In these days of relativism and skepticism, the authority of the Bible has been under severe attack, even among Christians. I have heard a pastor of a major church in California say in front of a congregation, "Why do we rely so heavily on the Bible when we have the Holy Spirit?" The people in attendance displayed their agreement with shouts of "Amen," and "Yes, brother." But one must ask the question in response to such a statement, "Are you sure you have heard the Holy Spirit and not a convincing demon?" How would you know? In fact, without a plumb line, how would you ever know if your theology, doctrine, or even daily living was in accordance with the will of God? The fact is, you can't. Without a defining boundary, or line of demarcation, there would be no certainty of who the Holy Spirit is and how He influences our lives. Paul tells Timothy what the purpose of Scripture is:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. --2 Tim 3:16-17 (NASB)
Let no person fool you, the Bible is extremely important, and it is imperative that we depend on it. For all those that were in agreement with the fatal words of the pastor I mentioned, it would seem that they have taken for granted the purpose of Scripture, and instead relied on inward inclinations, whims, and emotions, giving way for a blind agreement to an unbiblical statement. Had I not the Bible to rely upon, it would be far to easy to fall into a pit of false teaching. In these last days it is all the more important that we study the word of God for ourselves. Paul rightly says that "All Scripture is inspired by God..." A more literal translation from the Greek is that all Scripture is "God breathed," with the same breath of life He has put into His living creation.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. --John 1:1-3 (NASB)
The written word in the Bible is Jesus Himself. This is very difficult for the human mind to comprehend or conceive, but Apostle John tells us in the beginning of his Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This is a bold statement not only about the divinity of Jesus, but also about who He is. Jesus is the living Word, the essence of all that is made, the very source of life both physical and spiritual. Jesus is the Word come to us in the form of a living man, full of grace and truth. The Apostle goes on to affirm this a few verses later:
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. --John 1:14 (NASB)
All Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the inspired, or God breathed word of life that was in Jesus, who was in the beginning with God and who is God, and by whom all things were made. I have heard some Christians claim that the Scriptures were written by men, as if to insinuate that the written word is fallible, or susceptible to the same weaknesses of men. But this is not true. In the same way as Jesus was not corrupted by sin and He is the living Word, the written Word is not corrupted by sin either. Though sinful man was used in the process, "all Scripture is God breathed." We do see different personalities and writing styles in the various books that make up the Bible, but the consistency and continuity of the Scriptures is not something that man could achieve of his own will.
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. --2 Peter 1:20-21 (NASB)
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. --1 Cor 2:13 (NASB)
The evidence against the Bible being a work of man is quite extraordinary. We have a collection of 66 books written by about 40 different authors in three different languages on three different continents over a period of 1600 years, and of the things that are addressed there is no contradiction. This is quite remarkable and could hardly be attested to the hands of men alone. A teacher once told me he has studied the Bible for most of his life, searching for error or contradictions. Mind you, he has had to learn a great deal about the original languages, historical accuracy, cultural influence and literary idioms. He has read the Bible countless times in search for just one contradiction to disprove its credibility or divine inspiration. It has been over thirty years and he is still searching.
The Bible is much more than just a book written by men and it shouldn't be treated as such. Just as we are to approach God with reverence and awe, so should we read His Word. The Bible is not merely a textbook on which we will have a final exam at the end of our lives, it is the divinely inspired Word that reveals the heavenly Father to His children. If Jesus is the Word made flesh, then to study and know the Bible is to know Jesus, and it would be impossible to love Him in whom you don't know. We love Him by obeying His commandments, but we would not know His commandments if we did not study the Bible. It is not enough that we should sit under a pastor or teacher and let them expound on the Bible for us. We have a certain responsibility to study it for ourselves to make sure that the Bible is not being misused or taken out of context.
