Eat the meat, spit out the bones

Spitting out bones
I recently had a conversation with a few Christian brothers over discernment specifically, and televangelists in general.

There were differing points of view in the discussion, which isn't a bad thing. (Oftentimes many Christians don't want an argument and would rather keep a false sense of peace – It always encourages me when Christians can disagree in a spirit of gentleness and respect).

Someone in the discussion said that they can learn from any preacher, that all they did was to “eat the meat, and spit out the bones.”
And of course nobody is 100 percent correct in what they affirm 100 percent of the time. I'd also want my hearers to show me some mercy when I make stupid mistakes, and not outright reject me as a false teacher (while saying that, if I ever became a deluded heretic, may God cause everyone to reject all of my rantings). So what he said seemed quite reasonable.

Poisoned water
But after that discussion I started thinking about this analogy. There's another analogy that's sometimes given that relates to false teachers and false teaching. The analogy goes something like this: “If you take a glass of water, and add just one drop of poison to the glass. The whole thing is poisonous”. Seems in that situation it is impossible to spit out the poison and drink the water. So it seems that though these analogies don't prove anything in themselves, they do illustrate two different approaches to error.

The poison analogy is self evident. But the meat analogy does have something implied. Ie. That the body of teaching is actually good, wholesome and God-given (metaphorically speaking - chicken). This really applies to Godly, Word-based, teaching. Because it's in accord with God's Word, it will nourish people's souls if taken in it's entirety. But because all preachers are human, we still need to test what is being said, and reject any discernible error (bones).

Rejecting false teachers
In the case of false teachers. Because the body of their teaching is corrupt, there's a good chance that the foundation of that error will find it's way into most of their teachings. E.g. If God is misrepresented, then the teachings on sin, prayer, salvation, sanctification – well pretty much all of it - will be twisted too.

Listen to John:

“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.” ( 2 John 1: 9-11 NIV)

There is more to be said about this text, but at the very least it tells us that God doesn't entertain false teachers. It wouldn't make sense for believers to encourage people to listen to these types, and only 'spit the bones out'. We'd do well to expose them. We're children of the light. The fruit of that light is 'all goodness, righteousness and truth'. (Ephesians 5:9 NIV).

Straining at gnats
Many problems can come from believers 'straining at gnats' – majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors. So how are we to judge between poisoned water and nutritious meat? When should we correct error, and when should we just let it pass? (If we had to make an issue of every little differing view of doctrine, we wouldn't have time to do much else, and we wouldn't be able to learn from anyone).
Well the type of error is a good start:
1) If the teaching obscures the way of salvation, then we need to reject this teaching and whatever preacher is unrepentantly continuing in it. (This is a definite divider).
2) If the teaching will hinder the hearer's sanctification. Our actions might not be as severe as above. But It needs to be corrected, and fought against. And if the main emphasis of the ministry espouses those teachings which hurt one's walk with Jesus, then that ministry needs to be rejected.
3) If the teaching doesn't affect either salvation truths or sanctification truths. We can talk about it, but we should never divide on these things.

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity”

This is God's will for us on this subject:

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:12-15 ESV)