The Bible warns believers in
1 Peter 5:8 that a crafty and powerful enemy is doing whatever he can to attempt to destroy the faith and testimony of those who possess a relationship with Jesus Christ:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
This enemy of our souls, Satan himself, is restless and relentless. He is not simply aiming to maim his prey, but to “devour” or “destroy” it.
Sadly, it seems as though the majority of those who profess to know Jesus Christ as their Savior live life day by day without even realizing that they are being constantly attacked! And, of course, one who does not even realize he or she is being attacked is certainly going to be destroyed.
On a personal and social level, threats to the believer exist primarily on three fronts—in the home, in the church and in the world.
This first of a three-part series will consider the threats facing believers from within the church. Subsequent issues of Foundation magazine will address the modern-day threats coming from within the home as well as from the secular world in general.
Yes, it is certainly true—the local church can serve the home and lead family members to a better relationship with God and one another, but the church can also actually aid in destroying the home and the lives of individuals!
Just because a group of people constitute a local church does not mean such an entity brings glory to Jesus Christ.
Believers need to beware of the dangers of churches that preach and embrace a false gospel and false teaching, and they need to be aware of dangers that can arise even within solid, Bible-centered local churches.
Threat #1—A De-emphasis of Doctrine
A serious threat facing churches today is the undermining of the importance of sound (healthy, true) doctrine.
Many church leaders have a tendency to downplay doctrinal distinctives that differentiate one church or denomination from another. “As long as another professing Christian can call Jesus ‘Lord,’ then we can work with him or worship with him” is the cry often heard from many pastors and laypeople.
Such individuals often arrive at an arbitrary list of biblical doctrines they feel are unimportant or unworthy of division or separation between brethren.
Yet the fact remains—the Bible makes much of the importance of doctrine, and a de-emphasis of doctrine fails to grow the believer to the point of spiritual maturity.
Without spiritual maturity and discernment, individuals and families will think, act and make decisions to their own detriment and often actually embrace false doctrine in the end.
For example, a family can attend a church that encourages participation in an ecumenical weekend retreat; the family attends, joins with a group or church that propagates false doctrine (even though their own church might not agree with such) and ends up regularly participating in a Bible study or church event with those whose doctrinal beliefs do not coincide with their own church.
Before even realizing it, they are completely immersed in doctrinal error and embracing it themselves.
Suddenly, they are failing to exercise discernment and are, in reality, being “carried about with every wind of doctrine”—something about which the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian Christians.
Some denominations and churches even boast of their lack of emphasis on doctrine (what they often call “finer points” or “minor points” of doctrine).
They usually make it a point to describe themselves as theologically or doctrinally “inclusive.”
For example, the Evangelical Free Church of America, a denomination that boasts some 1300 churches in the United States, celebrates its doctrinal inclusivity. While the Evangelical Free Church in America does embrace a general “statement of faith,” the denomination also describes three of its distinctives as “inclusive not exclusive,” “evangelical but not separatistic” and “ecumenical in spirit.” The statement of faith could be embraced by most who call themselves evangelical or fundamental, yet what sets the denomination apart is its de-emphasis of doctrine in areas where Christians often disagree.
Threat #2—The Propagation or Toleration of False Doctrine
Of course, the propagation of false doctrine is a serious threat to any church. False doctrine—any teaching that is contrary to the teaching of the holy Scriptures—can shipwreck the lives of individuals and families.
In 2 Timothy 2:16-18, the apostle Paul warned Timothy about false teaching and those who propagate it, and he even described the dangerous consequences of heeding such error:
“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
And their word will eat as doth a canker (a cancerous growth): of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”
Clearly, false teaching—even concerning prophetic truth—can do incalculable harm to the local church.
Throughout the New Testament, the human authors of Scripture realized the dangers inherent in false teaching and warned their readers—including us today—of such teaching and the need to separate from it.
False teaching contains no redeeming value. Therefore, it is unwise and dangerous for any church to tolerate any amount of it.
Not only is the teaching of error a serious threat to the church, but even tolerating those who teach or spread false doctrine is dangerous and worthy of Christ’s stern rebuke.
Notice Jesus Christ’s estimation of a local church that allowed false teaching to be disseminated in the body of believers.
Jesus wrote to the local church at Pergamos: “I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam. … So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Rev. 2:14-16). Notice that Jesus Christ’s problem with this church was its toleration of those who embraced false doctrine.
Response to Threats #1 and #2:
Attend a church that makes much of doctrine and opposes and exposes doctrinal error. Christians need to understand that what they believe will determine how they act. A believer’s convictions are predicated upon doctrine. Therefore, to undermine the importance of doctrine, or to tolerate or propagate false doctrine, is a grave and serious offence in the eyes of God.
Only sound doctrine glorifies God and benefits the Christian (Eph. 4:14). Throughout Scripture, God frequently emphasizes the importance of doctrine (notice, for example, 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4).
In fact, God’s Word also gives abundant instruction concerning the believer’s response to any teaching that fails to coincide with biblical truth. The Bible tells us not to listen to false doctrine (Prov. 19:27).
Concerning false teaching and false teachers,
God commands us to “mark” and “avoid” such (Rom. 16:17), to “rebuke them” (Titus 1:13), to “have no fellowship” (Eph. 5:11), to “withdraw yourselves” (2 Thess. 3:6), to “receive him not” (2 Jn. 10-11), to “have no company with him” (2 Thess. 3:14), to “reject him” (Titus 3:10), to “be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17) and to “purge out”
(1 Cor. 5:7). The believer who abides in the will of God and enjoys fellowship with Him will not be a part of a church that minimizes the importance of sound doctrine, that tolerates such or that propagates it.
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