The Certainty of False Teaching

I Timothy 4:1-5

Introduction: If the question were asked, “How many of us know someone who is a believer, but they have “departed from the faith”? I can imagine that most of us can name at least one person. When we think about this, undoubtedly we are grieved because of a brother or sister who has “departed from the faith”. Yet, at the same time, we have to ask ourselves the probing questions: “How did this happen?” And “What can be done to prevent apostasy or false teaching?” Any of us could be subject to similar circumstances if we are not careful. I Corinthians 10:12 reminds us that “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

Therefore every believer must avoid false teaching/doctrine. How?

I. By recognizing the methods of false teachers (vs. 1-2)

A. Unfortunately, people will depart from the faith (vs.1)

B. The manner of such departures

1. Deception/Lying – I Timothy 4:1; Acts 20:28-30

2. Hypocrisy – I Timothy 4:2

3. Spiritual Immaturity – Ephesians 4:14

C. The matter of conscience

1. Conscience is the awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong; A source of moral or ethical judgment or pronouncement.

2. The text itself refers to a seared conscience. When something is seared it is basically of no value. Their conscience, which at one time would have convicted them of their departure from the truth, now doesn’t reply at all - the “nerve endings” of their conscience have been burnt over and are dead to feeling.

3. This is how those departing from the faith deal with “cognitive dissonance,” the conflict between what they know is right before God and their conduct. They reject the testimony of their conscience and embrace sin feeling “justified.”

II. By recognizing the false teaching itself (vs. 3)

A. What was being taught in these verses was asceticism, which essentially taught that all matter was evil.

B. These teachings were in direct conflict with the Word of God.

1. Marriage – I Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 13:4

2. Dietary laws – Romans 14:14;

C. This describes the legalistic teaching of those who have departed from the

faith. They taught that it was by following this list of man-made rules that

one was justified in God’s sight - that you would be more holy to God if you didn’t marry, and if

you did not eat certain foods.

III. By refuting the false teaching (vs.4-5)

A. “For every creature of God is good” Regarding what we eat, we can eat all things, and we receive things rightly when we receive them with thanksgiving; with an abiding sense of gratitude towards God. We receive the blessings of food, shelter, and comfort as gifts, not as rights.

B. “Nothing is to be refused” – We are not limited by any type of diet, what we eat does not make us any more righteous before God, although what we eat may affect out health.

C. “It is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” – the emphasis here is not on asking God, but rather thanking God for the blessing of His provision. “God’s creation of the world necessitates its goodness, a goodness reaffirmed by the gospel and restated every time a believer says table grace” (Mounce pg. 243)

D. Knight, “The truth of the good creation of God, whose purpose is to provide for people’s needs, coupled with an appropriate response and acceptance is the correct teaching and the antidote to the false teaching.”