The Road of False Teaching
There is only one gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the days of the early church, Satan, the destroyer of men’s souls, has provided many imitations of the true and only gospel. But there is at least one thing these false or pseudo-gospels have in common. They cannot save from sin nor deliver the soul from hell.
Paul warned the Galatian believers of those who would lead them astray from the truth. He wrote to them “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another: but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). False teachers, “some that trouble you”, were at work in Paul’s day and they have been at work throughout church history.
Nonetheless, it is certain that these false teachers are under the judgment of Christ. Again, Paul reminded his audience “he that troubleth you shall bear his judgement, whosoever he be” (Galatians 5:10). Perhaps, this warning was meant to find its way to these perverters of truth and serve to turn them to the truth. Without such repentance, these purveyors of falsehood forfeit their own souls no matter their position or station in life.
Paul had to warn these dear saints in Galatia and many others on other occasions. This fact continues to stand as a warning to believers to this day. False teaching abounds! We must ever be on the lookout. Peter wrote “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:8-9). We must hold every teaching, every instruction, every practice to the lens of Scripture for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Then and only then can we resist steadfast in the faith.
The danger of giving ourselves over to falsehood necessitates that we be sober and vigilant. Satan does not attack us with boldfaced lies that gain no traction with our sensibilities. Rather, as rat poison is 99% pure corn, so are Satan’s devices subtle, inviting to the simple and the foolish. Often, we fall prey to his wiles because we do not look circumspectly at those things we are encouraged or invited to believe in. Solomon, the wisest of men, wrote “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27).
Every one of us is on the road carved out by our own choices. Those choices reflect what, or better yet, who we believe. Belief in a false gospel places one on a road that heads straight to hell. We all do well to regularly stop and examine the road we are traveling. That is what it means to ponder the path of our feet. What is the road you are travelling on? Where is that road leading? It shows what and who you believe.
Randy Livingston serves as a chaplain for a local police department. He writes devotionals for his ministry which also appear at his blog, From the Chaplain. We republish this post by permission.