False Christs and False Prophets Shall Rise

Mark 13:21-22

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

This prediction of Jesus has been and will continue to be fulfilled. For details, check out:

• Counterfeit Christs have come to Deceive
• Many Antichrists have Come
• Antichrists, Us and You
• False Teachers
• Reject False Teachers
• Authority, Commission, False Teachers, False Teaching, the Law, and the Glorious Gospel
• Truth, Doctrine, and Deceit in the Latter Times

The Disease of Different Doctrine

1 Timothy 6:3-5

Scripture

3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness

Doctrine

The word “doctrine” appears often in the pastoral epistles, in particular in 1 Timothy. The Greek word for “doctrine” is διδασκαλία (did-as-kal-ee’-ah), which means “properly applied teaching” or “teaching as it applies to lifestyle [1].” Paul is concerned with proper doctrine.

In what three ways did Paul describe doctrine in this verse?

Paul described doctrine as (a) wholesome words, (b) the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and (c) that which accords with godliness. First, doctrine should be wholesome. The Greek word for wholesome — ὑγιαίνω (hoog-ee-ah’-ee-no) — literally means healthy, free from any debilitation, or uncorrupt [2]. And how does a person guarantee that doctrine is wholesome? This is Paul’s second point: doctrine should consist of the words of Jesus Christ. In other words, doctrine should come from the Bible (both Old and New Testaments, with the New Testament used to elucidate the Old as needed [17]). Third, doctrine should produce godliness, i.e., proper reverence for and response to the things of God [3].

If what? What two problems about doctrine did Paul identify in this verse?

First, some people (and it potentially could be anyone) “teach otherwise.” The Greek word for “teach otherwise” is ἑτεροδιδασκαλέω (het-er-od-id-as-kal-eh’-o) — it’s clearly related to διδασκαλία (did-as-kal-ee’-ah) and literally means to “teach different doctrine [4].” Paul is a proponent of doctrine, but an opponent of different doctrine. This is an obvious play on words in the Greek text that is lost in some but not all translations into English.

Second, some people do not “consent” to wholesome words, i.e., some people do not draw near to and agree with doctrine (to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ).

What are the characteristics of a person who suffers from either of these problems?

he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words

Ouch.

Proud

The Greek word here — τυφόω (toof-o’-o) — literally means to envelope in smoke [5], which figuratively is indicative of “moral blindness resulting from poor judgment which brings further loss of spiritual perception” [6]. People who don’t consent to the words of Christ and/or who teach different doctrine are in a moral cloud.

Knowing Nothing

The Greek word here is ἐπίσταμαι (ep-is’-tam-ahee), which refers to knowledge gained by prolonged, sustained, personal effort and acquaintance [7]. People who don’t consent to the words of Christ know nothing, have no significant familiarity with, and apparently haven’t even made a decent effort to learn, about spiritual matters and how to apply said truth to godly living.

but is obsessed

The word translated as obsessed is νοσέω (nos-eh’-o), which literally means to be diseased of the mind or spiritually [8]. In other words, while the doctrine in (or might I say revealed in) the Bible consists of wholesome (healthy) words, different doctrine is the product of someone who is mentally and/or spiritually diseased! This disease is referred to in other translations as an unhealthy interest (NIV), unhealthy desire (NLT), unhealthy craving (ESV), or morbid interest (NASB). With what is said person diseased?

with disputes and arguments over words

Said person is diseased with “quibbl(ing) over the meaning of words (NLT).” Paul later wrote to Timothy to “remind (people) of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers (2 Timothy 2:14).”

What is the fruit of this disease of controversies and quibbling over the meaning of words?

from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings

While true doctrine results in godliness and godly edification (1 Timothy 1:4), different doctrine has the opposite effect. It creates:

• Envy. This is ill-will, spite, or even “the miserable trait of being glad when someone experiences misfortune or pain [9,10].”

• Strife. Strife indeed means strife [11]!

• Reviling. This literally means blaspheming [12]. Blasphemy was a major problem with Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:20), and a potential consequence of Christian slaves who failed to properly honor their masters (1 Timothy 6:1).

• Evil suspicions. These are those “hidden thoughts” [13] which malign someone’s motives or character.

• Useless wranglings. This has also been translated as “constant frictions [14].”

In other words, this disease of different doctrine has much fruit which destroys relationships and divides the body of Christ.

How else did Paul describe these diseased people?

of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth

This disease of the mind is one of corruption, i.e., in which the person is thoroughly corrupt, morally depraved, totally degenerate [15]. The Greek word for destitute indicates that “someone or something pulled (these diseased people) away from the truth [16],” or that the truth was pulled away from them by someone or something. There are basically three possibilities for said someone or something:

God. For there are those who “do not receive the love of the truth” for whom “God will send … strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).”