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. --Acts 17:11 (NASB)
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. --2 Tim 2:15 (NASB)
The Scripture is the divinely inspired word of God, it is the authority on which we derive our beliefs, and the line of demarcation that defines the boundary of truth. The Bible is good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness and equips us for every good work. It is by the Word that we know the living Word, who is Jesus. Everything must be examined by the Bible. Every teacher and pastor, every sermon, every thought and emotion must all be viewed under the light of Scripture. How blessed are we to have a candle in the darkness that lights our way, and by its light we are able to see the path leading to salvation. Let this be an encouragement for you to diligently seek after the living Word through the written Word, to know Him so that you may love Him more deeply. May the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth as we approach the Scriptures on our knees in reverence of God's glorious work.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
What is the Gospel, and Why Should We Preach?
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed ."12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;13 for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "Lord , who has believed our report?"17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:11-17 (NASB)
Paul's words here are much greater than any expounding that I could do, but I feel it necessary to dig further into our need for preaching and witnessing the Gospel of the Christ. We are aliens in a foreign land. We do not belong in this world. Once, we were convinced that the world was our home, but now, seeing the truth, we know that our home is not here, we are merely sojourners in this land of iniquity. There are many enslaved still, whose lives have not yet been freed from the bondage of the flesh. We cannot save them, only the grace of our Father can accomplish this. What we can do, as being faithful to our Lord, is tell them about that sacrifice that God himself made upon the cross over two thousand years ago. Our hope is that by God's message, the sleeping saints will come to know the truth, believing in faith the gospel that saves their souls. We do not know who is or isn't going to join the Father in heaven. Likewise, we cannot arbitrarily hand out this Gospel message to those whom we think will receive it. It must be given to all in the world of men, for this is what we were commissioned to do by the One who saved us.
What is the Gospel?
To answer this, we must first understand the condition of the unregenerate soul. In the Garden of Eden, when Eve was tempted by the snake and she and her husband ate from the forbidden tree, sin and death entered in through their flesh, causing a great separation between the Creator and those whom he created. Our true nature was revealed, and that nature is at war with God. Although He made them perfect and they were without sin, their nature was to serve themselves. Adam had the opportunity to submit to God's will, but instead, he chose his own, and thus sin entered into the world. This nature of rebellion we have inherited from our human father. We are a rebellious people, unable to do the will of our Creator, and the penalty for this is death. (read Genesis 1-3)
We were given the Law through Moses (Exodus 20:1-18). But this Law was never intended to save our souls. It's purpose was to reveal to us our sinfulness (I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet ." Romans 7:7). In the Mosaic law, found in the first five books of the Old Testament, the Jews were given instructions on the sacrifices to atone for sins. This was not intended to save our souls either, but was merely a foreshadow of what God would do for us through His Son, Jesus Christ (read Jesus the Sin Offering and the Scapegoat in the January 2011 archives of this blog). The sacrifices of the Old Testament show that the only way to atone for sin is by the shedding of blood, and if it is not the blood of the guilty, then it must be a perfectly innocent substitution.
In summation, we are unworthy to commune with the Holy Creator of the universe. Our flesh is condemned to death (at some point everybody will lose their physical life), and our spirit along with our flesh will be eternally separated from God lest there should be an appropriate substitution to take our place. This substitutionary sacrifice was effected through Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus is God incarnate (that is in the flesh). He was fully man, and fully God. He was born of the virgin Mary and God the Father is His sire, meaning He did not inherit the Adamic nature, but was in spirit and in flesh perfect. Upon the cross, He that was without sin, became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and bore the penalty so that we would not have to. On the third day after the burial of His body, He was raised from the dead by the Father. He conquered death, never again to go down into decay (that is into death) but live eternally at the right hand of the Father. By this raising into new life, Jesus is the Second Adam, in which we now have forgiveness of our former rebellion. We now have the ability to commune with God the Father, and we have the eternal life that He was raised into.
That is the Gospel. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are saved who believe, in faith, by the grace of our loving, eternal Father. So now the next step is to preach it to the world. There are many who don't know about the gospel for they have never heard it. Some have heard it in their ears, but they have not seen it as evidenced through the followers of the Way. This leads into the next subject of this article.
