GREATER WORKS THAN THESE (PART II)

“Those Who Preach a Different Gospel Are Damned”

By Akin Ojumu

This commentary is a good faith effort to understand exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when he told His disciples during the Last Supper that they would do greater works.

John 14:12

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

It’s important that we examine this passage not only because of the way it has been abused and misused by many over the years, but also because of the dire consequences of getting a Bible text wrong. Misinterpretation of Bible passages often lead to erroneous doctrines. Those who teach erroneous doctrines are peddling a false gospel, a false Christ, and a false god. The Bible tells us that such people are accursed or damned.

Galatians 1:8-9

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!”

Without exception, all religious cults grow out of the soil of false doctrines. The manure that nurtures the growth of aberrant Christian religious movements is a twisted understanding of Scriptures and a distorted view of God’s Word.

A good example is the Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple of the Guyana tragedy infamy. This particular cult believed in a prophetic call to social justice and the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth by living in an apostolic community separate from the evil and injustice of the rest of the world. Members of the cult believed their leader, Jim Jones, was the Messiah and they worshiped him with absolute loyalty and were subject to him in unflinching obedience. 

Of course, the erroneous beliefs of the Jim Jones cult led to one of the deadliest religious mass murder-suicide in modern history. In the end, Jim Jones lined up his cult members and ordered them to drink cups of grape Flavor Aid laced with cyanide, sedatives, and tranquilizers – (this is the origin of the word Kool Aid). By the time the dust settled, more than 900 people had died in what’s now popularly known as the Guyana Tragedy. Jim Jones himself was found with a gunshot wound to the head.

One of the important lessons we must learn from this tragic incident is that there’s nothing harmless about false teachings. Pain and suffering are the ultimate fate that await those who preach and promote erroneous doctrines. Consumers of the Kool Aid of aberrant gospel are at risk of death and destruction. And there are millions of people who are, as we speak, trapped in one form of Jim Jone’s religious cult or another. 

It is because of the perils that false teachings and erroneous doctrines bring that God has set a strict eligibility criteria for the office of the Pastor and overseer in His Church. Not only must the Pastor be a man, (not woman), of impeccable character, unimpeachable morality, and exemplary virtue both in the Church and outside the Church, he, (not she), must be well versed in Scripture and able to teach it.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

Apostle Paul reiterated the same theme of impeccable character, unimpeachable morality, and exemplary virtue when he wrote to Titus whom he had left behind in the Island of Crete for the important task of correcting the false teachings and erroneous doctrines already spreading within the Cretan Churches. Paul instructed Titus to appoint qualified men as elders to oversee the congregation.

Titus 1:5-8

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you – if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

It’s not enough that the Pastor has impeccable character, unimpeachable morality, and exemplary virtue. In addition to that, he must also have sound knowledge of Scripture as was taught by the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ who laid the foundation of the Christian faith. 

Titus 1:9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught…”

While it’s a good thing that a Pastor has a sound knowledge of Scripture, but if he is unable to pass on that knowledge, through expository teaching, to the flock God has placed under his care, his knowledge is of no effect. It’s for this reason that one of the other qualifications of a Pastor is the ability to accurately teach the Gospel. 

Titus 1:9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine…”

Impartation of the knowledge of Scripture to the flock is not the sole reason a Pastor must be grounded in God’s Word. The competence to spot what’s false depends on the knowledge of what’s true. The Pastor’s sound knowledge must sharpen his antennae to be sensitive enough to discern false teachings and erroneous doctrines. He must also be ready at all times to boldly and unflinchingly confront anyone, no matter how popular or how highly placed, who distort and twist the Gospel. 

Titus 1:9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

God’s standards for all believers are high. His requirement for Church leaders is to set these standards and model them. Such leaders are not qualified on the basis of natural ability, intelligence, or education, but on the basis of moral and spiritual character and the ability to teach the Word of God with skill as the Holy Spirit sovereignly has equipped them (John MacArthur Bible).

Stay tuned till next time when we examine what it means to do greater works.