Alexander Strauch has written that “Motivated by Satan and his demonic forces, false teachers have been creating counterfeit gods and theologies from the dawn of human history.” Scripture certainly attests to that reality, beginning with the first false teacher, Satan, and his solitary pupil in Genesis 3.
Intuitively, it seems a good idea to avoid false teaching (e.g., aren’t we glad that math teachers have consistently taught their students, some of whom become bankers and investors to oversee our money, that 2+2=4?).
But what is the real problem with false teaching? Because we are of the flesh — not infinite in any aspect of our being and certainly not omniscient — we will always be wrong about some things that we assert to be true. And if “everyone has some heresy in his theology” (as one seminary professor taught me), shouldn’t we be content to just live with it?
No.
We are not content with heresy and false teaching because the church has been left by Christ as the pillar and support of the truth of God (1 Tim. 3:15). Our calling as a church is to be truth speakers and truth defenders. We will not represent God in this world if we do not represent His truth. It is true that we will inevitably misstate, misrepresent, misunderstand, and misinterpret some aspects of Scripture. But we are ever-vigilant to examine and change anything that is revealed to be inaccurate.
Why do we persistently purse God’s truth? Why are we “intolerant” of theological error? Because truth is our calling. And because heretical theology leads to heretical living. We will invariably do what we believe; if we believe falsely, we will live falsely.
Paul gives several examples of the bad end of false teachers in the Pastoral Epistles.
False teaching leads to blasphemy (1 Tim. 1:19-20). To misrepresent God’s truth is to misrepresent God — and that is blasphemous. False teachers speak ill of God, and supplant Him by the “creation of new gods” violating the second of the ten commandments (Ex. 20:4).
False teaching may lead to legalism and asceticism (1 Tim. 4:2-3). In following false teaching one will inevitably reject God’s pathway to righteousness and attempt to provide his own righteousness — as in this case through legalistic asceticism. And that not only will fail, but it will ultimately lead to a seared conscience, incapable of responding to truth. Deny the truth for long enough and you will be insensitive and unresponsive to the truth.
False teaching will produce hopelessness (2 Tim. 2:18). In the Ephesian church that Timothy was leading, some were denying the future resurrection of believers — and the faith of those who followed was overturned, rendering those followers hopeless. What hope could they have for the future if they had missed the resurrection? That is typical of all false teaching — it removes the foundation of faith and makes one as unstable as the man who built his house on sand.
False teaching produces ungodliness (2 Tim. 2:14, 16, 18). False teachers will use clever words and seemingly convincing arguments — but the end is only “further ungodliness.” False truth cannot lead one to salvation or grow one in salvation. It only produces lives antithetical to God, those who are disobedient and rebellious.
False teaching leads to shipwrecked lives (1 Tim. 1:19). Unrepented false teaching will destroy one’s life and testimony. Rather than leading one to “treasure island,” false teaching will lead to a shipwreck on the shoals — because we live what we believe. Whatever untruth we believe we will live, and it will never produce good for us or glory for God.
Nothing good comes from false teaching. It is wrong at the beginning (as it is taught). And it is wrong at its final destination when the fruit of the lives that follow it is revealed.
We fight for the truth of God because false teaching is a bumpy road that has no good end.
“Bumpy Road” by Travis S. is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Words of Grace 