New Testament Teaching on Opposing False Doctrine
Not everything is black or white, but that obviously does not mean that nothing is black or white. When we come to the teaching of God's Word, most things are either right or wrong. God's words are emphatic, absolute, clear, and -- fragile!
The Word of the Lord is not fragile in the sense of being weak, but in the sense of being breakable. This is not because of any impotency in God or His law, but is true because man is a free agent with the remarkable ability to make decisions, even wrong ones. If a man is bullheaded enough to reject the fountain of life, God lets him do it. But such cantankerous conduct is not allowed to pass unnoticed and un-condemned. God loves man too much to permit him to plunge himself, unaware, into eternal ruin.
The world is childish enough to want to hear "yes" and to be offended by "no." But mature people understand that restrictions are as important as permission; that rebuke is as vital as exhortation. To be condemned for teaching and behaving falsely is painful, but is necessary if we are to recover ourselves and escape a far more painful and inevitable consequence of our hypocrisy - the second death! Obviously, it is very far worse to be tormented day and night for ever and ever than it is to be told that we are wrong in our teaching and conduct and must make amends.
The saint is told to watch out for and protect himself against false teachers (Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 16:13-16). The believer is to confront, and oppose, and mark, and avoid those whose teaching is contrary to sound doctrine (2 John 10; Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 1:3; 6:3, 4; Galatians 1:6-10). The church is the people (1 Peter 2:5). The church is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The people of God are, therefore, the basis, foundation, and support of revealed truth. It is their solemn obligation to "earnestly contend for the once for all delivered faith" (Jude 3). They are to contend without being contentious, belligerent, quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:14).
The earthly shepherds of the sheep of Christ must hold to the faithful word and convict the false teacher (Titus 1:9). Paul, the apostle, is a classic example of refusing to compromise the gospel. He was faced with "false teachers privily brought in" and opposed them mightily. He wrote concerning these promoters of error, "to whom we gave place by way of subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Galatians 2:4-5). His words seem harsh (see Galatians 1:6-8; Philippians 3:2), but veracity and eternity were at stake and half-measures would not do. Error must be opposed that "the truth of the gospel might continue." To wink at false teachers and their counterfeit doctrines is to endanger and lose the truth of the gospel, which is the power of God to save.
The greatest example of defending the law of God is Jesus, who stood eyeball to eyeball with the scribes and Pharisees and boldly branded them as, "hypocrites...blind guides...fools...whited sepulchers...full of uncleanness" and sternly warned, "behold your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:1-39). Pretty tough, but necessary because truth was being perverted and sheep were being scattered and lost.
My dear brethren, we have no alternative. If we are to please God, we must have enough intestinal fortitude to combat false teaching.
From Our Archives, 1994
By: H. A. Dobbs