“Watch out for people who
cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what
you have been taught. Stay away from them.” Romans 16:17
We
love new-and-improved. As soon as a product becomes popular, the marketers
repackage it, raise the price, and call it new-and-improved. And we gullible
consumers snap it up. Those same marketing strategies are often used within the
church. Every few years, a “new teaching” comes along that is guaranteed to
renovate your faith. Trendy young hipsters present a “this-ain’t-your-granddaddy’s-religion”
concept, and people flock to them. Churches split, families divide, and God
weeps. We were warned about this in Romans 16, but we often don’t see it for
what it is.
So
how do we avoid these false teachers and division-causers? First, we search our
own hearts to see if we are among the guilty. Then we search our Bibles so that we can
distinguish truth from error (2 Tim. 2:15). Next, we compare the new-and-improved ideas with the timeless
truth of scripture, and discard anything that doesn’t line up with “the whole
counsel of God” (Acts
20:27). We
refuse to be drawn into any splinter group whose goal is to divide the church
rather than build it up. Then we recognize that it is pride behind the idea
that there is some “new truth” that the apostles, church fathers, and martyrs
throughout history have all missed.
Are you attracted to the
latest fads or splinter groups within the church? Let Romans 16:17 be your
watchdog.
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