The Poison of False Teachings

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 2/2012  
The ever pressing need for spiritual discernment in today´s church.

The scene: A greenhouse full of flowers and plants.

It´s time to fertilize the plants to help them grow and to become strong and beautiful.

Equipment needed: A tank for mixing, water, a pomp and a hose with a nozzle to carry the water and fertilizer mixture under pressure to spray the plants.

Worker´s gear: Water proof  protective suit, boots, gloves and a protective respirator mask.

 Fertilizer: ( Percentage not accurate, solely used for the illustration). Chemical contents in a paper bag in soluble powder form,

Inert  ingredients: 99.5 %
Active ingredients: 0.5 %
 
Instructions: Fill the tank, dilute the appropriate dose of fertilizer and start spraying the plants.

Expected results:Plant growth.

Now let´s look at a scenario in which instead of or adding to fertilizer somebody inadvertently, maybe without paying attention to the warning on the labels or perhaps intentionally would mix a wrong poisonous substance to the water.

Everything remains the same, the place, the worker, the plants and flowers, the water, the equipment, even the inert ingredients in equal measure, everything except the 0.5 percent (more or less) of the amount of poison lethal to the plants.

What would be the effect on the plants?  At least, they would wilt, become yellow, lose their vigor, their beauty or at worst even dies if the poison concentration was strong enough.

Change of scenery.
Let´s imagine any church building. We see the building, the people, the praise group or choir, the musical instruments, the pulpit and the pastor preaching from the word of God, the bible. 
Or it could be a Sunday school or a home group meeting in which the leader and participants share their testimonies, stories or illustrations aimed at helping the group understand the lesson.

So you see the parallel with the situation in the green house.

Every time someone (the worker spraying the plants) brings the Word of God and explains it simply, clearly and faithfully the Scriptures under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the listeners (represented by the plants) grow in wisdom, understanding, love, inner strength, etc. and are comforted, encouraged in all the aspects of  Christian living if they practice the lessons of the Scriptures with diligence and obedience to the Lord´s words and his commands.

The stories, illustrations, parables, poems and personal testimonies can be compared to the inert ingredients that help to carry the biblical message to the participants. They can be neutral depending on their source and intent  and serve as a framework for the spiritual content.  They can be interesting, fascinating, but what provides the growth in the Christian hearer is the powerful and penetrating Word of God (and its correct exposition and interpretation) that operates a work of conversion in the sinner, purifying the human heart and spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who through the Word illuminates, establishes and edifies by giving him or her light, strength, peace and consolation. The list of blessings and benefits of the Word of God in the life of the believers is inexhaustible.

The Word of God is so filled with life, power and so efficacious that just one verse of the Bible is enough to change a hard and impenetrable heart, to open the mind and change the life of a man and to draw him from death to eternal life, from darkness into the marvelous light by the power of the Holy Spirit who applies the Word of Life in the heart of the sinner and operates his invisible and yet manifest work. Jesus said: “my words, they are life and they are spirit”.
 
Let´s change the scenario
Here we have the same situation, the same building, the same congregation, the same praise group, instruments, pulpit, the same pastors, the same Bible, everything is similar.

It could happen that some illustrations, poems or stories accompanying the message or the biblical lesson contain doubtful and imperceptible doctrinal elements and false teaching, read from a book or watched and remembered from a radio or a TV program. Or even worse, a deliberate departure, addition to or subtraction, or distortion from the very meaning of the word, verse or context, an action forbidden by God himself  who made this very clear in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. 

Now let´s suppose that the person doing it lacks discernment and speaks with no knowledge  of the origin, nature or the impact of what he is relating. It does not matter, the effect can be devastating consequences in the life of the people who hear, absorb and assimilate the teaching because poison is poison even in small quantities, even coming from a well-intentioned person.  Depending on the vulnerability and lack of discernment of the believer, the influence and its effect will be more or less serious.

 
In the Church, our Lord God provided everything we need, the structures, equipment,  pastors, teachers, the brothers and sisters participating in the worship. He gave us the breath and the voice to praise him, to proclaim his message of love and pardon, our mind and heart to receive, believe and share the good news of the Gospel. His Word, and the practice of good works that the Father entrusts to our responsibility helps us to grow, mature and be conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus. His Word is pure and cannot  be mixed or diluted with anything  else that is impure. Proverbs 30:5.

A teaching that is contrary to the Word of God is poison to our soul. We cannot allow our mouth to transmit what is poisonous (venom coming from the  serpent´s mouth) to others´ears. For my post on the New Age Movement click: Here

For a companion studies on our spiritual weapons click on this link:

http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2010/03/tempering-our-weapons.html

Pastors and teachers, of course, bear a greater measure of responsibility when it comes down to exercising wisdom  and prudence towards preaching and teaching the Word of God. Indeed, every Christian ought to use the Word (written) as a filtration system to judge what is good and true (see Acts 17:11 as Paul talks about the noble Bereans) when spiritual teaching is involved. The Scriptures along with the help of the Holy Spirit help us to discern and to protect our minds from error and we must handle them as offensive weapon to combat the lies and wiles of the adversary.

The best antidote if we inadvertently swallowed spiritual poison is the truth of Word of God that purifies us (Eph 5:26-27). Interestingly enough the hope of seeing our Lord and waiting expectantly for his soon return purifies us also. (I John 3:3).

The Word of God is compared to bread. Jesus warned us that our bread must be kept from any addition of the yeast of the Pharisees that is hypocrisy when we embrace the position and conduct of those who spread false teachings and add burdens that the Lord himself has not given us. It is interesting to note that the leavening that the baker uses to make the bread rise can only be effective in a lukewarm environment described perfectly in the spiritual condition of the church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation.  Yeast cannot survive or thrive in hot or cold temperatures which neutralize its active properties. It is enough to observe the effects to recognize the causes.

• Zeal without knowledge is unprofitable. Prov. 19:2; Romans 10:2.
• Knowledge without love puffs up like yeast. Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ² Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ³ But whoever loves God is known by God. I Corinthians 8:1. 
• For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision,  nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. Galatians 5: 6-10.
• ⁵Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Proverbs 30:5
• ¹²For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. ¹⁴Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ¹⁵For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.¹⁶Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16.

In conclusion, we are commanded to love and walk in the Spirit in order to be victorious over our flesh (sin nature) through the cross, reckoning ourselves dead and preserve the freedom to which we were called and for which Christ died for us.

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5: 13-18.

Jean-Louis