II. Examples of False Teachers The Bible not only expressly warns us of the danger of false teaching, it also gives us many examples that demonstrate the consequences of accepting error. Note that many of these teachers were not immoral reprobates who openly denied the existence of God. And in most cases the people who followed the false teachers were neither reprobates nor hypocrites; rather they accepted error because they were deceived by the false teachers. A. The Serpent - 1 Timothy 2:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3 Eve sinned because she was beguiled or deceived. God said she would die if she ate, but Satan tricked her with the false doctrine that she would not die but would become like God. Eve was not a hypocrite or moral reprobate, nor did she deny Gods existence. She was deceived by a false teacher. Was there no serious consequence in this? Think of all the horrible problems that came into the world - even into your life and mine - as a result of this one act. Surely this illustrates the serious problems that false teaching can cause. B. The Ten Spies - Numbers 13:30-33 These men said Israel could not enter Canaan because the people in the land were too great to be defeated. This was simply false: God would have given the power they needed to conquer the land, even as He later did under Joshua. But the people believed this false teaching and refused to enter. Again, the people where not immoral hypocrites who openly denied Gods existence. Yet the consequence was the people wandered forty years in the wilderness till everyone over age twenty died, except the two faithful spies. Who would deny that this false doctrine had serious consequences? C. Opponents of Old Testament Prophets In the Old Testament, Gods faithful prophets often opposed false teachers who attempted to lead Gods people into sin. Jeremiah 23:13-17,21,22,25,26,32 - God said that the prophets spoke by Baal, not what God had told them. They caused the people to err, and encouraged them in sin instead of urging them to repent. They prophesied lies and deceit, and did not profit the people. Why give such a stern rebuke if false teaching is not dangerous? Ezekiel 13:1-9,22,23 - Prophets spoke from their own hearts, not from God. It was futility and false divination. They grieved the righteous and caused the wicked to continue in sin. These are just a few of many examples we could examine. Had people of the ecumenical spirit lived in those days, would they have given such firm rebukes to these false teachers or would they have sought to fellowship them despite their false practices? Note that one of Gods main objections to false teaching was that it led people to think they could safely continue in their sins instead of warning them to repent. But that is exactly what modern ecumenical teachers do! [Jeremiah 28:15-17; 1 Kings 12:26-33; Jer. 5:30,31; 27:9,10,14-16; 29:8,9; 14:14; Isa. 30:10.] D. Jewish Leaders in Jesus Day Matthew 15:1-9,12-14 - The Pharisees transgressed Gods command because of human tradition. Following human commands makes worship vain. Those who follow such teachers, fall into the ditch with the teacher. Jesus believed that following false teaching has serious consequences, so he rebuked the false teachers and told others to leave them alone. Mark 12:24,27 - Sadducees refused to believe in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus said they were greatly mistaken not knowing the Scriptures. These are just a few of many passages where Jesus rebuked the false teaching of Jewish leaders. Note that neither the teaching of the Sadducees nor that of the Pharisees involved immorality nor unbelief in Gods existence. And while the teachers themselves may have been hypocrites, the people who followed them were often quite sincere. Yet Jesus rebuked the false teachers and warned people not to follow them. [See also John 8:43- 47.] E. Judaizing Teachers - Galatians 2:4,5; 5:1-7 Judaizing teachers taught that people had to be circumcised and keep Old Testament laws to be saved (Acts 15:1,24). Paul said such were false brethren, and he refused to compromise with their teaching for so much as an hour. Those who accepted this false teaching are not obeying truth, but are fallen from grace. Note again the severe consequences of following false teaching, yet the practice in question was not a matter of immorality, hypocrisy, or unbelief in Gods existence (or in Jesus as the Savior, etc.). Would those of the ecumenical spirit oppose such teaching? Compromise is the essence of their view. Yet Paul refused to submit. [cf. 2:11-14.] F. False Teachers in Asia - Revelation chap. 2 Jesus own statements to the seven churches of Asia include several strong warnings about the danger of false teaching. 2:2 - Ephesus was commended because they put to the test men who claimed to be apostles, and proved they were liars. 2:14-16 - Pergamum was rebuked because they had some there who taught the false doctrine of Balaam and some who held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which Jesus hated. He said they must repent or He would come and fight against them. Was that doctrine insignificant? 