A True Church - Where Do We Stand? Part 3

Where Do We Stand?

Part 3

X. Our View Of False Teachers

The teachers of today (we are particularly referring to those who are closer to the truth than most) have duped the "Christian" community into thinking that a false teacher is someone OUTSIDE their church or their theological camp. Typically, when 2 John 9-11, 2 Peter chapter 2, or Jude is taught, they teach it as if it is speaking of false teachers like Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and different cults, but when it comes to being closer to home they make no identification of those "among them" (as the Scripture warns). This is one of the biggest and destructive lies of our day. In fact, it opens wide the door for false teachers into the church.

One example of this can be found in MacArthur's Bible Study book, Exposing False Spiritual Leaders. The only false spiritual leader he "exposes" are the Pharisees of Jesus' day, Jim Jones (who was already exposed) and Mormons. That's it! He writes a book about exposing false teachers ("Spiritual Leaders"), yet he doesn't "expose" (uncover) one (Ephesians 5:11)!

Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Unity School of Christianity, Unitarianism, Armstrongism (the Worldwide Church of God), Unification Church, Scientology, Catholicism, etc. are all safely far enough away for many people to feel safe calling such faiths "false." But, the Scriptures warn of false teachers even closer to home.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies . . . (2 Peter 2:1)

They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast WITH you, (2 Peter 2:13)

For certain men have CREPT IN UNNOTICED, . . . (Jude 4)

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come IN AMONG YOU, not sparing the flock. Also, FROM AMONG YOURSELVES men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. (Acts 20:29-30)

The Word warns of false teachers who are inside (i.e. inside the camp of "Christianity," closer to the truth of the Word of God) secretly bringing in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1).

2 Peter 2:20 describes false teachers in this way.

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

These false teachers actually responded to the truth and were on the right path at first, but they became corrupt.

XI. Our Identification Of False Teachers

As a result of the above, we expose men who appear righteous (godly) to most people, but are actually filled with dead men's bones and are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15; 23:27-28). As a result, we knock over many idols (exalted men), and receive the wrath from the same (and their followers).

Recently I was handed a small book by Bob Hoekstra (founder and director of Living In Christ Ministries) entitled, The Psychologizing Of The Faith. I found it typical of the preachers and teachers of our day who refuse to love, and therefore warn, the sheep of the wolves who are "among us" (i.e. close to the truth).

The little book warns of how psychology has infiltrated the church, and it is a call to come back to the sufficiency of Christ, His Word, and the Holy Spirit for the believer.

For example, on page 3 he says,

A subtle and deadly process is at work in the church today in which the Christian faith is being "psychologized." This word speaks of the redefining of the Christian faith by the intrusion of psychological thinking into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is related to secularism and humanism running rampant in much of the world over recent decades.

That sounds good, doesn't it? Yet, you will search in vain to find ONE example of any person, church, college, or seminary that is allowing or propagating this "deadly" teaching. In fact, on page 62-63 speaking in the context of promoting self-love (a psychological concept) he says that church leaders are doing a "twisting and an adulterating of the Word of God". He calls it "false teaching". Yet, not once does he name any church leader that is propagating this "false teaching".

On page 64 he says,

...this new, twisted, psychologized teaching says that we must give our priority thinking to learning to love ourselves. That is more than backwards, and is becoming a prevailing exposition of this passage in much of the church world today. It can even be found in respected Bible believing Christian colleges and seminaries.

Are we suppose to just take his word for it? He does not give one example! Not one! Thus, he doesn't even back up his claim that such teaching is prevailing. We have to ask, "Could such a man truly care for and love the sheep?" No way! Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. (John 10:11-13)

In the "Christian" community today it is political suicide to name the people Bob Hoekstra is talking about (e.g. "Christian" Psychologists Dr. James Dobson, etc.). Thus, he plays politics, keeps the names to himself, and refuses to identify the wolves. If Bob Hoekstra knows what he is talking about (i.e. the psychologizing of the faith), then he knows (at least in part) those who are doing so.

The reason men like Bob Hoekstra and John MacArthur don't name and identify the wolves (calling them what they are, false teachers), is because they themselves are wolves and they love the praise of men rather than the praise of God. This is exactly what Jesus said to the Jews and charlatans of His day in John 5:42-44 (see also John 12:42-43 and Galatians 1:10).

Should we name (identify) the wolves (who are in sheep's clothing)? Yes, Ephesians 5:11 commands it. It is absurd to think otherwise. The very illustration of a wolf in the midst of sheep demands the identifying of the wolf, so that the sheep might not be hurt.

Jesus named the whole group of them in Luke 12:1, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (see also Luke 12:37-53). In 2 Timothy 2:17-18 Paul names men who were teaching false doctrine. In fact, he even names "Demas" who left him. He even exposes the man's evil heart saying, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2 Timothy 4:9). Please also note 2 Timothy 3:8, "Jannes and Jambres; 2 Peter 2:15, "Balaam"; and Jude 11, "Cain", "Balaam", and "Korah".

