THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE CHURCH

“THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE CHURCH has always been unrepentant sin: grumbling, idolatry, apostasy, and such. Many in the U.S. seem to think the answer is government tyranny, but political tyrants cannot destroy the church. The very gates of hell cannot prevail against the church (Matt. 16:18). But what is a threat to the church? What can result in Christ removing a church’s lampstand (Rev. 2:5)? The same threats that existed in the Old Testament – idolatry, apostasy, faithlessness, false doctrine, tolerating false doctrine. In short, the biggest danger the church faces is sin. The biggest danger the church faces comes from the hearts of those within the church.

How do we guard against this threat? There have always been those who think the best way to protect the church from sin is to get away from all the sinners. Go out into the desert all alone. Build a monastery. Don’t smoke, drink, or chew, and don’t hang out with those who do. The one fundamental truth all such approaches fail to remember is that we can’t get away from sin by getting away from sinners because we are not sinless yet, and we can’t get away from ourselves. We can’t get away from our own hearts.

We can only guard against this threat to the church by dealing with the sin in our own hearts. Sin is the greatest tyrant. Sin is the greatest enslaver. Sin is what tears individuals and churches apart because sin is inherently satanic. When professing Christians are so caught up with what those outside are saying and doing that they aren’t taking their own sins seriously, they become the greatest threat to the church.”

—Dr. Keith Mathison