“He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray” (Proverbs 10:17).
HWA had to learn one doctrine at a time. There were times that he felt he had come to understand the true Biblical teaching on a certain subject, but other Scriptures discovered later put a different light on it. He had on occasion, to confess he had been in error, and to correct it. He said, “I did not receive everything perfectly all at once”—as we have today on a silver platter.
The Apostle Paul tells us under God's inspiration of how he came to know God's truth (Gal. 1:11). It was a similar experience for Mr. Armstrong, the gospel he taught was not after man, he did not receive it from a theological seminary with a particular denominational set of doctrines and practices. He was not taught by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ in written Word. There were a few occasions that he was accused of being in error, and he was. What did he do? The record shows, humiliating or not, he openly and publicly corrected those errors.
Let us ask a question: Do you know of any professing, corporate “Church of God” splinters that in the past three decades has publicly confessed wrong in what it had been teaching, and which then corrected the error, and turned to the truth as taught by God’s apostle? Possibly? Yet, most likely not, as they feel they cannot afford to admit having had any error—having ever mistaught the brethren. But are they all perfect and correct in what they teach? If so, why don’t any two agree on all points of doctrine? The reason is simply that they do teach certain errors, which they are afraid to confess, for fear they would lose members.
We are all human and therefore subject to error. Even though it is God's Work, directed, empowered and blessed by Him, He carries it on through frail, weak humans, who are subject to mistakes! What are God's conditions for salvation? Repent! Repent means confessing where you have been wrong! It means changing from the wrong and turning to the right! A church is merely the individual humans that comprise it, collectively. If no one of us is infallible, neither can the organized group be. However, if we are looking for God’s one true church, we should assuredly look for one that is willing to confess and correct its errors (Rev. 2:4, 14, 20). The one which follows this principle is the freest from error! Changing what is wrong is one of the surest proofs to identify the people through whom the living Christ is working—and whom he is using!
Moses made mistakes, Abraham made mistakes, David made mistakes, Elijah made mistakes, Peter made mistakes and so have all men God has ever called and used. Making a mistake is not any evidence at all that a man is not being used by God. But these men corrected their mistakes! And so, must we!
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