True or False

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn to 1 Timothy 4.

One of the original and enduring problems in the life of the church is false teaching. Since the inception of the Church, there have been people who are quick to detract from the message and distract people from believing and holding to the message of Jesus Christ.

Our enemy is one saucy, salty foe. He knows how to play the game. He knows how to tempt and persuade. He has a strategy:

Entice those Christians with promise of health and wealth. Lie to those Christians, convincing them that their suffering, their struggle, their sorrow is for nothing and that God doesn’t love them. And then teach to them a new message. A message that sounds good. A message that makes people comfortable where they are. A message that excuses sin. A message that celebrates sin. A message that redefines sin. A message that ignores the concept of sin altogether. And then the gathering you call ‘church’ will be a fine and comfortable country club that randomly consults an old book for poems and proverbs and placating platitudes and passes it off for ‘preaching’.

False teaching abounds. False teaching is loud and proud. False teaching lives, and it lives real close to us. There’s false teaching on the radio, false teaching on TV, false teaching in those best-selling books, false teaching down the street. It’s everywhere. And it’s just subtle enough that people will believe it and even endorse it.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 NIV

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

That phrase—in later times—is basically the NT way of describing the time between Jesus’ ascension and Jesus’ second coming. So later times includes the time in which Timothy was pastoring a church in Ephesus and it includes this present cultural moment. Jesus hasn’t yet returned to set the world at rights and make all things new, so until then there will be false teaching, demonic teaching here and now.

What Timothy and the elders of the church in Ephesus were dealing with, we are dealing with.

The Problem: False Teaching

There are people in Ephesus who are questioning the true teaching of God’s Word and spreading false teaching that didn’t derive from the Word.

This problem was not unforeseen. When Paul was leaving Ephesus after spending time with them, instructing them, he warned them:

Acts 20:30 NIV

30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Certain teachers begin to spread their non-Biblical views, and some gullible people listen to them, are taken-in by them, and abandon the true teaching of the Word. Something shiny and new catches their eye, and there they go. Like a dog seeing a squirrel, attention is diverted.

There were people then and there are people now who come to follow, not truth, but deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Make no mistake, false teaching is, at its core, demonic; that is, straight from hell.

John Stott comments:

“Scripture portrays the devil not only as the tempter, enticing people into sin, but also as the deceiver, seducing people into error. Often he does both together, as when in the Garden of Eden he prevailed upon our first parents to doubt [God’s Word] and then to disobey God’s Word. No wonder Jesus called him ‘a liar and the father of lies’. And the apostles regularly attributed human error to devilish deceit.

Is this not why intelligent and educated people can swallow the fantastic speculations of the cults and of New Age paganism, some of the far-fetched doctrines of the ethnic religions, and the barrenness of atheistic philosophies? It is because there is not only a Spirit of truth but also a spirit of falsehood, who is able to delude, drug, bewitch, and even blind people.”

We can’t always pull a Flip Wilson and say, “The devil made me do it.” But where false teaching is concerned, the devil, Satan, our Enemy is always the source. It’s all demonic, make no mistake.

The Evil One uses hypocritical liars with seared consciences to do his bidding, to teach his falsehood, to deceive as many as possible.

These teachers are men and women who have become numb to the truth and are spreading godless myths and old wives’ tales. These teachers aren’t going to stand up and say,

“Good morning. My conscience has been seared as with a hot iron, so I’m here to spread lies and silliness.”

It’s not that simple. These men and women are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They talk the talk and walk the walk. They look the part. But under the wool is a wolf working hard to deceive the sheep.

False teaching was rampant in the first century, and it is rampant now. The world and the church are full of theology that is unbiblical.

For example, prosperity theology says if you trust Jesus, He will give you health and wealth. Cult theology, on the other hand, will try to convince you that Jesus is not who you thought He was; an alternative is offered, which always turns out to be an unbiblical picture of the Son of God. And there’s popular theology consisting of ideas about life and possessions and heaven and the afterlife that come from best-selling books and not at all from God’s Word. We must be on guard against such errors.

1 Timothy 4:3–5 NIV

3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

False teachers deny the goodness of God and distort the Word of God.

These teachers were teaching that certain food should not be eaten and that people shouldn’t get married. Where do they get that? It’s certainly not from God’s Word.

Paul counters this teaching by reminding the church that both marriage and food are good gifts from God’s hand, gifts to be received with gratitude to God in prayer.

Anyone who adds to or takes away from God’s Word is, by definition, a false teacher.

