Today let me share some thoughts about those of us who lovingly and intently look for the truth from Scripture. I am speaking to those of us who are committed to speaking of the word of God as all-sufficient and complete authority. By saying that many times we want everything neatly packaged with a "thus saith the Lord" ending. When false teaching seems to present itself we want verses that plainly knock it dead in its tracks and put it in the grave! There are times when we can do that with ease.
However, it's not always easy to determine everything with such ease. Over my many years of preaching/teaching I have often heard people claim someone is a false teacher because they say something or teach something different than what we know or learned. We jump on the band-wagon of calling them false. I have seen many times where the individual was presenting something they believed to be true only to realize they misapplied the verses and were more than willing to look at them and search it out more complete. They didn't have a false heart. We have a man by the name of Apollos that was mighty in Scripture, instructed in the way of the Lord but he couldn't teach someone how to be saved (Acts 18). He had to be taken aside and taught the way of God more accurately. It can happen. Too many are quick to jump on a person as a false teacher and call them such without realizing they are sincere in their seeking and not wanting to be false. Of course if a person is presented clearly with the truth and they refuse, there begins the road to falsehood.
Our zeal to promote what we believe to be the truth must be governed by the clarity of the evidence in its favor. Many times we have to take into consideration the covenants, who is being spoken to and why and weave many things together to get the whole teaching. It can be pain-staking and difficult to reach some clarity. It takes little to see that we can know for certain, without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God! That's 100% sure. But we can't always have that degree of certainty about every single doctrine we stand on. Some would like to think they do but that's a little arrogant. Do we not think about what Peter said about some of the writings of Paul? "...in which are some thing hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." (II Pet. 3:16) He said they were hard, not impossible to understand which means great care must be taken and not quick to jump that our assertions are correct and the only one that is correct. Again, that's arrogance. I know there are views that I hold to that I am convicted they are correct but I'm not certain they are correct that I can say it by the mark of 100%! We must stop throwing around things from God's word giving people the impression we present the truth in all areas completely and there is nothing more! That's what the Pharisees did.
Let's heed Paul's instruction to Timothy to "handle accurately the word of truth." (II Tim. 2:15) That means you and I struggle to see, to know and be pliable to allow things to change us as we are presented with things from God's word. Too many jump to some book or commentary to validate their stance which means that individual you rely on is your source of truth rather than let the Lord help and teach you. It's not always easy and clear and those who stand and think it is, that should concern us because there are things that aren't explicit statements in all cases! This attitude of all knowing and a correct view on everything is what has led to much division and confusion in our world from the church. No wonder people cannot see the truth of salvation as Jesus spoke: "by this will all men know that you are My disciples because you have love for one another." I just wanted to give us all something to think about!!
However, it's not always easy to determine everything with such ease. Over my many years of preaching/teaching I have often heard people claim someone is a false teacher because they say something or teach something different than what we know or learned. We jump on the band-wagon of calling them false. I have seen many times where the individual was presenting something they believed to be true only to realize they misapplied the verses and were more than willing to look at them and search it out more complete. They didn't have a false heart. We have a man by the name of Apollos that was mighty in Scripture, instructed in the way of the Lord but he couldn't teach someone how to be saved (Acts 18). He had to be taken aside and taught the way of God more accurately. It can happen. Too many are quick to jump on a person as a false teacher and call them such without realizing they are sincere in their seeking and not wanting to be false. Of course if a person is presented clearly with the truth and they refuse, there begins the road to falsehood.
Our zeal to promote what we believe to be the truth must be governed by the clarity of the evidence in its favor. Many times we have to take into consideration the covenants, who is being spoken to and why and weave many things together to get the whole teaching. It can be pain-staking and difficult to reach some clarity. It takes little to see that we can know for certain, without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God! That's 100% sure. But we can't always have that degree of certainty about every single doctrine we stand on. Some would like to think they do but that's a little arrogant. Do we not think about what Peter said about some of the writings of Paul? "...in which are some thing hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." (II Pet. 3:16) He said they were hard, not impossible to understand which means great care must be taken and not quick to jump that our assertions are correct and the only one that is correct. Again, that's arrogance. I know there are views that I hold to that I am convicted they are correct but I'm not certain they are correct that I can say it by the mark of 100%! We must stop throwing around things from God's word giving people the impression we present the truth in all areas completely and there is nothing more! That's what the Pharisees did.
Let's heed Paul's instruction to Timothy to "handle accurately the word of truth." (II Tim. 2:15) That means you and I struggle to see, to know and be pliable to allow things to change us as we are presented with things from God's word. Too many jump to some book or commentary to validate their stance which means that individual you rely on is your source of truth rather than let the Lord help and teach you. It's not always easy and clear and those who stand and think it is, that should concern us because there are things that aren't explicit statements in all cases! This attitude of all knowing and a correct view on everything is what has led to much division and confusion in our world from the church. No wonder people cannot see the truth of salvation as Jesus spoke: "by this will all men know that you are My disciples because you have love for one another." I just wanted to give us all something to think about!!
1 comment:
Thanks for your thoughts, Brent. It's a good reminder that faithful Christians aren't always going to agree on every single thing, but we need to let the truth guide us into a deeper understanding and be patient with each other. Makes me think about what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:15-16. I also thought about how people can abuse 2 John 1:9-11 and, as you said, label a person a false teacher if they don't fully agree with everything they believe. It's comforting to know that God will lead us to a fuller understanding if we sincerely look to Him and His word.
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