The danger of compromising the truth of the gospel
This text is from a letter written by David Gooding.
Thank you for your letter, explaining to me the reasons why the committee was happy to invite a Roman Catholic evangelical to become a member.
It is not for me to judge the conscience of either the committee or the Roman Catholic evangelical. What for me, however, is both relevant and important to this situation is the attitude that Paul took towards Peter and Barnabas, as recorded in Galatians 2:11ff. When Peter pretended not to believe what he did actually believe, and joined with those who added circumcision and the keeping of the law to the basic conditions for salvation, Paul publicly resisted him, because, as Paul put it, they were not walking straightforwardly according to the truth of the gospel. Paul further explains that he took the strong stand he did, so that the truth of the gospel might continue unfudged throughout the Christian church and throughout the generations. If Paul had not taken this attitude to Peter when Peter compromised the truth of the gospel, we today would be uncertain as to exactly what the gospel is.
I do not, of course, know our Catholic friend; and how much or little he believes of Roman Catholic doctrine. But if he not only continues to attend the Roman Catholic church but attends the Mass in that church—even if he does not communicate—he is giving the impression that he does not believe what as a true evangelical he does believe, namely that the Mass is a perversion and a denial of the gospel.
Moreover, if he still pretends to be a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and yet in his heart rejects the authority of the Pope and the basic fundamental doctrines that the Pope proclaims to be the truth, then indeed he is behaving like Peter did. He is guilty of what, in the Greek, is called hypocrisy, i.e. pretending not to believe what you do believe.
Because the issue at stake is the unfudged clarity of the gospel, I personally feel that the committee's action here is not consistent with a clear-cut, uncompromised stand for the truth of the gospel.
Yours truly in Christ
