A departure from sound doctrine – part 3

Praise the Lord Saints!

So how is it that some “Christians” believe that they were given the right to change or accept or not certain passages of scripture and it would be OK in God’s eyes?

Then they wonder why their prayers continue to go unanswered.  There hasn’t been a day that a Facebook post makes me shake my head in disbelief that so-called Christians or even better, folks that were born and raised believing in Jesus Christ and now that they are “grown” in their 30’s or 40’s and now have become “enlightened” from their “ahh-haa” epiphany moment and now Jesus and the Bible are not real.

I have to choose not to entertain this and just focus on teaching Bible and leave the nonsense to them.

A departure from sound doctrine – part 3

Today we are more concerned with a false teachers feelings than we are with those being harmed by their falsehood. The truth and the power to bring correction are put aside and we argue over so and so’s reputation and make excuses like “ he’s done so much good,” or “look at all the people that attend his meetings.” This didn’t stop Paul from rebuking Peter when he compromised on the gospel when eating with the gentiles (Galatians 2:11-14).

Because of his compromise he influenced others even Barnabas who traveled with Paul and knew better. Of course Peter could have been prideful and said to Paul I was following Jesus before you even believed, he appointed me to be the leader of the apostles, he personally instructed me. But Peter humbled himself and was willing to repent. All was fine between him and Paul afterwards, for he compliments Paul and says “Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of evil (lawless) men and fall from your secure position” (2 Peter 3: 15-17). He calls those who persist in these teachings not from Scripture as EVIL men. That is a word we don’t use these days-evil. But that is what Peter calls those who twist the Scripture and do not want to be corrected.

The fundamentals doctrines are simple and plain. These are the ABC’s of Christianity; the 1-2-3’s of math. These are the things we use daily in our lives, and to witness to others. But there are some deep things that are for our personal spiritual growth (that would be like algebra), these we may never use in speaking to others. Notice that even Peter says of Paul’s writings that some things are hard to understand. Not everything is simple. Yet Peter cautions us to not be removed and deceived by wicked men who have become teachers that do not understand these things in Scripture.

1 Corinthians 11:18-19 says, “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions (heresies) exist among you; and in part, I believe it. For there must also be heresies among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you.”

We find those who stand in the truth by their resistance to the false. They test what is said, and it becomes evident who agrees with the word. This gives approval to those who correct in doctrine and helps us identify whom we are to separate from that are wrong in doctrine (Romans 16:17).

But you can only do this if you are well trained. Those who argue against all sensibilities show their immaturity. They are unable to distinguish what is good and of God and what is evil that opposes God. Hebrews 5:13-14 gives us the reason for this: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” If someone cannot see a teacher is off on the fundamentals when they are shown the problem they are unable to receive from Scripture, they have not been trained by the word.

He admonishes us1 Tim 4:16: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” If you are not continuing in the apostles teaching found in Scripture then how can you save anyone else, you will also be shipwrecked.

The Church began “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Notice what came first, not food, not fellowship not prayer- TEACHING.

Till next week,

God Bless.

Rev. Dr. Robert L. Harrison, PhD