“God told me this.” “Really?!? Where?”

“God says...” “Really?!? Give me chapter and verse.”

The problem in the 1st and 21st Centuries is false teaching. The answer, no matter the century, is truth.

The Answer: Truth

The only way to combat false teaching is with true teaching. If that seems basic, it really is. There are a lot of gimmicks out there, a lot of thoughts and methods that will supposedly work. What you’ll find is this: the best antidote to false teaching is the truth. The simple preaching and teaching of God’s Word will snuff out false teaching and will undo the effects of false teaching on people.

Paul lays out before Timothy the task. This is our task as Christians today:

The Task:

1 Timothy 4:6 NIV

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

Our job in light of the problem of false teaching is to:

Point Out Error & Point People to the Truth

Paul tells Timothy if he points these things out to the brother and sisters he’ll be a good minister of Christ Jesus. What do “these things” refer to? It probably refers to verses 1-5. It seems like Paul wants Timothy to point out the error of the false teachers and then to point them to the truth—here’s where they’re wrong and here’s the truth.

Timothy is to point out the fact that the false teachers, those men and women, are teaching falsehood, they are led by the devil, their teaching is demonic. Timothy is to point out that it’s wrong and damnable to detract from God’s Word or to distract people from the truth. A good minister of Christ Jesus will remind people that everything God has made and everything God has said is good and it is true.

Pointing out error isn’t very much fun. It’s necessary, but it’s hard; take it from me. To call out a false teacher is to call out a person, sometimes a person you know well. Wolves masquerading around in sheep’s clothing. Non-believers who act like and speak like believers; non-Christians who can play the game well and do what Christians do.

Pointing out error is one of the more difficult parts of our calling. And yet, if we believe what God’s Word says, we know that people who don’t believe in Jesus, people who don’t belong by faith to Jesus Christ are separated from God.

We MUST point out error. It is not loving to let people persist in believing lies. It is not loving to let people go their merry way and end up forever separated from the Lord.

We must point out error (which is hard).

But then we get to point people to the truth (which is glorious). We point people to God who is true and good in all His ways. We get to tell people about Jesus: the way, the truth, and the life. We get to let people know about the Holy Spirit in whom there is no deceit. We direct people to the dependable, sufficient, infallible Word of God. What a glorious task and incredible privilege.

The task begins with pointing out error and pointing people to the truth. The task continues:

Avoid False Teaching

1 Timothy 4:7 ESV

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

Paul is telling Timothy, his son in the faith, a pastor/elder of the church in Ephesus to avoid godless myths and old wives’ tales. That’s how serious a matter this is and how enticing false teaching is. The temptation to believe false teaching is very strong; it’s orchestrated by the Tempter, after all, and he’s very good.

In a way, it’d be much easier to just side with the world. In a way, it’d be much more comfortable to step back from the truth and start affirming cultural preference. We who stand on the side of truth will be labeled all sorts of things—narrow-minded, bigots, hatemongers.

Godless myths and old wives’ tales (who knew the phrase old wives’ tales was in the Bible?) are spiritual junk food; there’s nothing nourishing there.

The problem is, we like junk food don’t we?! Obviously, I love it. Coca-cola, ice cream, snickers, chips, popcorn, deep fried anything. It’s soooo good! But it’s terrible for you.

The teachers who gave up teaching the nourishing truths of the faith have in essence substituted the broccoli and Brussels sprouts for a side of deep fried butter and a mug of hot fudge. It’s easier to share and much more fun to listen to myths and old wives’ tales. People love this stuff.

Which is easier to swallow? A sermon on church discipline from Matthew 18 or a 20-minute TED Talk on your best life now? It’s obvious what the world would rather hear.

It seems silly to say the way to avoid false teaching is to avoid it, but that’s what we’re instructed to do. We ourselves must avoid these silly and irreverent myths. If we anchor ourselves to the Bible and teach the Bible, we will become satisfied with the meat of the gospel and will have no appetite for the junk the world serves.

Avoid false teaching, godless myths and old wives’ tales. Have nothing to do with them! Flee false teaching and run to Christ!

The task continues:

Train in Godliness

1 Timothy 4:8–16 NIV

8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Paul launches into the longest part of his argument with an illustration easily understood by Timothy and those he pastored. At this time in Ephesus, scholars tell us that people spent a lot of time and money training athletes to compete in festivals and athletic contests. And so, Paul says to people who know: physical training is of some value.

