God is very clear that His children must avoid extremes. Scripture instructs us to shun the extremes on the right or the left (Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Joshua 1:7-8; Proverbs 4:27; Ecclesiastes 7:18).

As there were ancient extremes among God's people, there are extremes in our fellowship today referred to as inclusive and exclusive brethren. When the word "inclusive" is used, it refers to those willing to include individuals into their spiritual fellowship, those who have not responded in loving, faithful obedience to God's plan of reconciliation.

Our purpose is not to ascribe impure motives to those who include people in fellowship that God will not or does not fellowship. When talking to these brethren who want to be inclusive, one gets the impression that some have very tender hearts and do not want (in their words) to draw a line between us and others who love the Lord just because they have not been baptized. A serious problem arises when one takes the position of an inclusive.

John discussed this in 2 John 9-10: "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" (niv).

One who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Should we accept people in fellowship who have not believed and done what God asked them to do to enter His body (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 17:30-31)?

It is not an act of kindness to possess the cure for a disease that will kill a person and not share that cure. It is also not kind or loving to know what the Bible teaches about God's cure for everyone's terminal disease - sin (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2) - and refuse to share that cure so as not to be judgmental, unkind or unpopular.

A serious problem also arises when one excludes fellowship to those whom God fellowships. Third John 9-11 discusses this forbidden mindset in the church: " I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God." A brother named Diotrephes would not fellowship John and those with him. He also refused to fellowship anyone who fellowshipped John.

Some of us wonder if God will fellowship those who will not fellowship the ones God fellowships (1 John 1:7; Matthew 5:23-24). Could someone please explain the difference between the ones who fellowship those God does not fellowship and the ones who refuse to fellowship those God does fellowship?

One of the major problems that some create, whether inclusive or exclusive, is drawing lines. People ask, "Where do you draw the line on salvation, fellowship, etc.?" A biblical answer would be something like this: None of us has the right to draw a line on any doctrinal matter. God has already drawn all the lines that need to be drawn. Although He said it a little differently in 2 John 9-11, 3 John 9-11 and Revelation 22:18-19, we do not have the right to draw or move a line. Our search is to find the lines that God has already drawn and stay within those lines. God condemns those who move a line to the left or the right. We cannot move a line to the left (become inclusive) and take away from the Word of God and include people in fellowship that God does not include in fellowship.

On the other hand, we do not have the right to impose requirements that God does not impose (become exclusive) by adding to God's Word and moving the line to the right.

Should one choose either of these options, he would be just as wrong and just as disobedient as the other. To put it another way: if you are crossing a bridge you would get just as wet if you jumped off the right side of the bridge as you would if you jumped off the left side.

No one has the right to fellowship anyone God does not fellowship. No one has the right to refuse fellowship to anyone God fellowships.

To use an illustration: The inclusive wing of the church would raise the bar at a limbo game, although God set the bar where He wanted it to be. They would do this because they would believe it is too difficult to get under the bar. Therefore, this would eliminate too many who want to come in the church and live the Christian life.

The exclusive wing of the church would lower the bar, although God set it where He wanted it to be. They seek more rigidity for entrance and life in the church than God expects. We just need to leave the bar where it is. God set it there and we need to find, adhere to and teach the lines God has already drawn.

As the scriptures tell us time and again, we cannot turn from them to the right or the left. These scriptures teach that we have turned from the Word of God if we add to them (exclusives) or take away (inclusives) from them.

Jesus had this problem with the religious leaders of His day. Some were adding to the Word of God and thereby excluding anyone who did not adhere to the traditions their elders added to the word of God.

Mark 7:1-13 is a good example of combining the exclusives and the inclusives. The leaders were requiring Jesus' disciples to obey the traditions of the elders (adding to the word of God and requiring more than God required - exclusives) and made them equal with the commands of God.

However, they were also setting aside God's commandments, a common practice of the inclusives, moving God's line(s) to the left (Mark 7:8-13).

Brethren, it is not progressive to require less than God requires. That is digressive (letting go of the commands of God). On the other hand it is not conservative to require more of the lost or the saved than God requires (that would be adding rules taught by men and adding to God's Word). Both of these extremes are sinful because they add to or take away from God's Word. This activity thwarts God's peace plan and sows discord and discouragement in the body of Christ. "The man who fears God will avoid all extremes" (Ecclesiastes 7:18). May God help us seek the things that make for peace.

Jerry C. Dyer is director of the Clayton Pepper Center for Church Growth Studies at Ohio Valley College, Parkersburg, W.Va. He may be contacted at jcdyer@ovc.edu.