Conclusion
Many people have been influenced by false teaching in the church. Some of
them have been hurt because these teachings have not worked. For example, the "Faith Assembly@
of Hobart Freeman has resulted in the deaths of almost 100 people because his
people were told that seeking medical help was supposedly a "sin@
and a "denial of faith.@
Instead they were to claim their healing. But sadly in claiming their healing
they all died one by one. This is just one of the terrible consequences of false
teaching. Not surprisingly, many of these people felt betrayed and felt like
giving up on Christianity.
Jesus stated that false teachings will lead to harmful consequences (Matthew
7:17; 24:11-12; Acts 20:30), but He said there is a way out. Those who truly
live by His Word, the Bible, can stand the pressures of life because their lives
are built on His Word, the solid rock (Matthew 7:24-27). He promises those who
know and obey His Word that they will be set free (Jn. 8:31,32). Have you
neglected to learn and obey His Word, relying instead on spiritual experiences
and unbiblical faith?
If you are hurt, feel betrayed and feel like giving up on Christianity, what
can you do? First, you should not continue to fellowship where false teachings
are taught (Romans 16:17). Diligently search until you find a church where the
Word of God is honored and taught accurately, a church where the pastor
challenges you to study the Scriptures for yourself. A good church will have a
pastor who loves teaching God's Word
and will show it by the number of hours he spends in personal Bible study. Often
he will have increased his knowledge of the Word of God by years of study in an
evangelical seminary. He will let you know when there are differences of
interpretation on a particularly difficult verse and will challenge you to think
through these verses in context on your own.
Secondly, you must learn the Word of God yourself. Paul encouraged Timothy to
continue in the things he had "learned and become convinced of@ (2nd
Timothy 3:14). Every Christian needs to take the time and effort to learn the
basic doctrine of the Bible so they will know where it is being "wrongly divided@
(misinterpreted - 2nd Timothy 2:15). To start, it would be very
helpful for you to have a high-quality study Bible like the NIV Study Bible, the
New King James in the Thompson Chain Reference edition or a study edition of the
New American Standard Bible.
You should also visit a Christian bookstore and purchase some good
commentaries and resource tools for personal study.
Once you start to learn the Bible, try and help those still caught in false
teachings. The Bible encourages us to reprove those following false teachings "severely that they may be sound in
the faith@ (Titus 1:13).
Finally, we ask some of you to consider whether you have substituted a
technique of salvation for salvation itself. Is what you consider "faith@
in God really nothing more than a mechanical technique to manipulate God for
your own ends? In John 6:26,27 Jesus said that many people followed Him only to
satisfy their own hunger. He said that instead of following Him for "food that perishes@
they should rather seek the "food
that endures to eternal life.@ Jesus
went on to explain that His food endures to eternal life was not anything
material that we can possess; rather it is true knowledge of God himself (John
6:33-35).
Augustine spoke of this true knowledge in his commentary on Psalm 73. There
he said that God Himself should be our only treasure and reward. To seek
anything but God alone is not to seek for God. Does this depict you? Do you love
God for Himself alone or for what you can get out of Him?
If you admit you are guilty of the above, God wants you to repent and ask for
His forgiveness. If you have doubts about your relationship with God as to your
salvation, you may wish to pray the following prayer:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I am sorry for
my sin of ignoring You and putting my own selfish desires first. I now happily
receive You as my Lord and Savior, Your gift of forgiveness of my sins, and Your
gift of eternal life which You promised to those who would ask You (1st
John 2:25; Ephesians 1:7). As a result of Your coming into my life, help me to
know Your word and turn away from false teaching (2nd Peter 3:18;
Romans 16:17). Thank you for hearing my prayer and making me a Christian (John
1:12), Amen@
John Ankerberg & John Weldon