Satan. Some people are like a well-trodden path. “When they hear (the wholesome doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ), Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts (Mark 4:15b).”

Themselves. Yes, themselves. For “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:14-15).” For example, these men of diseased minds are those …

who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

In other words, there are depraved men with the mental disease of different doctrine who do what they do in the church for the primary purpose of material gain. They likely “desire to be (materially) rich (1 Timothy 6:9)” and suffer from the “love of money (1 Timothy 6:10).”

How should a Christian, in particular a Christian leader, deal with such men?

From such withdraw yourself.

Withdraw. Stay away from them. And if needed, deliver them “to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20).” That is, if needed, excommunicate them from the church.

Readers of translations not based on the Textus Receptus (such as the NIV, ESV and NASB) will note that this command to “withdraw yourself” from depraved men of diseased minds doesn’t appear at the end of 1 Timothy 6:5. So, is this command in dispute? No. For elsewhere where Paul writes of such people he similarly commands (2 Timothy 3:5):

“From such people turn away (NKJV)!”

“Stay away from people like that (NLT)!”

“Avoid such people (ESV).”

“Avoid such men as these (NASB).”

“Have nothing to do with such people (NIV).”

Application

There exists a “disease of different doctrine” in the world, and it affects many teachers in the church. Therefore, protect yourself and those whom you love: regularly imbibe sound doctrine; read, meditate on and apply the Bible to daily living! If you believe that you know of a teacher in your church community with said disease, humbly discuss your concerns with your local church leaders. But be open to the possibility that your understanding of the person and/or his apparently different doctrine is incorrect. However, if your understanding is correct, further action may be necessary, such as public discipline of the diseased teacher by the local church leaders (1 Timothy 5:20). If your understanding is correct, and all local church leaders are afflicted with the same disease, then I recommend that you leave your local church and find a body of Christ that is committed to the wholesome words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

End Notes

[1] http://biblesuite.com/greek/1319.htm
[2] http://biblehub.com/greek/5198.htm
[3] http://biblehub.com/greek/2150.htm
[4] http://biblehub.com/greek/2085.htm
[5] http://studybible.info/strongs/G5187
[6] http://biblehub.com/greek/5187.htm
[7] http://biblehub.com/greek/1987.htm
[8] http://biblehub.com/greek/3552.htm
[9] http://studybible.info/strongs/G5355
[10] http://biblehub.com/greek/5355.htm
[11] http://biblehub.com/greek/2054.htm
[12] http://biblehub.com/greek/988.htm
[13] http://studybible.info/strongs/G5283
[14] http://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_timothy/6-5.htm
[15] http://biblehub.com/greek/1311.htm
[16] MacArthur [ii], p.244.
[17] For example, with respect to observance of Sabbaths or Kosher dietary restrictions.

Bibliography

[i] J.R.W.Stott, “The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus,” Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, 1996.
[ii] J.MacArthur, “The New Testament Commentary : 1 Timothy,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1995.
[iii] A.Duane Liftin in J.F.Walvoord and R.B.Zuck (Editors), “The Bible Knowledge Commentary,”Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, 1983.

Authority, Commission, False Teachers, False Teaching, the Law, and the Glorious Gospel

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Authority

“1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What are the primary characteristics of Paul which he emphasizes?
• He is an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God.

What is Paul establishing with these characteristics?
• He has authority and it comes from God Himself.

Why might have Paul referred to Timothy as a “true son in the faith?”
• To establish Timothy’s authority.

Commission

“3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine.”

What is Paul’s commission to Timothy?
• Remain in Ephesus, oversee the church, and charge (command) some to stop teaching “other doctrine.” The word “other” literally means “different” and implies that which is different from the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:11), i.e., a false gospel.

What could facilitate this role?
• Paul’s authority as commissioned by God, and Timothy’s authority as derived from being a true / genuine / legitimate / authentic disciple of Christ commissioned by Paul.

False Teachers

“3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”

Why was Timothy urged to remain in Ephesus and confront those who teach “other doctrine”?
• There were (by implication) false teachers in the church at Ephesus. This was previously predicted by Paul (see 1 Timothy : Context and Purpose).

What are some of the characteristics of these teachers of “other doctrine” (1:5-1:7)?
• They had impure hearts;
• The had dirty consciences;
• They had insincere faith (i.e., they were hypocrites);
• They has strayed and turned aside (by implication from the one true Way);
• They desired to be like Jewish rabbis (teachers of the law), which implies pride and worse (e.g., see Matthew 23:1-13);
• They lacked understanding of what they’re trying to teach; and
• They were quite the opposite of Timothy, Paul’s true son in the faith who from his youth had known the Hebrew Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15).