2:20-22 - Thyatira was also rebuked because it allowed a false teacher, Jezebel, to teach and lead people into sin. These show that God does want us to reject and firmly oppose false teaching. In fact failure to oppose false teaching is itself one of the errors that the Lord firmly rebukes! Many other examples of false teaching can be found in both Old Testament and New Testament. Honestly, does this sound like false teaching is not a very serious matter? Is it true that there are not many warnings about it in the Bible? [See also Acts 13:6-12; Jer. 20:6; Amos 2:4; Isa. 9:15,16; 3:12; 1 Kings 13:18; 22:22f; 2 Chron. 33:9; Mic. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:18; 1 Tim. 1:19,20; Malachi 2:7,8; Zech. 13:3.] III. Teaching about the Importance of Truth At the root of the problem, why should we be so concerned about false teaching? A. Appreciation for Truth Requires Opposition to Error. When two things are opposites, if I am for one thing, I must be against its opposite. In fact, the stronger I favor something, the stronger I must oppose its opposite. Examples: (1) If I favor a democratic republic, I must oppose dictatorship. (2) If I favor life, I must oppose death. (3) If I favor light, I must oppose darkness. The more I value the one, the more I must object to the other. But error is the opposite of truth. If I appreciate truth, then, I must oppose error. To say that false practices do not matter much, is to necessarily imply that truth does not matter much! Every passage that emphasizes the importance of truth, simultaneously emphasizes the danger of error. The more I care about truth, the more firmly I will oppose error. So, consider: B. Passages that Emphasize the Importance of Truth Proverbs 23:23 - Buy the truth and sell it not. Truth must be obtained at all costs. Once we have it, we must not surrender it for any price. Nothing is more valuable than truth. But if we really care about truth, then we must firmly object to accepting error. John 8:31,32 - To be free from sin (v34) so we can be Jesus disciples, we must know and abide in the truth. What if we do not know the truth, but abide in error? Then we are not Jesus disciples; we are servants of sin. James 3:17 - Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. Peace is so important that we should never sacrifice it for the sake of our own stubborn opinions or personal preferences. Yet important as peace is, purity in doctrine and practice is even more important. The ecumenical spirit says that we should be first peaceable, but dont worry much about purity. Gods word says to be first pure, then peaceable. Jude 3 - Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. But to contend for the faith absolutely requires us to oppose false teaching, because it contradicts the faith (cf. Eph. 4:3-6). Psalms 119:104,105 - If we consider Gods precepts to be right, then we must hate every false way. You cannot support truth without opposing error. 2 John 9-11 - If we do not abide in Jesus teachings, we do not have God. If we want to have God, we must abide in His teachings, and this requires us to refuse to fellowship those who bring other teachings. The problem with false teaching is that it contradicts truth and leads people away from Gods will. When a person belittles the danger of error, he is also belittling the value of truth. So the real reason why we ought to be concerned about false teaching is that we care about truth. And the reason we care about truth is that we care about God and other people. We want to please God by following His will and helping other people do the same. [John 4:23,24; Rom. 2:6-11; 1 Pet. 1:22-25; Rom. 16:17,18] Conclusion 1 Corinthians 10:12 - Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. One of the surest ways to become a victim of false doctrine is to think that it is not dangerous and you dont need to be concerned about it. When someone tells you that false teaching is not a big problem and you dont need to be very concerned about it, he is teaching you a false doctrine when he says it! And it is just a matter of time before he will try to get you to accept other false teachings! Not every false teacher will belittle the danger of false teaching. But anytime a man does tell you that false teachers are not a serious danger, you can be sure he is telling you that either because he is a false teacher or because he is under the influence of false teachers! What should we do about it? How can we escape the danger of false teaching? (1) Love the truth. We have seen that the people who are most likely to accept error are the people who are not sufficiently dedicated to the truth. (2) Study Gods word diligently. The way to recognize error is to compare it to the truth (Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16,17). (3) Honestly examine every doctrine and practice before we accept it (2 Cor. 13:5). (4) Let Gods word be the standard for all our spiritual decisions (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; Matt. 15:9; 2 John 9; etc.) What about you and me? Do we care about truth? Do we care enough to study diligently, remove error from our lives, and serve God faithfully? If you know the truth about becoming a Christian, have you obeyed it? Are you living a faithful life as a Christian?
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:17:23 +0000
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