by Chuck Gianotti
Bad doctrine, loose doctrine, sloppy doctrine, and of course false doctrine are all enemies of the church.
Actually, it is the teachers of these things that are the enemies. Going back even further, it is the father of lies, the devil behind and inspiring such things, that is the lion seeking whom he may devour.
Any way you frame it, there is a powerful, constant, unrelenting force to “draw away the disciples” (Acts 20:30). So the apostle Paul instructs the Ephesian elders, and all of us who seek to shepherd the people of God:
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock … I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things…” (Acts 20:28a, 29-30a)
In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul saw through the false teaching held by some that there will not be a resurrection of believers. How or why would any Christian believe, teach, or think that? That would mean that Jesus was not raised from the dead. And if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then the apostolic preaching is falsified because all the apostles preached that Jesus was raised from the dead. It is axiomatic, then, that the apostles would be bold-faced liars (1 Cor. 15:15). Belief in the apostolic message of Christ, therefore, would be worthless (1 Cor. 15:17). The end result: Christians deserve to be the most pitiable lot ever, for they stake their lives not on Good News, but fake news.
So why would anyone want to propagate the false notion that there is no resurrection, when it undermines the core of our faith? Paul reveals the answer: there is a benefit in believing in the non-resurrection, for, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Cor. 15:32, quoting Isaiah 56:12, cp. Luke 12:19). There it is! If no resurrection, then there is a logical justification for living it up in the flesh—our eternal welfare is not in the equation, only what is here and now. So enjoy yourself with all that your bodily life desires.
Never underestimate the power of the fleshly desires. Compelling to the wayward soul, in reality false teaching often provides a weak accommodation to some sort of fleshly, self-serving behavior, like a spiritual masturbation—a short-term fleshly benefit that does not produce the offspring of righteousness.
There is a saying that when investigating a crime, you should follow the money. In other words, look for the person who stands to financially benefit from the crime and that often is the culprit. Turning this around just a bit, when considering false teaching, we can ask: What does the false teacher stand to benefit by propagating the false doctrine? And what benefit do people get from it? If we can discern the root desire behind the erroneous teaching, we may be in a better position to guard our hearts and those of the people we are called to shepherd.
Some benefits that accrue to a false teacher are prestige among his or her followers for having the “courage” to stand up to the status quo, satisfaction of the flesh in being critical of others, giving vent to anger, and the desire for power and influence. In some cases, doctrine is bent to justify sinful behavior or “get around” uncomfortable biblical truths. All these bring a benefit, twisted as that may be.
So, my brothers, guard your hearts and minds. Be on the alert, so that your teaching might not be for your own benefit, but would produce the offspring of righteousness not only for you, but for those over whom the Lord has made you overseers.