"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."
Romans 16:17-18
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Now I beseech you, brethren.”
Church, listen carefully to Paul’s vital words!
“Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned.”
Keep false teachers in your sights, do not let them get away with their poisoned words!
Today:
Believers, we must keep an eye on false teachers, “mark them.” The other half of the command,
“And avoid them.”
These are profound words!
To avoid is to “turn away” from (Bullinger).[1]
“…[avoid them] A peaceable but effective way of resistance.” [2]
Avoid… “turn aside. Not only keep out of their way but remove from it if you fall in with them”[3] (Vincent).
They have no place in our churches, and we “avoid them” like the plague carriers they are!
“For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.”
A false teacher does not serve our Lord Jesus Christ! His/her good looks do not matter. Their stage presence and eloquent speech are irrelevant. Their slick advertisements and webpages, and printed materials are deceptive. At the heart of it all, they are not serving our God! They are looking out for “number 1,” for they serve “their own belly.”
“And by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
Not everyone will be taken in by their words. Hopefully, older and wiser believers will spot their deceit and help to guard others against it.
Notice that the deceiver doesn’t speak outright lies and falsehoods, but he/she use “good words and fair speeches” to download their poison. Not only does a “spoon full of sugar help the medicine go down,” but it makes their poison that much more palatable. Their words seem inviting. His/her goal is to deceive the young believers. These are “the simple,” or “the innocent,” those who do not know and are “without evil or guile.”[4] In their immaturity, they could be deceived. As mothers everywhere know, a baby will put anything in its mouth, it doesn’t know what is healthy or hurtful. We protect the young ones!
The best way for us to spot the counterfeit teaching of these false teachers is to be faithfully feeding on the Word of God, the unvarnished truth.
Quote: “Our claim is that God has revealed Himself by speaking; that this divine (or God-breathed) speech has been written down and preserved in Scripture; and that Scripture is, in fact, God’s Word written, which therefore is true and reliable and has divine authority over men”[5] (John Stott).
[1] E.W. Bullinger, The Companion Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Cambridge Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] Stott’s quote Downloaded: Monday, August 17, 2020. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/17-amazing-quotes-power-words/.