The saying that the fault of one is the fault of all is actually not applicable at all times at all situations. It only came true if you are in a team and you have a mission to do. If one of the team did wrong and all the others follow him, then I am sure that the whole team will not succeed on their mission.
However, if you are in a team who have a mission to fulfill and then if one of the member did wrong and the others strive hard to patch the fault and go on to the right path, then I am sure that the whole team will succeed on their mission.
The same is true to a church. If one member of the church committed a crime, it doesn’t mean that the whole church is criminal.
I made this clarification because I read many discussions here in the internet and the people are judging the entire church (Iglesia Ni Cristo) by looking at the fault of its members (but not all members) and then they will immediately equate this to a saying which says: The tree can be identified by its fruit.
If we will look at what the members were doing in judging the whole organization then I can also say that the Roman Catholic Church is criminal. Why? It’s because 90 percent of the people in jail and those who are convicted criminals are members of the Roman Catholic Church.
And the funny thing is that most of the people who are accusing the Iglesia Ni Cristo as criminal are Catholics. I don’t know what they are thinking… they did not realize that most of the criminals here in the Philippines are Catholics yet, they do not accuse the Roman Catholic Church as criminal.
People seems unfair to the Iglesia Ni Cristo. And they even consider it a scandal… they repeatedly show others the news that a member of the INC do this and do that and then they will say that these members became like what they are because of the INC.
They even accuse the INC that it is the INC who teach these people to commit murder when in fact the doctrine of the INC is clear… murder is a sin. The INC through its administration is always reminding its members to change their lives from the life in darkness (for they once live in darkness) to the life in light (for Christ brought them in His church).
Persecutors of the INC do not understand that members of the INC are still living in this world controlled by Satan. So, Satan still has the chance to tempt these people to do the prohibited things so that Satan can snatch these people from the light back to darkness.
Now, with regards to the saying: The tree can be judge by its fruit, SELaplana explained this with the help of the Bible at his blogpost, “The False Prophets“.
I hope that by this post, you will learn something from me.
Thank you.
