You Shall Know Them by Their Anathemas

 If you are confused about what churches are a the sinful schismatics, you only need look at the anathemas they pronounce.

For instance, anyone who receives Nicea II must believe that all who do not receive icon veneration as a viable and necessary means of worship are anathema. Although, idolatry is a hudge issue, anathematizing those who don't practice it is actually the biggest problem with Nicea II.

The anathemas in Scripture cannot violate what the Apostle John says concerning how one knows he is saved and has eternal life. John states,

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands abides in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that he abides in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 John 3:23-24)

So one can know that God abides in Him and he in God because he has obeyed the command to believe in the Son and to love the brethren. Any anathema given cannot contradict this. Paul's anathema in Galatians 1:8-9 is due to the Galatians disobeying both of these commands. They were denying the gospel and receiving another one in its place that allowed them to divide the people of God into ritually acceptable and ritually less acceptable Christians. 

Likewise, the only other anathema given in Scripture is also Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22:

"If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be anathema."

Again, this has to do with not loving the Lord, and hence, deals directly with a rejection of both elements John has mentioned.

If you have a church that anathematizes people who both have believed in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ, and love the brethren in the way that John describes in the epistle, then you have identified your sinful schismatics. 

Eastern Orthodox? Sinful schismatics. Roman Catholics? Sinful schismatics. The Fundamentalist Baptist Minister telling everyone they're damned for not believing in one of his pet issues that don't have anything to do with believing in the person of Jesus and loving the brethren? Sinful schismatic. Dividing over views of Genesis 1-11? Sinful schismatic. Dividing over views of who wrote Daniel, whether Jonah is a parable or literal, whether Joshua actually teaches geocentricism, modes of baptism, classes and expression of classes in the church, etc.? Sinful schismatics.

We should divide over people being in unrepentant sin. We should even divide from unrepentant sinful schismatics. We should divide from every cult and heretic who denies the apostolic teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should divide from people who unrepentantly remain in sexual immorality, adultery, slander, partial judgments, revilers of authority, those who dishonor their fathers, etc. because these are people who either reject the gospel or do not love fellow believers in some way, and are thus not included as known Christians in John's scheme of things.

These are the truly anathematized churches and inviduals according to the Word of God. Anything else is using ecclesiastical authority to condemn those who Christ does not condemn, and this is to be separated from the mind of Christ and to not love many who are of the brethren. And those who do not love the brethren in such ways, do not love Christ. Be careful what group you align yourself with, so that you do not hear these words applied to you, "I was anathematized and you did not defend Me."

The most frightening irony is that those who sinfully anathematize seem to be the ones who are actually anathematized in Scripture. “ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him, knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning, being self-condemned.” (Titus 3:10-11)