| | | | False Teachers - Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. Romans 16:17
It's been cool to see through our study of Romans how the first century church was in many ways just like the church today. We still have the same mission: To work together as a team to reach our city and our world with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
But another way the early church was similar to the church today was the prevalence of false teachers. In the last part of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul warned the church about these men, and that warning is still applicable to us today. With the prevalence of current tech; the internet, Youtube, blogs, teaching websites, podcasting, etc, I believe we must be ever more on guard against this threat from within. The problem is, how do you know if someone is a false teacher? The simple answer is to know your bible! Yet Paul goes into more detail, and he teachers us - Three ways to identify a false teacher,
- Who the false teacher targets, and
- What to do about them
In today's post, we're going to cover the first identifier of a false teacher: They teach an altered gospel
What is an altered gospel? An altered gospel is when anything is added to, or taken away, from the gospel message of Jesus Christ. For example, in the early church there were men who came out of Judaism, and while they preached that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, they added to the gospel by teaching that you needed to conform to Judaic law in order for your salvation to be complete. (much of Paul's letter to the church at Galatia was dedicated to refuting this gospel)
Today's false teachers may be different in their altered doctrine, but the principle is the same; Something is added or taken away from the gospel. A few examples of altered gospel's today:
Jesus the Jehovah's Witness - Founded in 1870 by Charles Russell, Witness doctrine teaches that Jesus is a created, angelic being, inferior to God the Father. Jesus is really Michael the archangel, who came to earth and became Jesus. Jesus didn't die, or rise again, and he secretly came back in 1874, then it changed to 1914. That is NOT the Jesus of the gospel
Jesus the Mormon - According to Mormon doctrine, there are many "Father gods." Jesus is one of many offspring the God of this particular planet, by one of his many unnamed wives, and Satan is his younger brother. That is NOT the Jesus of the gospel
Jesus the Christian Scientist - Jesus was a "master" whose primary purpose was to teach us a better way to think and live. That is NOT the Jesus of the gospel
Jesus the Good Teacher - Jesus was really just a good teacher, and He didn't perform miracles. We can follow His teachings and we'll all get to heaven. That is NOT the Jesus of the gospel.
Jesus of the Good Life - God wants you to be happy, prosperous, and healthy, but let's not talk about sin, repentance. That is NOT the Jesus of the gospel
Who is Jesus?
He is God...
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Col. 2:9
He is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us...
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth," John 1:1-2,14
He alone is able to reconcile man to God…
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me," John 14:6
We are saved by His death, burial, and resurrection...
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved...
… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor 15:1-4
That's why Paul said...
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2
In other words, Jesus is who the BIBLE says He is. If you want to know the real Jesus, don't read other people's books or magazines about Him, read your bible!
Tomorrow we'll look at the second identifier of a false teacher.
Pastor Clay
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