Root of False Teachings and the Problem of Evil

Root of False Teachings and Religions

The last few weeks we have talked about false teachers. What would you say is the ultimate source of this false teaching? False worldviews? False religions? Demons.

Demons promote lies and know they can lead the most astray by promoting lies based on a little truth or twisting of the truth.

The devil in Matthew 4:5-6 takes Scripture to tempt Jesus.

Matthew 4:5–6 ESV

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

But the devil misapplied it and did not use it within context of all Scripture. Jesus brings context with Matthew 4:7.

Matthew 4:7 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

The best lies were always mixed with truth. -Sarah J. Maas

This is why it is so vital we study Scripture. This is why it is important to bring your Bible with you so you can test what I and the pastor say. False teaching of Scriptures don’t just come in the shape of false Bible teachers/preachers, but from other religions. For example, Islam. The Qur’an supposedly is the correction of the Bible (Surah 5:48).

Also you can refer to 1 Corinthians 10:20 for further support false religions come from demons.

And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. - Surah 5:48

A lot of times when you read through the Qur’an it can sound very similar to the Bible.

Read some Surahs to show how similar they can sound to the Bible.

Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him. -Surah 112:1-4

It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then settled over the Throne. -Surah 57:4

If you don’t take time to familiarize yourself with the Word, the devil can easily find ways to deceive you. The devil by twisting scripture has deceived millions, with Islam alone over 1.5 billion have been deceived. And what is crazy Muhammed (the founder of Islam) when he first got his “revelations” for the Qur’an he clammed he was demon possessed because of the visions, but his wife convinced him other wise. Scripture states tat false teachings are from demons, and the worlds second largest religions founder claimed to be demon possessed. Also a lot of false religions and false Christian teachers look all good and do a lot of good to help people. And accomplish a lot of good. The Bible warns against this in 2 Corinthians 11:15. Which talks about the devil disguising himself and demons as light or servants of righteousness. This all goes back to finding that nugget of truth to draw people in. Be sure to guard your heart, the devil is out to destroy you (1 Peter 5:8-9) . The devil is crafty, that's why he has deceived billions, but if we follow the words of Philippians 4:8 we will be well equipped to spot the devil’s lies.

Damage of False Teachings and Religions

False truths are not harmless living your own truth isnt healthy. Living in false truths is dangerous.

A Departure From Truth: Following Lies to Their Logical Conclusions

I think the first and most obvious damage is people “depart from the faith.” People departing from the truth, wandering further from the narrow path (Matthew 7:14) . The longer false truths are allowed to persist the more actual truth becomes hated and the more bizarre the false truths become. Follow unrepentant sin to its logical conclusion and it is scary what happens.

Abortion has been painted as a morally alright think, even though it is horrendous and evil murder. Abortion was made legal in 1973. It legalized all first trimester abortions and left second and third trimester laws in the hands of the states. Eight states now have no limits on when the abortion can be performed. Partial birth abortion is illegal in the USA but if the law is broke the doctor cannot be jailed longer than 2 years. When have you heard of a murdered getting that short of a sentence? Value for life has been degraded a cross the board, 9 states now allow assisted suicide. And if we follow the trends of Europe like we do often euthanizing children will be allowed in the future. In some countries in Europe parents have the right to euthanize their terminal child. Great Britain has had commercials encouraging the senior citizens to commit suicide. Our world steadily wants play God more and more on deciding who has the right to live and not to live. The logical trace of thought is if you begin to devalue some life it will lead to a devaluation of all life.

It is vital we speak against false truths as soon as we see them because if we do not things will begin to rapidly spin out of control and get darker. Not everybody may be as well grounded as you. Thus do not be afraid to call out false teachers by name, but also be able to back up with scripture as you call them out.

A Deadening of the Spirit

Verse 2 mentions the conscious of false teachers being seared. In other words they are letting the fires of hell numb and burn their souls before the even step foot into the fires of hell. I fully believe false teachers when they begin know something they are doing is not right, that they are being deceitful. But after years they begin to believe the lies themselves. They have been fully blinded by the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). Combating false teachers/religions is engaging in warfare with demons. Get in the word and stay prayed up.

As their spirits become hardened to their sin the absurdity of their sin becomes lost on them and they do not realize how depraved they have truly become. We need to remember as believers we view the world different with a transformed mind (Romans 12:1-2). Keeping that in mind be sure to speak under the guidance of the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). Our words don’t have the power to bring feeling back to the dead hearts, we must be obedient mouthpieces for God because only does his words have the power to breathe life into the lost (Job 33:4).

A Lack of Blessings

God shows his grace to all while they are on this earth. James 1:17 tells us all good things come from the Father. Any good things people experience on this earth is know as common grace.

