Thread: Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
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Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 11 Sep, 2012 01:57 PM
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Rom 16:17
This verse clearly illustrates the following principles:
1. A person who teaches/preaches contrary to Biblical doctrines is one who causes division and offenses.
2. We are to mark them and avoid them.
I would like to assert that the following additional principle can also be validly deduced from this passage:
3. We should also mark and avoid any person who would promote or defend a person who is guilty of teaching/preaching contrary to Biblical doctrines. Why? because in doing so, they are also guilty of causing divisions and offenses.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 11 Sep, 2012 04:46 PM
Amen TBK.
There are many fallen captive to false teachings this day in age. Praise God even in the false teachings God is able to save those whom he predestined from before the foundations of the world.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 11 Sep, 2012 09:57 PM
Great post and is relevant to the other thread in here about a specific poster. The question I asked was, On what grounds do they defend a false teacher? I didn't get an answer. Of course in scripture we are never told to defend false teachers. We are told to avoid them. If only more people followed the scriptures instead of hiding behind, "loving one another". It's not love to not correct liars and false teachers. It is love of self that does it...not love of God.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 11 Sep, 2012 11:07 PM
I has a question, too! Does what you said, TruthBeKnown, make such people any less made in God's image, or any less worth talking with about the bible?
Maybe they are to be marked, and as teachers, avoided, but still to be loved and witnessed to? (Thanks, GraceUndeserved, for that reminder of how real love shows itself.) I'm sure that God is able to save people even from their sin connected to their own contrariwise teaching.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 11 Sep, 2012 11:22 PM
It's somewhat trivial to say "People who make false teachings are causing harm"
That's like saying school teachers who incorrectly teach subject materials are doing a bad job. Well of course they are.
The real core of the issue is what is biblical and what isn't. Anybody who disagrees with anybody else on anything biblical can easily point the finger and make the claim that the other person is a false teacher. Anybody can slander. Arguably though, those who slander others are themselves falling into sin and by their own judgements, they too will be judged.
Jesus was able to call the pharisees hypocrites because he himself was without sin. Your average joe cannot really do the same if they are making the exact same mistakes the pharisees are making as well. Now average joe is a hypocrite as well. Because nobody is perfect, we all err. We err in everything, from sin to non sinful logic mistakes. Just because a preacher is preaching things that aren't completely biblical doesn't automatically mean that it is intentional as well. It would be little more than human error. Error that needs correcting of course. Likewise, those who defend erroneous teachers can themselves simply be erroneous. It doesn't have to be good vs evil, hypocrisy vs holiness. It can simply be correct vs incorrect. One of the biggest problems very religious Christians have is that they get so emotional and zealous over scriptural interpretation that they end up sinning in their zeal to defend their interpretations, often deluding themselves into believing that they have "the truth" and that everyone else is wrong. So in their zeal to correct someone who indeed may have an incorrect view of the bible, they can sin WHILE correcting them on the accuracy of the text. The irony is sad indeed, but it happens all the time.
One could argue that more sin is done by the well-intentioned than the ill-intentioned, especially when it comes to zealous people who are so focused on the details that they miss the bigger picture. I have met very few zealous people who remember in their actions to be humble in everything they do.
At the end of the day, as Christians we need to individually challenge and critically think whether the sermons we receive are indeed biblical or not. Instead of mindlessly accepting them as true, look up what you have learned and compare it with scripture and what God is saying in them. We don't have to lean on our own understanding to use our head. He didn't give us a brain so that we would never use it, especially on such important things as spirituality.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 12 Sep, 2012 12:54 AM
Bloodnok,
"Does what you said, TruthBeKnown, make such people any less made in God's image, or any less worth talking with about the bible?"
First, I would like to point out that it is what the Bible said. To answer your questions, I would say obviously such people are still made in God's image. And yes, we should still bring the Word of God itself to bear against what such people say. However, if they will not receive it, then what are we to do from there?
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 12 Sep, 2012 06:59 AM
Yes we give the gospel to the unbelieving, but we cannot beat it into their heads. There are those here who have been presented the gospel and have instead of bowing to it, have made themselves gods in their own eyes. We should avoid them, but point out their lies wherever we find them.
Those Who Teach Contrary to the Word and Those Who Defend Them
Posted : 12 Sep, 2012 10:00 AM
Amen Grace! It couldn't be any clearer brother.
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Tim. 4:2-4
