(By David Hersey)
The first question we must address is whether right and wrong exist in religion. Now this may seem like a simple question to answer for us here today, but Many people today claim that sincerity is all that matters—that as long as a person believes something, God will accept it. Yet Jesus said,
“15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”
Matthew 7:15
The very existence of false teachers shows that truth and error both exist. This lesson examines New Testament warnings about false religion, man-made doctrines, and the danger of sharing in or approving falsehood.
Truth and Error Both Exist
Jesus taught that truth is absolute and can be known. In John 8:31–32, He said,
“31 If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
I have a friend who is in the church and we were having a discussion one time about truth. They are of the opinion that truth can change, that what was true at one time may not be true today. But that is an extremely dangerous belief, In fact, that is an erroneous belief and that is not what the Bible tells us. Malachi 3:6 says
“6a For I the Lord DO NOT CHANGE”
Malachi 3:6a
The Hebrew writer tells us in chapter 13, verse 8 that
“8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Full stop
Hebrews 13:8
And there are other verses stating the same. When talking with the lost I believe the first two truths which must be established before any deep teaching can commence is first – the authority of Jehovah must be established and agreed upon and second that His truth does not change… ever.
Wherever truth exists, falsehood is its opposite. The Lord declared,
“17 Sanctify them in the truth: your word is truth.”
John 17:17
To try to convince someone of something we must be sure we can back it up with an authority that is undeniable. When I am pulled over by a policeman and he walks up to my car and says I was going 20mph over the speed limit and he’s going to have to write me a ticket, I have to acknowledge that he has the authority to write that ticketand in turn I must take action and do one of two things. I must either pay the fine or I must dispute it in traffic court.
If we believe all authority is from Jehovah God and we also believe that His word, His truth, does not ever change then we absolutely must believe that the words of the Bible are as true today as it was when it was written and the words of the New Testament absolutely apply to us today.
Paul confirmed this reality when he warned of “another gospel” in Galatians 1:9 Paul said
“9 But even if we or an angel from Heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse.”
Galatians 1:9
God’s message is singular and unchanging. To alter or add to it brings condemnation. Those who are accursed cannot lead anyone to heaven. Their message leads souls away from salvation, for error never produces righteousness or eternal life.
False Teachers and Their Influence
Throughout the New Testament, believers are warned against false teachers. Peter wrote,
“1 …just as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…”
2 Peter 2:1
These teachers disguise themselves as spiritual guides, yet their teachings destroy souls. We can see this in Jude verse 4 which describes such a situation, saying that certain individuals
“4 …have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Jude 4
You see, false teaching usually begins quietly and these false teachers will appeal to emotion or culture just like we see in many congregations of the Lord’s church today – persons coming in teaching such heresies as homosexuality being okay with God and Jesus, or women preaching and taking other leading roles in worship services or the use of musical instruments in the worship.But their teachings create corruption and condemnation of true believers.
Paul described these deceivers in 2 Corinthians 11:13–15.
“13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness…”
II Corinthians 11:13-15
Religious appearance does not guarantee divine approval. What matters is faithfulness to the revealed Word of God.
Doctrines and Commandments of Men
Jesus condemned worship based on human tradition instead of divine command.
“9 In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”
Matthew 15:9
Paul echoed this in Colossians 2:22, where he is condemning those who are binding other teachings not in agreement with the doctrine Paul and the other apostles are teaching them, Paul is rejecting ordinances that are:
“2b…based on merely human commands and teachings.”
Colossians 2:22
Human religion may appear wise, but human religionhas NO AUTHORITY from God!
Paul also warned Timothy about those who would
“1 abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”
1 Timothy 4:1
Later, he instructed in chapter 6:3-5, how we can identify deceptive persons. Pay close attention to this:
“3 If anyone teaches otherwise (that is separate from what is contained and taught in the Bible) and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christand to godly teaching 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
1 Timothy 6:3–5
The Lord’s people are called to separate themselves from unsound teaching.
Fellowship with Error
Now let’s talk for a moment about fellowshipping with those who are in error. I’m not going to delve into this topic too deeply today because it could be a whole lesson in and of itself. Still it is in general something we must talk about a little bit in light of our main topic.
The New Testament repeatedly warns against approving or fellowshipping with those who teach error. Paul commanded us to:
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness (other versions say to ‘have no fellowship with’)with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead exposethem.”
Ephesians 5:11
John wrote:
“9 Everyone…” (who? Everyone. This applies to all of us.) “Everyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching” (meaning the doctrine of Christ), do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
2 John 9–11
Fellowship with those who teach error is participation in sin.
Romans 16:17b–18 teaches Christians to
“17b… watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.”
Romans 16:17b-20
In other words they talk a good game which newer Christians and weak Christians will succumb to.
God’s people must maintain a clear separation between truth and falsehood. Approving false religion is opposing the truth of Christ.
The Danger of Religious Error
Error always leads to destruction. Jesus warned,
“13 …every plant, that my heavenly Father has not planted, will be rooted up.”
Matthew 15:13
In Matthew 7:21–23, He said that many will claim to serve Him, but they will be rejected because their service did not follow God’s will. Religious activity without obedience cannot please God.
