It now becomes a serious question how far those who abide by the faith once delivered to the saints should fraternize with those who have turned aside to another gospel. Christian love has its claims, and divisions are to be shunned as grievous evils; but how far are we justified in being in confederacy with those who are departing from the truth? It is a difficult question to answer so as to keep the balance of the duties. For the present it behoves believers to be cautious, lest they lend their support and countenance to the betrayers of the Lord.
It is one thing to overleap all boundaries of denominational restriction for the truth's sake: this we hope all godly men will do more and more. It is quite another policy which would urge us to subordinate the maintenance of truth to denominational prosperity and unity.
Numbers of easy-minded people wink at error so long as it is committed by a clever man and a good-natured brother, who has so many fine points about him. Let each believer judge for himself; but, for our part, we have put on a few fresh bolts to our door, and we have given orders to keep the chain up; for, under color of begging the friendship of the servant, there are those about who aim at robbing THE MASTER.
We fear it is hopeless ever to form a society which can keep out men base enough to profess one thing and believe another; but it might be possible to make an informal alliance among all who hold the Christianity of their fathers. Little as they might be able to do, they could at least protest, and as far as possible free themselves of that complicity which will be involved in a conspiracy of silence. If for a while the evangelicals are doomed to go down, let them die fighting, and in the full assurance that their gospel will have a resurrection when the inventions of "modern thought" shall be burned up with fire unquenchable.
~Spurgeon
2Jn 1:9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
And anyone who fratinizes with or defends or excuses such a wicked man (defined by God as a partaker of a false teacher's wickedness and rebellion against Him), is also in sin.
Those who are silent on such men like Piper, or give him a free pass (with a mere slap on the hand) because he's a "dear friend" and a "brother in Christ", a man who happens to have said some right things in the past (even a broken clock is right twice a day--false teachers say many right things but it's their error that makes them false), are themselves part of the conspiracy of silence at best, part of the fratinizing with them at worst.
John MacArthur and Phil Johnson need to sever ties with these men. Their unwillingness to reject Piper will only allow Piper to continue to get credibility, as well as time to continue to do more damage. A poisoned well is deadly for the sheep, not beneficial in any way.
We cannot sever ties with a horrific movement of strange fire while still holding hands with the fire keepers.
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