Thought from today’s Bible reading from Romans 14-16.
Too many Christians are content to ignore the threat of false teachers. They naively assume the best of their brethren at all times, not wanting to believe that a fellow Christian could ever lead them away from the Lord. But if we notice Paul’s warning to the saints in Rome, we will see that this type of attitude puts one in danger of being led astray by false teachers.
“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:17-18).
False teachers are to be marked (KJV) so that we know who they are. This is not popular in a society that values political correctness and religious ecumenism at all costs. Yet this is vitally important for our spiritual survival. Notice some of the things that false teachers do to those who are persuaded by them:
- They lead to desert Christ “for a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6).
- They “bring [them] into bondage” Galatians 2:4).
- They cause them to become “seared in their own conscience” (1 Timothy 4:2).
- They overthrow their faith (2 Timothy 2:17-18).
- They, through their fellowship, cause them to lose their fellowship with God (2 John 9-11).
We cannot afford to be “unsuspecting” to the threat of false teachers. While it is certainly true that we cannot be completely prepared for and anticipate every threat, we must be watchful. We must also appreciate the warnings of faithful brethren. False teachers will always be around (2 Peter. 2:1). We must always remain on guard so that we might keep from being led astray from the truth.
Tomorrow’s reading: Acts 20:4-23:35
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
