Anthony Pritchard
Member
The Biblical Command Against Ecumenism
Psalms 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Proverbs 9:6 says, “Forsake the foolish, and live, and go in the way of understanding.”
Every generation faces its own drift. Sometimes it is moral. Sometimes it is cultural. Sometimes it is doctrinal. Ecumenism is one of the most subtle forms of drift because it presents itself as unity and peace while quietly eroding the boundaries God Himself established, and it is not the unity of God nor the kind of unity that makes a nation strong. Scripture does not treat separation as an optional posture. It treats it as obedience.
The Command to Come Out
Second Corinthians 6:17 says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.” This is not a call to isolation. It is a call to purity. It is the same call God gave through the prophets and the apostles.
Isaiah 52:11 says, “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing. Go ye out of the midst of her. Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.”
Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
Ezra 10:11 says, “Separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”
The pattern is unmistakable. God draws a line. Ecumenism erases it. God calls His people to distinction. Ecumenism calls them to blend. God commands separation from error. Ecumenism invites fellowship with it.
The Quiet Removal of Christ
One of the clearest signs of drift is the shift from B.C. and A.D. to BCE and CE. The numbers remain the same. The center of history remains the same. Only the acknowledgment of Christ is removed. This is not a neutral change. It is a deliberate attempt to speak of time without speaking of the One who divides it.
This is how drift works. It does not begin with open denial. It begins with small adjustments that seem harmless. It begins with language that removes the sharp edge of truth. It begins with a vocabulary that no longer names Christ. Ecumenism fits comfortably within this spirit because it seeks unity without the offense of truth.
The Cost of Doctrinal Surrender
Romans 16:17 says, “Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.”
Jeremiah 51:6 says, “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul. Be not cut off in her iniquity.”
Numbers 16:26 says, “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.”
Unity is precious when it is unity in truth. Unity without truth is surrender. Ecumenism asks believers to treat doctrine as secondary and harmony as primary. Scripture reverses that order. Truth is primary. Purity is primary. Obedience is primary. Harmony is the fruit of shared truth, not the substitute for it.
The Drift and the Decision
Ecumenism is not merely a theological error. It is a drift of the heart. It is the slow acceptance of the idea that truth can be softened for the sake of peace. It is the belief that Christ can be honored while His words are negotiated. It is the hope that unity can be achieved without separation.
The world celebrates inclusivity. Scripture calls for faithfulness. The world praises broad fellowship. Scripture commands narrow obedience. The world urges compromise. Scripture urges steadfastness.
The question is simple. Will we stand where God has drawn the line, or will we drift with the current of ecumenical unity. The call of Scripture is clear. Come out. Be separate. Hold fast to the truth. Stand firm in the purity of Christ.
Veritas supra unitatem. - Truth above unity.
The True Callings of God’s People
The drift of ecumenism raises a deeper question. If Scripture does not call believers to blend, to compromise, or to soften the truth, then what does Scripture call them to. The answer is found in the callings God Himself has spoken. These callings are not to an office. They are to a life. They are the callings that shape the believer and steady the church.
The Call to Salvation
Romans 1:6 says, “Ye also are the called of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 8:30 says, “Whom he called, them he also justified.”
Second Thessalonians 2:14 says, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel.”
The Call to Holiness
First Peter 1:15-16 says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
First Thessalonians 4:7 says, “God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
The Call to Separation and Purity
Second Corinthians 6:17 says, “Come out from among them.”
Isaiah 52:11 says, “Touch no unclean thing.”
Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, my people.”
James 1:27 says, “Keep himself unspotted from the world.”
The Call to Walk Worthy
Ephesians 4:1 says, “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”
The Call to Peace
Colossians 3:15 says, “Ye are called in one body to peace.”
The Call to Suffer for Christ
First Peter 2:21 says, “Hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us.”
The Call to Liberty
Galatians 5:13 says, “Ye have been called unto liberty.”
The Call to His Kingdom and Glory
First Thessalonians 2:12 says, “Who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
The Call to Fellowship with Christ
First Corinthians 1:9 says, “Called unto the fellowship of his Son.”
The Call to Light
First Peter 2:9 says, “Called out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
The Call to Be Saints
Romans 1:7 says, “Called to be saints.”
These are the true callings of God’s people. They are universal. They are binding. They are clear.
No Call to the Pastorate
Scripture never speaks of a call to preach, a call to pastor, or a call to the ministry. Instead, Scripture gives a fourfold pattern.
1. Desire
First Timothy 3:1 says, “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.”
2. Qualifications
First Timothy 3 and Titus 1 list the requirements.
3. Examination
First Timothy 3:10 says, “Let these also first be proved.”
4. Appointment
Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5 show that qualified men are appointed by the congregation.
There is no mystical voice. There is no inward summons. There is no Macedonian call to the pastorate. There is desire, qualification, examination, and appointment.
The Wrong Argument That the Call Is in the Gifts
There is one more error that must be addressed. Some say that the call is in the gifts. They argue that if a man can preach, or if he has a certain personality, or if he shows ability, then that ability is the proof that God has called him to the ministry. Scripture never teaches this.
Gifts are not calls. Gifts are not offices. Gifts are not authority. Gifts are not permission to lead. Gifts are not evidence of divine appointment. Gifts are simply gifts.
First Corinthians 12:4 says, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
First Corinthians 12:7 says, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
Gifts are given to every believer. They are given for the profit of the body. They are not given to establish an office or to bypass the clear biblical requirements for leadership.
A man may be gifted and still be disqualified.
A man may be gifted and still be unexamined.
A man may be gifted and still be unappointed.
A man may be gifted and still be unfit.
Gifts do not make a shepherd. Gifts do not make a bishop. Gifts do not make an overseer. Gifts do not make a pastor. Scripture is clear. The office is not entered by gift. It is entered by desire, by qualification, by examination, and by appointment.
The argument that the call is in the gifts elevates ability above holiness, talent above character, performance above purity, and charisma above obedience. It replaces the biblical pattern with a human one.
Scripture never says that gifts are a call. Scripture says that gifts are for service. Scripture says that offices are for qualified men. Scripture says that leadership is for proven men. Scripture says that desire begins the process, not gifting.
The call is not in the gifts. The call is in the Scriptures. And the Scriptures call every believer to holiness, purity, separation, faithfulness, and obedience. These are the true callings of God’s people.
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard 1979 -
I do not write to compel anyone. I do not write to manipulate or to force change. I write because truth deserves to be spoken. If change comes, that is God’s work. If conviction comes, that is the Spirit’s work. If repentance comes, that is grace. If rejection comes, that is on them. My part is to speak. Their part is to respond. God’s part is to judge.
Free to use with proper attribution.
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