What is the importance of preaching?
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16
First off, preaching is important because Jesus told us to do so, and if we love Him, we will obey his commandments. At the time, Jesus was talking to the eleven disciples that were with Him just before his ascension. I've looked at this several ways and I came to the conclusion that this commandment could not have been just for them, but for all of His disciples. The eleven could not possibly go into all the world for a few reasons, one being the span of their natural lives and the lack of sufficient technology. Second, the Americas would not be discovered for almost 1500 years and the aboriginal peoples of these lands were definitely included in the "all" in "all the world." Lastly, there are babies still being introduced to this world that will need to hear the Gospel. So, as you can see, Jesus was commissioning all of His disciples, of all time, to go throughout the world, preaching the gospel to all creation.
Preaching is also important because a very curious trait that all Christians possess, or at least should possess, and that is compassion. Though we don't know who will or will not believe the Gospel, remember Paul's words, "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" Preaching is a proclamation of the good news of our salvation. This is not a thing that we should hold only for ourselves, but it is essential to try to share this with as many as possible before we leave these earthen vessels. It is also important to learn more about this salvation through studying God's word for the sake of those that are still lost, so that we will be able to provide sound biblical answers to questions they will surely have. We should not wish that any should perish but that all would come to know the truth. If you saw a man on fire in the middle of the street, would you not want to save him from that fire that has the power to take his life? If you had a fire extinguisher, or a bucket of water to suffocate the flames, wouldn't you use it? Likewise, if you knew that someone was going to die an eternal death and you knew the truth that could save them, would you not try to put out the fire that consumes them?
Lastly, the proclamation of the saving grace of God our Father is vastly important; however, it does not end with the words you preach. Your actions should preach the truth in harmony with the vocal heralding of the Gospel message. It is not enough that we preach only, but that we live the salvation that has set us free from the condemnation we so rightly deserved. By the way we live our lives and preach the truth, we plant seeds of truth. This is all we can do. We cannot make a person believe, so do not worry and despair if it seems your witness is ineffectual. God is sovereign and in control, and by His grace alone can one believe in that saving power of the cross. All we can do is remain faithful to Him and obey his commandments. And whether they should believe or not, the world will at least have seen the evidence and heard the truth of the God we serve.
Romans 10:11-17 (NASB)
Paul's words here are much greater than any expounding that I could do, but I feel it necessary to dig further into our need for preaching and witnessing the Gospel of the Christ. We are aliens in a foreign land. We do not belong in this world. Once, we were convinced that the world was our home, but now, seeing the truth, we know that our home is not here, we are merely sojourners in this land of iniquity. There are many enslaved still, whose lives have not yet been freed from the bondage of the flesh. We cannot save them, only the grace of our Father can accomplish this. What we can do, as being faithful to our Lord, is tell them about that sacrifice that God himself made upon the cross over two thousand years ago. Our hope is that by God's message, the sleeping saints will come to know the truth, believing in faith the gospel that saves their souls. We do not know who is or isn't going to join the Father in heaven. Likewise, we cannot arbitrarily hand out this Gospel message to those whom we think will receive it. It must be given to all in the world of men, for this is what we were commissioned to do by the One who saved us.
What is the Gospel?
To answer this, we must first understand the condition of the unregenerate soul. In the Garden of Eden, when Eve was tempted by the snake and she and her husband ate from the forbidden tree, sin and death entered in through their flesh, causing a great separation between the Creator and those whom he created. Our true nature was revealed, and that nature is at war with God. Although He made them perfect and they were without sin, their nature was to serve themselves. Adam had the opportunity to submit to God's will, but instead, he chose his own, and thus sin entered into the world. This nature of rebellion we have inherited from our human father. We are a rebellious people, unable to do the will of our Creator, and the penalty for this is death. (read Genesis 1-3)
We were given the Law through Moses (Exodus 20:1-18). But this Law was never intended to save our souls. It's purpose was to reveal to us our sinfulness (I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet ." Romans 7:7). In the Mosaic law, found in the first five books of the Old Testament, the Jews were given instructions on the sacrifices to atone for sins. This was not intended to save our souls either, but was merely a foreshadow of what God would do for us through His Son, Jesus Christ (read Jesus the Sin Offering and the Scapegoat in the January 2011 archives of this blog). The sacrifices of the Old Testament show that the only way to atone for sin is by the shedding of blood, and if it is not the blood of the guilty, then it must be a perfectly innocent substitution.
