It is always shocking to me when people tollerate, follow, and even
adore teachers who clearly flaunt biblical standards for conduct, and
then act surprised when false teachers and outright heresy are
entertained in the church. “Naïve” doesn’t even begin to describe this
kind of complicit partnership with false teaching. Because the Scripture
warns that “Satan comes as an angel of light,” we simply cannot marvel
when his deceptions have somehow “crept in unawares.”
Second Timothy 4:3
predicts that, “the time is coming when people will not endure sound
teaching.” Too often people assume these opening words to mean that one
day, as evangelical ministry marches on with expansive gospel-momentum, a
blatant, rather foul stench straight from hell will mount an offensive
against sound doctrine so sudden and obvious that all who love Christ
will cry out in unison, “Damn the heresy!” If only that was the way it
worked.
Instead of opposing the truth with
blatant lies, Satan does a far greater work in the white spaces between
Paul’s words. When the Apostle warns that “a time is coming,”
we shouldn’t imagine a sudden plunge from the heights of doctrinal
precision, but rather a slow, imperceptible decline via subtle spiritual
optical illusions. The enemy knows that discerning shepherds would
never allow their sheep to suddenly deny truth and turn aside to
doctrines of demons. His tactics have to be implemented over long
periods of time, introducing slight, unnoticeable deviations to the
truth. So just exactly how was the enemy able to bring us to the place
where we no longer endure sound, in-depth preaching and teaching, and
yet celebrate casual conversations with false teachers? Keep Reading...
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