False Teachers

“They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.”
2 Peter 2:18 NLT

‭‭It’s a big transition, moving from the kingdom of the world into the Kingdom of God. From a monochrome darkness into the glorious technicolour of God’s presence. And the devil doesn’t like it because his mission is to kill and destroy anything God has made. We read in 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour“. The time when a Christian is most vulnerable, comes after they have been born again into God’s Kingdom. They, like a natural baby, will lack the defences they need, and will often rely on others to protect and nourish them.

The one person a new Christian comes to trust in is their pastor. He or she may have brought them to faith and a dependency, at least initially, can result. But our pastors sometimes have their baggage, and they can bring with them their own world views and ideologies that may or may not be helpful for a new Christian. But Peter was going further then that. He was concerned with teachers whose curriculum extended beyond the purity of the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus. These false teachers had come up with their own version of the gospel and it wasn’t always “good news” for a new believer. One of the things a new believer has to face into is how to deal with their own behaviour and habits, and the Holy Spirit will gently bring conviction to start the baby Christian on the road to maturity. So imagine the scenario where a teacher says something is acceptable when God says it isn’t. Peter mentioned in his writings “twisted sexual desires”, but this is only one area of potential error.

Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The world is full of spiritual traps and enticements. The society around us has adopted an “if it feels good then just do it” philosophy and to stand firm against such an inward looking ideology takes courage and fortitude. For a person to move kingdoms will mean, as Peter wrote, them leaving behind a “lifestyle of deception”. A believer must therefore be firmly anchored in the truth, discerning and recognising the snares that may be disguised as appealing opportunities. Only then can they avoid replacing one sinful lifestyle with another.

Some years ago, someone in the church I was a member of asked me a basic question about our faith, and I gently asked what the Bible said. To my surprise, they admitted that they didn’t have a Bible, let alone read it. I gave them my own, and suggested that it might be a good idea to go away and read it, because only in God’s Word would they find the answer to the questions about faith and the Christian life. A Scripture I often quote is from John 6:68-69, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”“. We must shift our allegiance and dependencies away from total dependency on another human being, no matter what their status is in life, and onto our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Of course, God uses pastors and teachers to help us in our journey of sanctification, but we must always check out what they say by reference to our Bibles. One church I attended was criticised for preaching sermons based on a book, but not from The Book. Instead of the purity of God’s Word they used a work from an author, albeit one well respected in Christian circles. We need to hear God for ourselves, because only He has the Words He wants us to hear.

Psalm 119 begins, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (Psalm 119:1-3). When we pilgrims do that, there is no room for false teaching to muscle in.

Dear Father God. Indeed, only You, and You alone, have the words of eternal life. As we reach out to You today we pray that You will keep us safe from the evil one and his ploys. In Jesus’ name. Amen

“They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.”
2 Peter 2:14 NLT

How can any person be lured into sin? Such a thing is surely not possible. The Bible is a clear and indisputable source of what is right and wrong, and therefore must be the final arbiter over anything that even carries a hint of sin. But one thing I have noticed in my pilgrimage through life is that some people become overly dependent on the minister or pastor for their spiritual lives. And I have also noticed that some ministers or pastors, through their own insecurities, foster dependent relationships. These are mainly harmless I’m sure, because the leaders I have known are people of integrity and well founded in the Bible and its teaching, but the influence is there. This is something that I personally came upon as a young Christian, and I experienced much hurt and disappointment when the person I looked up to didn’t quite live up to my expectations. My house of cards came tumbling down, and I believed God spoke to me about only being dependent on Him, and Him alone. Yes, we look to our pastors for teaching and leadership, but not for an unhealthy relationship. We must hear God for ourselves – that is why Jesus came to this world, that we might have a personal relationship with Him. And that is what good pastors teach.

But that is not what Peter was writing about in 2 Peter 2:14. He was referring to deliberately-false teachers, and the previous verses call them out for their fruit. Peter writes, “they scoff at things they don’t understand“, they do harm, “they love to indulge in evil pleasures”, “they delight in deception”, and so on. Peter is very scathing about such people. We wonder who he had in mind when he wrote this, but what we do know is that the churches Peter was writing to don’t exist today. Perhaps, in the end, the false teaching prevailed, because what has been proved time and time again in history is that a church that lapses into error will, sooner or later, disappear. As an aside, the established Presbyterian and Anglican churches in the UK are in serious decline, and perhaps this is because what they teach is no longer distinct from the society around them. Are they in fact guilty of luring “unstable people into sin”? God will not bless anyone who rejects or corrupts His teachings and principles, and He will turn His back upon them. But we shouldn’t be surprised when people end up in a sinful place. Paul wrote to Timothy, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” Thankfully, His grace and mercy will prevail, and anyone who falls into error has a path back into His arms through Jesus.

Jeremiah heard some hard words, about false prophets, from God, and he wrote them down in Jeremiah 14:14-15, “Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!” I think we can see that being either a false prophet or teacher might not be a good place to be in!

Some leaders sadly fall into immorality, and, because of that, inevitably some of their followers will commit the same sins. People in their churches will see their leaders as role models, worthy of respect and admiration even. But apart from some high profile cases that get mentioned in the news, most leaders are good people who try and pastor their flock well. They take seriously the verse, “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16). One church I knew had a leadership that decided that they shouldn’t drink alcoholic beverages. They took this stand because their church was located in a culture that had a problem with alcoholism, and they adopted this position to show that an alcohol-free lifestyle was possible. Their counter-cultural leadership was commendable.

But returning to “unstable people”, the Apostle James wrote, “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (James 1:6-8). In the end, regardless of anything else, our “faith is in God alone“. It’s all about Jesus and following Him with inspiration and help from the Holy Spirit. There is no other way in which we can avoid the erroneous messages of false teachers.

Dear Father God. Only You have the words of eternal life. Please help us to follow them, we pray. Amen.

Being Vulnerable

Unstable People