XII. Our View Of The Times

Read any of the recent National & International Religion Reports, and you will see that, according to them, revival is happening all over the globe. Watch a Billy Graham crusade or a Greg Laurie Summer Harvest Crusade and you will hear of hundreds and thousands that have come to Christ. Take note of the big popular churches and you will get the impression that there are ALL KINDS of people who love God and are seeking Him. We don't believe it.

Why? Because that's not what the Bible says the last days would be like. The Bible says this about the last days and the state of the church.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Jesus described the last days in these words,

... when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8, literally in the Greek, "the faith")

The false teachers of our day hint to this, but they would never come out and acknowledge it to be true. If they did, their very popularity would condemn them to be false (in the light of the above Scriptures and Luke 6:26). It would also cut off their supply of money, since they would be teaching a much narrower way (Matthew 7:13-14). Remember not to believe the facade, they are in it for financial gain (Romans 16:18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Peter 2:15).

Concerning the hinting that is practiced by our modern false teachers, an example of this can be found in the aforementioned book by Bob Hoekstra. He hints to the bad state of the church in his statement on page 34 of his book, The Psychologizing of the Faith, saying, "Surely, the Lord wants to bring us back to His ways." What does this statement imply? The church is not in His ways. Just as the church of Laodicia was not in His ways (Revelation 3:14f). If a church is not in His ways (God's ways), they are an unsaved church. Such truth is exemplified by Revelation 3:20 where Christ is seen outside the church knocking on the door! These things are matters in which most people are unwilling to face.

So, what are we saying then? That the "Christianity" around us is false? From what we have seen, yes. Are these people headed for hell? Yes (Proverbs 17:4; John 10:5), because their trust is in men (Jeremiah 17:5), and not in God and His Word. This is manifested by their refusal to face the truth (John 3:19-20), and they continue to follow the wolves in sheep's clothing (John 10:1-5). Threrefore, the Lord warns with these sobering words, speaking in the context of false teaching,

You therefore beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. (2 Peter 3:17)

If a person is led away into the error of the wicked, where do they go? The same place the wicked go, hell! False teaching is a serious matter! Its destructive force is this: The trust of the heart is deceitfully swayed away from the Word of God onto the traditions (handed down teachings) of men (Colossians 2:8). Thus, the trust (faith) is diverted away from Christ (who is the Word incarnate, John 1:1,14; 14:6; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:12-13; Revelation 19:13), onto men (or a man). And, there is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12). It all is very deceptive, but such is the power of the enemy (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Revelation 12:9).

We are living in a time that is quite similar to what Jesus lived in, except they were called "The Jews" then. They were the ones who had the Word of God. The ones who were (if anybody was going to be) in the truth. Today, they are called Christians. Their leaders are called scholars, theologians, preachers, teachers, pastors, reverends, ministers, but it is all a farce (all that we have seen). They are a heap (2 Timothy 4:3) of false teachers, who are going after the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15). Moreover, it is an amazing phenomenon that these supposedly godly men can be asking people for their money, and the "Christian" community not recognize that they WANT their money (i.e. that they are covetous, 2 Peter 2:3, 14)!

Important to note is the fact that the Pharisees were the more "right on" bunch in Jesus's day (Acts 23:6 8). Jesus denounced them in no uncertain terms (Please see Luke 11:37-44). Also important to note is what Jesus said about them in Matthew 12:33-37.

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

We are not saying that all that comes out of the mouths of these false teachers is lies. It wouldn't be deceptive if they didn't also speak truth. But, they do as 2 Peter 2:1 says, "secretly bring in destructive heresies".

In conclusion, are we saying WE are the only church in the truth? We sincerely hope not, and we trust (by God's grace) we are not. We are not familiar with all that is out there. But, even if we were the only ones in the truth, we would stand. As Noah stood (1 Peter 3:20). As Elijah stood (1 Kings 19:11-18). As Paul stood (even though all forsook him, 2 Timothy 4:16). As we (all those who truly love Christ) are called to stand, "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, . . ." (Ephesians 6:14). Therefore, we stand. We do not agree to disagree (2 John 9). We do not tolerate lies and divergency from Scripture. We hate every false way (Psalm 119:104). And, it is not "our interpretation" that matters, it is the Word that matters (2 Peter 1:20). We, and everyone else, are accountable to Him (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Finally, in case someone might get the wrong impression, we are not KJV Onlyites (see our report on this subject). There are some good arguments for following the Received Text (actually, the Majority Text), but those who contend for the KJV go beyond this argument into disputes over words which often are actually legitimate translations of the original language. Thus, we are also set apart from that part of "Christianity" that contends over the use of the King James Version (2 Timothy 2:14).

So, for the record, as for me and my house (Joshua 24:15), we have turned away and we openly stand against the lies, the falsehood, and the hypocrisy of what is called Christianity today. This is exactly what God has called all who love him to do, "And from such people turn away!" (2 Timothy 3:5).

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