Common grace vs. saving grace

Common grace is God’s general favor by which he restrains sin and its consequences, maintains human life and culture, and bestows a variety of gifts and blessings to all people indiscriminately. (Footnote 1)

Saving grace, also referred to as special grace, is the grace the redeemed experience. saving grace is salvation.

Common grace all experience in their life but not all choose to accept the saving grace that God offers to all.

False teaches/religion cause a distancing to occur from many common graces, and cause people to walk into lifestyles more engulfed in sin missing out on some good things. Sin always comes with consequences. Two examples are given in this passage of some common good things (common grace) that false teachers were causing the people to miss out on.

Marriage was one thing being banned by false teachers in Ephesus. Marriage is a common grace God has shown to most (some He has shown the common grace of living a life of abstinence). God designed marriage. Thus His design is the key to having the most fulfilling relationship with the person you fall in love with (1 Corinthians 7:1-16). If you choose to ignore this design you set yourself for relationships full of avoidable problems and regrets.

Abstinence from foods was another thing being banned. We all like to eat and enjoy a wide variety of foods. Food is a blessing. The variety we have is a blessing. To condemn someone or what they are eating is creating a very unnecessary roadblock to sharing the gospel. All food is good to eat as long as done in proportion (Proverbs 23:20-21) and with thanksgiving.

Can you think of some ways false teachers/religions cause people to miss out on common grace today?

The Problem of Evil

Scripture right here in this passage makes the statement “everything created by God is good.” Did not God create everything? Is not this universe in the palm of His hands? These questions and thoughts make us all wonder to these following questions at some point. Have you ever wandered why God allows evil to exist? How was evil created? Asked if God is so good why does He allow evil to happen? If you have ever wondered any of those things you are not alone. We all have. Theologians and philosophers have debated it for centuries. It is a good thing to work through and to search or the answer to the “problem of evil.” A poor answer from a Christian pastor is what sent Steve Jobs down a path of Buddhism. So not only do we need a good answer for ourselves, but for a hurting and lost word that is searching for answers. So for the next little bit i would like to discuss the problem of evil.

Anyone believe they have an answer to the problem of evil?

What is evil? Evil is anything that does not hold up to God’s righteousness.

Can you physically touch evil? No, just like you cannot touch good. Evil and good are moral attributes. You can touch the effects of them but not the very essence of the moral that caused that evil or good to happen

So scripture tells us everything God created is good, in several places in Scripture. Evil is in this universe. Did God create evil? No. Let us go back to the answer for what is evil. Evil is when God’s righteousness is not present. Or the absence of God’s righteousness. In other words evil is when he moral good God has created is absent. A more accurate definition of evil is the absence of good. Evil is good being corrupted and torn away. Evil comes out of us handling free will poorly.

Evil is not a substance but a corruption of the good substances God made...It is a lack in good things, but it is not a thing in itself. Evil is like a wound in an arm or moth-holes in a garment. It exists only in another but not in itself ...Evil, like a wound, can only exist in something else (Footnote 2).

Nonbelievers at times like to use the problem of evil as a way to supposedly disprove Christianity. They will say if an all powerful and loving God exist, but does not do nothing about evil and allows it to exist then he cannot exist. Which is a week argument and you will hear it in many forms. All forms though can be debunked with the same response. Evil and good are part of a moral code. Moral code is something higher than all of us. So in order for a moral code to exist a higher being has to exist. If no higher being exist, then no evil or good would exist, thus this argument would not even exist since evil would not exist.

So our choice to sin chooses to allow evil to exist. The corruption in nature is a result of free will also. Genesis 3 Adam and Eve chose to sin allowing evil to enter and corrupt the world. Some may ask why God allows so many children around the world to starve. God does not allow it. God has blessed us with the resources to meet the basic needs of all people in the world, but we as humans in our free will have chose to poorly manage the resources God has blessed us with. The Huffpost reports that right now the world produces enough food to feed 10 billion people and not quiet 8 billion people exist. So there is more than enough food to feed the almost 900 million that are not getting the daily nourishment they need. Americans alone wast 80 billion+ pounds of food every year. Not only does our poor choices open us up to evil but it also opens up evil to enter the lives of others

The problem of evil does not lie with God, but with people, with us. Too often with the problem of evil we point the fingers in the wrong places. Let us stop playing the blame game looking for an easy way out and accept the blame for the fault that is ours. Let us address our evil so we may help other people see the evil in the world and the need for the Gospel to correct the evil.

Footnotes

(Footnote 1)- Gayle Doornbos, “The Spirit and Common Grace,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

(Footnote 2)- Geisler, Norman L. “Evil, Problem Of.” Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.