Paul spoke of those who
“10b are perishing, because they refused to love the truth, and so be saved. …11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false…”
2 Thessalonians 2:10–11
I must admit when I read these verses, here in 2 Thessalonians, I was taken aback a little. I mean why in the world would Jehovah send a delusion to the lost? So I looked into it deeper. What I found and what I believe Paul is saying here concerns a persons free-will. The perishing have made a choice to not follow God’s will and in that process, there comes a point when their heart is hardened to the truth and this is a warning that continuing in their refusal to accept truth, results in them falling further from the truth causing the falsehoods to become ingrained in their minds.
When people turn away from truth, deception fills the void. The delusion is a consequence of them having already rejected the truth.
Zeal Without Knowledge
There is also pause for concern in those who are over-zealous.
Paul’s words in Romans 10:2–4 show one of the clearest examples of religious error. He said of his fellow Israelites,
“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they beingignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”
Romans 10:2–4
In my career as a graphic artist I rose to positions of managing departments with graphic artists and I would either have input on new hires or in one such job I was responsible for interviewing and hiring for open positions.
Now in that job when I would interview persons, they would have to present their portfolio of previous work to me. Often these were college kids majoring in graphic design, still in school. They had a craving or a “zeal” if you will, to create and be a graphic artist. Most of them thought very highly of the samples in their portfolios and even more highly of their graphic design skills. Yet almost every college studied applicant had some of the worst graphic design skills imaginable. Their work showed a lack of understanding of even basic concepts of design composition, use of color, placement of text and choice of font in that text, and I would have to turn them down for the job and when a few would ask why, I would have to be honest with them and tell them as kindly and as bluntly as I could that the quality of their work was poor and why it was poor. A few would get angry with me, one even cussed at me as he was going out the door. You see, the zeal they had, the passion they had was good, but the knowledge of how to correctly apply that passion in design was weak and that failed them.
In the same way, the Jews were passionate for God, yet their zeal lacked understanding. They sought to please Him by keeping the law of Moses rather than through obedient faith in Christ. Zeal alone does not bring righteousness or correct teaching, and emotion cannot substitute for submission. The erring Jews devotion, though sincere, was misguided because it was not grounded in God’s revealed Word.
In the same way, many today are deeply religious, yet they are uninformed about the gospel plan of salvation. They replace divine commands with human traditions and follow emotion instead of Scripture. Paul’s warning reminds us that righteousness comes through submission to the will of God as revealed in Christ (Romans 1:16–17; Philippians 3:9).
How We Can Know
So how can we know we are following God’s word? Obedience to God is the key to knowing we are walking in truth rather than error. John wrote,
“24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 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. 2 by this you know the spirit of God…”
1 John 3:24–4:2
John connects assurance with obedience. Emotion, heritage, or sincerity cannot confirm our standing with God. We know we are in Him when we keep His commandments and live by the truth revealed in His Word. The Spirit of Truth never disagrees with the written Word, and those who abide in Christ show it by faithful obedience.
Jesus said,
“21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ willenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven”
Matthew 7:21
True discipleship is revealed by submission to the Father’s will.
Hebrews 5:9 states,
“9 And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
Hebrews 5:9
Salvation is extended to those whose faith is active and obedient. James 2 teaches that “faith without works is dead,” showing us that genuine faith expresses itself in obedience.
When we obey God from the heart, as Romans 6:17–18 tells us, we can be confident that we are walking in the light. The Spirit testifies through the written Word, and our lives demonstrate that testimony when we live according to it. Truth is not hidden and it’s not uncertain—it is revealed, it is practiced, and it is verified by obedience.
The Christian’s Responsibility
So what is our responsibility as Christians? What must we, as believers in the truth of God’s word do in light of our belief of that word?
Christians must be studious in our examination of the scriptures, and we must be watchful in defending truth. Paul urged Timothy to
“2 …preach the word; be ready in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.”
2 Timothy 4:2
I like that scripture. I like it because it isn’t just negative, it also has a positive slant to it when it says, “and exhort.” In other words, we are to strongly encourage. To me that means show love as you try to guide those who are in error scripturally. We don’t want to drive them away from the church if they can be taught the truth of the scriptures.
In every generation, false religion thrives when truth is neglected. Those graphic artist job applicants I mentioned, their portfolio designs neglected the knowledge of sound design skills. The church must continue to teach sound doctrine, identify error, and stand firm for the gospel of Christ, that firm foundation upon which His church is built.
Jude urged believers to remain active defenders of the faith in verses 3 and 4:
“3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Jude 3-4
So to contend for the faith is to uphold and protect the revealed truth of God. The faith has already been delivered once and for all and remains complete. Our task is to live it, to proclaim it, and to preserve it with courage and conviction.
Call to Action
We have a call to action. We must face the truth that not every religious belief pleases God. Truth and error both exist, and eternity depends on knowing the difference. Each of us must test our faith and practice it by the Word of God. When our doctrine we espouse, our worship practices, or the fellowship we have, cannot be found in Scripture, it cannot be right before Him. The plea of the gospel is simple: return to the original message of Christ.
Let us dedicate ourselves to being people of the Book—testing every teaching, rejecting traditions and cultures of men, and standing firmly for the truth in a world filled with confusion.
Comments