In summation, we are unworthy to commune with the Holy Creator of the universe. Our flesh is condemned to death (at some point everybody will lose their physical life), and our spirit along with our flesh will be eternally separated from God lest there should be an appropriate substitution to take our place. This substitutionary sacrifice was effected through Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus is God incarnate (that is in the flesh). He was fully man, and fully God. He was born of the virgin Mary and God the Father is His sire, meaning He did not inherit the Adamic nature, but was in spirit and in flesh perfect. Upon the cross, He that was without sin, became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and bore the penalty so that we would not have to. On the third day after the burial of His body, He was raised from the dead by the Father. He conquered death, never again to go down into decay (that is into death) but live eternally at the right hand of the Father. By this raising into new life, Jesus is the Second Adam, in which we now have forgiveness of our former rebellion. We now have the ability to commune with God the Father, and we have the eternal life that He was raised into.
That is the Gospel. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are saved who believe, in faith, by the grace of our loving, eternal Father. So now the next step is to preach it to the world. There are many who don't know about the gospel for they have never heard it. Some have heard it in their ears, but they have not seen it as evidenced through the followers of the Way. This leads into the next subject of this article.
What is the importance of preaching?
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16
First off, preaching is important because Jesus told us to do so, and if we love Him, we will obey his commandments. At the time, Jesus was talking to the eleven disciples that were with Him just before his ascension. I've looked at this several ways and I came to the conclusion that this commandment could not have been just for them, but for all of His disciples. The eleven could not possibly go into all the world for a few reasons, one being the span of their natural lives and the lack of sufficient technology. Second, the Americas would not be discovered for almost 1500 years and the aboriginal peoples of these lands were definitely included in the "all" in "all the world." Lastly, there are babies still being introduced to this world that will need to hear the Gospel. So, as you can see, Jesus was commissioning all of His disciples, of all time, to go throughout the world, preaching the gospel to all creation.
Preaching is also important because a very curious trait that all Christians possess, or at least should possess, and that is compassion. Though we don't know who will or will not believe the Gospel, remember Paul's words, "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" Preaching is a proclamation of the good news of our salvation. This is not a thing that we should hold only for ourselves, but it is essential to try to share this with as many as possible before we leave these earthen vessels. It is also important to learn more about this salvation through studying God's word for the sake of those that are still lost, so that we will be able to provide sound biblical answers to questions they will surely have. We should not wish that any should perish but that all would come to know the truth. If you saw a man on fire in the middle of the street, would you not want to save him from that fire that has the power to take his life? If you had a fire extinguisher, or a bucket of water to suffocate the flames, wouldn't you use it? Likewise, if you knew that someone was going to die an eternal death and you knew the truth that could save them, would you not try to put out the fire that consumes them?
Lastly, the proclamation of the saving grace of God our Father is vastly important; however, it does not end with the words you preach. Your actions should preach the truth in harmony with the vocal heralding of the Gospel message. It is not enough that we preach only, but that we live the salvation that has set us free from the condemnation we so rightly deserved. By the way we live our lives and preach the truth, we plant seeds of truth. This is all we can do. We cannot make a person believe, so do not worry and despair if it seems your witness is ineffectual. God is sovereign and in control, and by His grace alone can one believe in that saving power of the cross. All we can do is remain faithful to Him and obey his commandments. And whether they should believe or not, the world will at least have seen the evidence and heard the truth of the God we serve.
The Fruit of the Spirit
1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Matthew 24:24 - "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."
