The Bible is perfectly clear. If anyone perverts the gospel or preaches another Christ, let that individual be cursed.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8, KJV)
When it comes to the gospel, we must be unwavering. Salvation is found in Christ alone. There is no other way to the Father but through Jesus. We cannot change the gospel for the sake of anyone’s preference.
Jesus is God.
Jesus came to earth in the flesh.
Jesus died on the cross for sin.
Jesus rose from the dead and achieved victory over death, over all.
To be saved, we must put our faith in Him.
We must repent of sin.
Those are some of the fundamental doctrines of the faith. From those, we cannot waver.
But what happens when a believer disagrees with another believer on, let’s say, divine healing? Speaking in tongues? Financial prosperity? The sabbath?
Are those doctrines worth dividing over?
The Bible is the Word of God, the final authority. And what if, like Peter and Paul, two believers find themselves in a doctrinal disagreement? None of us would dare to call Peter or Paul a heretic, yet those two men had doctrinal disagreements.
We so easily throw around terms like “False Prophet” or “Heretic”. But the definition of heretic is not “anyone who disagrees with me on anything.” A heretic is one who teaches a direct contradiction to the fundamentals of the faith.
Finances are important, but finances are not the gospel. Divine healing is important, but divine healing is not the gospel. The sabbath is not the gospel. Bible version preference is not the gospel.
So long as we agree on Christ and the essentials of salvation, there is room for unity.
I’m not preaching relativism; I’m preaching truth. I know it’s difficult for some to accept, but not every doctrinal disagreement is cause for division or name-calling. My encouragement to all believers: don’t stone your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Call out the false prophets. Call out heresy. But don’t major on minors. It doesn’t matter your stream, so long as you are in the river of Christ.