This is true. This I intrinsically understand. You see, I walk from my office to the coffee maker several times a day. You guys, that’s 103 steps round-trip. That’s some good exercise, some valuable physical training. Physical training is of some value; just ask me, I’m the paragon and poster boy of physical training.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things...

Physical training is one thing, even a good thing. But godly training—training in godliness—is of immense value, both presently and eternally. Godly training holds value here and now (like physical training), but it also holds value in the life to come.

We understand the how-to of physical training. At least mostly. Some of us think it’s walking back and forth to the coffee maker.

But training in godliness, how do we train ourselves in godliness? Paul, under the ministry and inspiration of the Spirit outlines some practical steps for us.

How do we train ourselves?

Command and teach truth

Paul tells Timothy: command and teach these things (v. 11). These things probably refers to everything Paul has written so far and what he’s yet to write. Paul is arguing for truth. He wants Timothy and the Christ-followers there to be grounded in the truth.

Timothy will get better and better, he’ll train himself and his congregation in godliness as he commands and teaches truth. He is preach the truth and teach the truth and admonish people to live in truth. He is to highlight and renounce false teaching when he hears it and redirect his attention and the attention of his flock to what God has said.

Read the Bible. Explain the Bible. Exhort from the Bible. Teach the Bible. That’s the charge.

By commanding and teaching what is true, people will grow in godliness. It’s like reps in the weight room or consistently, every day running a mile. The more and more you do it, the better trained you are to do it. The more and more you hear the truth, the less likely you’ll be swayed by falsehood.

Set an example

Paul writes to Timothy and tells him, young as he is, to set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (v. 12).

Set an example takes work. It takes conscious training to be a good example. Timothy is to discipline himself in certain areas: speech, conduct, love, faith, purity.

Remember: your life is not your own. It belongs to God and it has a bearing on those around you. Make sure you’re a good and godly example.

You youngin’s here this morning, hear this: don’t let anyone look down on you because you’re young, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t make a difference at school, at home, in the church. You can be an example to us and help us train in godliness.

Devote yourself to the truth:

Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. This is important instruction for the Christian minister, the elder, the pastor. Rather than chasing fads and gimmicks, we devote ourselves to God’s Word—to reading it, preaching it, teaching it.

But it’s also good training advice for you as you fight the good fight. Paul says in verse 15: Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

May truth be our bread and butter. May our devotion be the truth and nothing else.

A pastor who does a lot of cultural research shared this:

“I’m finding that there is a new openness to universalism among college-aged Christians. It has much to do, I think, with the fact that many have never received clear teaching about hell. Just putting that on your radar. Keep preaching the full counsel [of God’s Word].”

We must be devoted to the truth, lest we fall captive to false teaching.

Watch your life and doctrine

Watch your life and your doctrine closely. How you live from day-to-day is a reflection of what you believe (if you start to believe that God’s Word isn’t true, you can and will begin to excuse all kinds of behavior). And your doctrine, your set of beliefs about God, certainly matters a great deal (are you believing what’s true or merely what’s popular?). Evaluate how you’re living and evaluate what it is you believe. See if any false teaching has creeped-in that’s altered your doctrine or the way you’re living.

The answer to the problem is training in godliness. Picture it like a gym (I’ve only ever seen the inside of a gym on TV, but I’m assuming it’s accurate). People rotate from station to station: hit the treadmill, then the bench press, do some squats, some hang cleans, whatever.

When training in godliness, hit each station: train in prayer, in the Word, in fasting, in worship, in sharing the gospel. Spend time in that kind of training. Your body will only last for a few years, but the gains from godliness will endure forever.

We labor and strive. The way to combat false teaching is to know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:10 NIV

10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

We labor and we strive, not as ends to themselves. We labor and we strive, we train and we contend for the truth, because we have put our hope in the living God, the Savior.

At the end of 1 Timothy 4, we have this odd phrase: Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

We know for sure what Paul is not saying. He’s not saying that Timothy (or you or I) can save people, in and of ourselves. Only Christ saves. This is obvious from Paul’s writings and throughout the Bible.

What is means is that Christ has chosen to bring His salvation to people through the gospel, through the ministry of the church—the people of God. Healthy churches mean healthy displays to the gospel to a lost world. Healthy displays of the gospel results in men and women coming to Christ.

We know the problem: false teaching. We have the answer: truth. And we know our task: point out error, point people to the truth, avoid false teaching, and train in godliness.

We do all of this because our hope is in the living God and we want others to place their hope in the One True God.