Jude 1:3-4 - Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
There is much talk, even from Jesus Himself, concerning the false prophets and false teachers. Even in the early church, the apostles warned against them and saw the influence that was already creeping into the midst of the body in several different circumstances. In fact, many of the epistles, in one way or another, address either the coming of or the current influence of false teachers. It is imperative that a Christian test the spirits as John forewarns, because not all who claim Christ are of Christ. Many wolves are in the church today in an alarming number and it would be to our peril if we did not test their words against the Word. One very important detail is the fruit of a person. A bad tree cannot produce good fruit, nor a good tree produce bad fruit. So, let's take a look at the fruit we are looking for so that we are not deceived.
In the epistle to the Galatians, Paul was addressing issues of legalism brought in by agitators seeking to supplant the true gospel with one that combined the grace of God and the Law. The Galatians, being uncircumcised Gentiles, were told that they needed to receive circumcision along with believing in Christ in order to be saved. Paul starts out with a greeting and quickly goes into the point of this epistle.
Galatians 1:6-10 - I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Though these words were directed to the Galatians, they have such weight that they should carry through the ages Paul's sentiment. Because of the great many deceivers in the world, especially today, we are not to forsake the gospel of Christ for a substitute gospel that leads to our death. Any gospel that says we must have the belief of Christ plus anything else is FALSE! Our salvation comes through Christ alone, by grace through faith. Period. There are not many ways to the Father, but one, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We did not deserve this, nor did we do anything for it, but it was by the grace of God who has given us faith to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the heart of Paul's epistle to the Galatians.
Jumping forward to chapter five, after Paul has defended his ministry and reinforced what he had already preached about faith, the Law and its intended purpose, and the promise of sonship, he now gives an exhortation to the Galatians to walk by the Spirit. He speaks against the false teachings that were being spread, warning that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough," (Gal. 5:9), imploring that they walk by the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-26 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
The description we have of the fruit of the Spirit is very important concerning how we are to identify the good fruit in a teacher, or the bad. I once heard a sermon given on the fruit of the Spirit and the preacher placed some importance on the singularity of the word fruit. It is all encompassing. There are not several different fruits, but one fruit that contains within all the things described in Galatians 5:22-23. Considering this, a false teacher may show joy, peace, and kindness, but has no resemblance of self-control, gentleness, or goodness. The fruit of the Spirit lacks not one of these attributes. If this is how we are to conduct ourselves, then it is all the more important that a teacher of the Word exemplifies these characteristics. If just one is missing, there is cause for suspicion. The fruit of the Spirit is a good indicator of where the teacher's heart may be and any discrepancy between the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the teacher would lead to further examining by the Word. I'm not saying that a teacher needs to be perfect in all regards. We are all flawed and cannot live up to perfection while we remain in the flesh. However, because of this, we cannot forfeit our discernment in light of our fleshly limitations. Not living up to the fruit of the Spirit does not necessarily make a person a false teacher, but remember the words of Jesus:
Matthew 7:15-17 - "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit."
As faithful followers of Christ, we must not suspect all teachers of being false, but we must be able to discern a truth from a lie so as not to be deceived. The most obvious starting point, for the Bible scholar and the new convert alike, is to ask questions, "What is the fruit of this teacher's message? Does it contain all the elements of the fruit of the Spirit? If it is lacking, which characteristic is lacking? Does their message line up with Scripture? Is there anything taught by the teacher that contradicts the gospel message?" Questions are a great ally to the believer. We must learn to ask questions for the purpose of revealing things that casual hearing would not uncover. Do not question only things that you disagree with, but question the things that you believe are correct. Your emotional attatchment to a teacher or a message may prove fatal if you do not examine everything against the Word of God. The lies of the enemy are subtle and are not always evident on the surface. Any great deceiver knows that the best way to subvert the truth in a person's beliefs is to wrap a lie with the truth. Then, it will go past the radar unnoticed, dropping bombs over the unprotected cities of your heart, mind, and beliefs.
Matthew 24:24 - "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."
