corruption and to stay on the narrow road. We are not called to make peace with error. God commanded Lot to leave Sodom. Moses commanded Israel to depart from the tents of Korah (you can listen to our message on Korah here). The Bible teaches that we should depart from error. This is an act of obedience not division. True unity is anchored in the truth, which is what Christ prayed for in the High Priestly Prayer in John 17. We just worked through this passage as a church and you can hear our message on unity below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6yV1-Op77g

Church history confirms this. The PCUSA did not fall because of a handful of liberals, but because the moderates refused to discipline them. The English Reformation only happened because men and women dared to leave the corruption of Rome behind. In every generation, it is not the heretics who destroy the church, but the indifferent who refuse to resist them.

Some will say, “But shouldn’t we seek unity?” Of course. But unity in the Bible is always grounded in truth. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). A unity that ignores truth is no unity at all. I am currently reading the prophet Jeremiah, who condemned those who cried, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). The peace of the church can never come at the expense of purity. We cannot make unity and truth conflicting ideas; instead, we must seek unity in truth. This means that we cannot deconstruct God's Word down to the bare essentials whenever we are confronted with doctrinal precision.

Staying in a church that is drifting from the truth is not an act of submission it is an act of disobedience to God. When believers remain in a compromising institution, they lend it credibility. Their attendance is a silent approval. Leaving can only cause the institution to self-reflect and God forbid they course correct. James reminds us, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). As the Apostle Paul says, "come out of her" and instead relocate into a biblically faithful church.

Furthermore, some will stay in a church thinking they will be the agents of change. This is a position of pride, if the Lord hasn't called you into a position of leadership or ministry then it is not your calling to reconstruct that which is sinking. Your desire is noble, but your efforts are no different then the compartments within the Titanic's hull that tried to slow the intake of water.

Faithfulness requires courage and conviction. Faithfulness demands action so that we can be doers of the word and not hearers only. “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Every generation faces this same test. Will we preserve truth, or will we preserve peace? Will we be found faithful, or merely polite?

The moderates of history always thought they were helping by staying. But history shows the moderates sitting back and watching as the ship sinks. It is also a prideful thing to think that you can remain near Chernobyl and her toxic radiation and not be effected. Sitting under milk or man-centered teaching will begin to take root in your life.

If your church is abandoning truth, do not tell yourself you are staying to help you are staying to watch as her lampstand is taken away. The Lord warned those who tolerated error.

It is time for courage again. It is time to love Christ and His truth more than comfort or reputation. If you are considering leaving your church, it must be for biblical reasons and you should exhaust efforts to reconcile first. Here is a helpful article about this sad situation we pray nobody feels they are currently dealing with: OPC