What else can we deduce / infer about these teachers from the context of 1:1-1:7?

• If Paul needed Timothy to be in Ephesus as his authoritative representative in the church of Ephesus to confront these teachers, then it’s likely that they were elders, otherwise the elders of the Ephesian church would have dealt with the problem themselves; and
• Some of the elders in the church at Ephesus were not only false teachers, but likely nominal Christians (i.e., Christians in name only).

False Teaching

What were some of the aspects of the “other doctrine” being promulgated in Ephesus?
• It was idle, or more appropriately, useless; and
• There was an unhealthy focus on fables and genealogies. While those genealogies that are contained in Scripture are there for edification and understanding, in the first century there was a promulgation of eccentric fables and genealogies that had no value for the building up of the body of Christ. “The book of Jubilees, for example, is a non-canonical writing that was popular with the sect that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jubilees retells the events from creation to the giving of the Law, incorporating fanciful legends about the patriarchs and “expanding upon” the ancestry lists in Genesis [3].” It’s likely that the false teachers in Ephesus were using this work, or similar works, as part of their false teaching.

What was a key consequence of their false teaching?
• Disputes instead of edification.

The Law

“8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.”

What do we learn about the Law (the Torah) from this verse?
• The law is good.

What does Paul emphasize about application of the Law in this verse?
• It must be applied lawfully and correctly.

What’s the implication of this verse?
• The law can be applied incorrectly! Hence, Paul’s emphasis on doctrine (the correct application of truth) throughout this letter!
• Presumably this is also an indication that the false teachers in Ephesus were incorrectly applying the law.

“9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.”

Is there such a thing as a righteous person?
• Paul has elsewhere written that “there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10).” So what does he mean in 1 Timothy 1:9? Paul is most likely speaking of the imputed righteousness which comes by faith. “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3).’”

What’s Paul’s purpose in this list?
• Interestingly enough, it seems that 1 Timothy 1:5,9-10 is an allusion to the Ten Commandments.

The 1st Commandment

The first commandment is commonly understood as follows (Exodus 20:3):

“You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).”

That said (Matthew 22:34-38):

“when the Pharisees heard that (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.

In this regard, Paul wrote that (1 Timothy 1:5):

“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”

The 2nd Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:4-5):

You shall neither make nor worship any idols

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):

The law is made for the lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, sinners, i.e., for those who worship someone or something other than God.

The 3rd Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:7):

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7).”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):

The law is made for the “profane.”

The 4th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:8):

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):

The law is made for the “unholy.”

The 5th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:12):

“Honor your father and your mother.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):

The law is “for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers.”

The 6th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:13):

“You shall not murder.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:9):

The law is “for manslayers.”

The 7th Commandment

Moses write (Exodus 20:14):

“You shall not commit adultery,” i.e., you shall not engage in sexual activity outside of marriage.

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):

The law is “for fornicators, for sodomites.”

The 8th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:15):

“You shall not steal.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):

The law is “for kidnappers,” arguably the worst type of thieves!

The 9th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:16):

“You shall not bear false witness.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):

The law is “for liars, for perjurers.”

The 10th Commandment

Moses wrote (Exodus 20:17):

“You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Paul wrote (1 Timothy 1:10):

The law is for “any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” Covetousness is most certainly contrary to sound doctrine!

The Glorious Gospel

“11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.”

What is the primary function of the law?
• To expose sin and point the sinner to the glorious Gospel! As Paul has elsewhere written (Galatians 3:24): “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

What basic truths about God does Paul emphasize in the introductory verses (1:1-2)?
• God is Savior;
• Jesus is the Christ, Lord and our hope; and
• Grace, mercy and peace are from both God and Jesus, implying that Christ is God!

The complete Gospel is woven throughout the remainder of the epistle (see 1 Timothy : Christology).

Application

Here are some suggested applications, by topic:

Authority
• Accept Paul’s teaching in this epistle as authoritative in life and apply it!

Commission
• If you’re a Christian, then you know the truth and thus have been commissioned by God to challenge those who teach a “truth” other than the Gospel.

False Teachers
• Scrutinize teachers in the Christian community to ascertain their sincerity and veracity.

False Teaching
• Regularly examine the fruit of that which is taught, and discern the extent to which it’s edifying.

The Law
• Know the Law, and share the Law, in particular with non-Christians and nominal Christians, with a focus on correct application.

The Glorious Gospel
• When sharing the Law, ensure that you point people to the grace of God available through faith in Jesus!

Bibliography

[1] J.R.W.Stott, “The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus,” Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, 1996.
[2] J.MacArthur, “The New Testament Commentary : 1 Timothy,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1995.
[3] http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/solemn-charge/