Jude 1:3-4 - Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
There is much talk, even from Jesus Himself, concerning the false prophets and false teachers. Even in the early church, the apostles warned against them and saw the influence that was already creeping into the midst of the body in several different circumstances. In fact, many of the epistles, in one way or another, address either the coming of or the current influence of false teachers. It is imperative that a Christian test the spirits as John forewarns, because not all who claim Christ are of Christ. Many wolves are in the church today in an alarming number and it would be to our peril if we did not test their words against the Word. One very important detail is the fruit of a person. A bad tree cannot produce good fruit, nor a good tree produce bad fruit. So, let's take a look at the fruit we are looking for so that we are not deceived.
In the epistle to the Galatians, Paul was addressing issues of legalism brought in by agitators seeking to supplant the true gospel with one that combined the grace of God and the Law. The Galatians, being uncircumcised Gentiles, were told that they needed to receive circumcision along with believing in Christ in order to be saved. Paul starts out with a greeting and quickly goes into the point of this epistle.
Galatians 1:6-10 - I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Though these words were directed to the Galatians, they have such weight that they should carry through the ages Paul's sentiment. Because of the great many deceivers in the world, especially today, we are not to forsake the gospel of Christ for a substitute gospel that leads to our death. Any gospel that says we must have the belief of Christ plus anything else is FALSE! Our salvation comes through Christ alone, by grace through faith. Period. There are not many ways to the Father, but one, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We did not deserve this, nor did we do anything for it, but it was by the grace of God who has given us faith to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the heart of Paul's epistle to the Galatians.
Jumping forward to chapter five, after Paul has defended his ministry and reinforced what he had already preached about faith, the Law and its intended purpose, and the promise of sonship, he now gives an exhortation to the Galatians to walk by the Spirit. He speaks against the false teachings that were being spread, warning that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough," (Gal. 5:9), imploring that they walk by the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-26 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
The description we have of the fruit of the Spirit is very important concerning how we are to identify the good fruit in a teacher, or the bad. I once heard a sermon given on the fruit of the Spirit and the preacher placed some importance on the singularity of the word fruit. It is all encompassing. There are not several different fruits, but one fruit that contains within all the things described in Galatians 5:22-23. Considering this, a false teacher may show joy, peace, and kindness, but has no resemblance of self-control, gentleness, or goodness. The fruit of the Spirit lacks not one of these attributes. If this is how we are to conduct ourselves, then it is all the more important that a teacher of the Word exemplifies these characteristics. If just one is missing, there is cause for suspicion. The fruit of the Spirit is a good indicator of where the teacher's heart may be and any discrepancy between the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the teacher would lead to further examining by the Word. I'm not saying that a teacher needs to be perfect in all regards. We are all flawed and cannot live up to perfection while we remain in the flesh. However, because of this, we cannot forfeit our discernment in light of our fleshly limitations. Not living up to the fruit of the Spirit does not necessarily make a person a false teacher, but remember the words of Jesus:
Matthew 7:15-17 - "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit."
As faithful followers of Christ, we must not suspect all teachers of being false, but we must be able to discern a truth from a lie so as not to be deceived. The most obvious starting point, for the Bible scholar and the new convert alike, is to ask questions, "What is the fruit of this teacher's message? Does it contain all the elements of the fruit of the Spirit? If it is lacking, which characteristic is lacking? Does their message line up with Scripture? Is there anything taught by the teacher that contradicts the gospel message?" Questions are a great ally to the believer. We must learn to ask questions for the purpose of revealing things that casual hearing would not uncover. Do not question only things that you disagree with, but question the things that you believe are correct. Your emotional attatchment to a teacher or a message may prove fatal if you do not examine everything against the Word of God. The lies of the enemy are subtle and are not always evident on the surface. Any great deceiver knows that the best way to subvert the truth in a person's beliefs is to wrap a lie with the truth. Then, it will go past the radar unnoticed, dropping bombs over the unprotected cities of your heart, mind, and beliefs.
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