BE LIKE A BEREAN
When they are not vehemently defending the accuracy of demonstrably erroneous teachings, advocates of false teachers are quick to play the sincerity card. In the rare instance when they concede that what their favorite preacher is teaching is unbiblical, their argument is often along these lines:
“He means well. He really believes in what he is teaching. Nobody is perfect. Anyone can make a mistake.”
Sadly, apologists of false teachers fail to understand a simple fact. When it comes to the truth of the God, rationalizing error on the basis of the sincerity of its purveyor is untenable. Using “good intentions” as an excuse for accommodating false teaching doesn't pass muster.
2 TIMOTHY 3:13
“Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
False teaching is false teaching. Under no circumstances is it ever acceptable. There’s no scenario under which erroneous teaching is ever excusable or justifiable. It’s immaterial that the false teacher is sincere, has good intentions or he is well-meaning. And it’s totally irrelevant that he misspeaks, makes a careless mistake, or is simply overzealous.
This is especially true when the false teacher is a serial offender who is persistent in spewing false teaching.
Those who try to distinguish between being wrong and being sincerely wrong are engaged in a red herring fallacy. It’s a rather weak attempt at making a distinction without a difference.
Whether the false teacher is sincere in his intention or he is intentionally spreading false teaching doesn’t matter. The consequence of erroneous teaching is always the same. False teaching is a fruit of a poisoned tree. It’s a destructive force that ruins people’s lives.
And it’s for this reason that false teachers must be exposed, refuted, rebuked, and silenced.
TITUS 1:10-11
“For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.”
There can be no ground conceded to false teachers. When false teaching is giving a room to plant its roots, it will mushroom into an uncontrollable monstrosity. You’ll do well to be on the alert and pay close to attention to every word you consume.
ACTS 17:11
“Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.”
Cautious skepticism is a healthy thing. Blind faith is a perilous faith. An informed and well-reasoned faith is living faith. “Trust but verify” is an axiom you are wise to adopt.
1 JOHN 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Due diligence is required of you and me to test every spirit that comes in the name of God. It’s important that you examine every word spoken on the behest of God. Sincere effort must be put into fact checking every claim against Scripture to make sure it is indeed true.
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