Contend for the Faith

Verse of the day: Deuteronomy 18:21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’

How many false teachers would there be in our midst if God still required that they be put to death immediately upon being discovered, as He did with false prophets? I would imagine that very few would be willing to take the risk. However, part of the reason that false teachers are not afraid to peddle their false doctrines, and use God’s Word for their own gain, is that we do poorly in studying God’s Word or verifying what we hear preached. The greatest example of what kind of students of the Scriptures we should be is illustrated for us in Acts 17:11 where it tells us this about the Bereans, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Ephesians 4 tells us that God has equipped the church with ministers whose duty is to equip the saints. There are preachers and teachers today who preach and teach the Word of God for what it is. However, it is still our responsibility to take what we hear and go back to our Bibles, on our own time, and do further study. 2 Timothy 2:15 clearly tells us, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We are told to dig deep into the Word of God, dissecting it, in order to find those precious truths that the Holy Spirit will illuminate when we put forth proper effort. Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Sadly, there are far too many born again believers who have been Christians for many years, but are still immature in their faith. The writer of Hebrews wrote this relative to spiritual immaturity in Hebrews 5:12, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Not only should we diligently study the Word, we must also meditate on it (Joshua 1:8). It is both sad and maddening when we who love the truth of God’s Word hear messages that are filled with false doctrines and messages that do nothing more than fill the pockets of those spewing them and leading people down the road of condemnation. Today, we have too many “feel good” prosperity preachers who basically teach that we can force God’s hand to bringing riches into our lives if we give our money to their ministry. Others preach “love, love, love”, but speak nothing of sin, repentance and the consequences of rejecting the Gospel message. I have even seen Christians get upset when they hear a preacher preach a message about hell and eternal condemnation. The one comfort we do have is that God tells us that these false teachers will not escape His judgment. James 3:1 tells us that teachers of His Word will be strictly judged. The Book of Jude has much to say about false teachers and their fate. Jude 1:14-15 says, “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’” The bottom line is that we must do our part in avoiding the trap of following false teachers, or being a false teacher, by spending time in God’s Word and truly studying it. Romans 16 tells us to mark those who teach false doctrine and avoid them. If there are those who claim to know Jesus, but insist on teaching false doctrines, we are not to receive them into our homes (2 John 1:10). God warns us in His Word that in these last times people will not endure sound doctrine, but will seek teachers who will tickle their ears with false teachings and fables (2 Timothy 4). Those of us who are trying to be faithful must stand firm in the faith and proclaim God’s truth without compromise. Let us be diligent to take to heart the exhortation given in Jude 1:3-4, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).