Friday, October 29, 2010

Beware of False Teachers


But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ, to their own destruction, and that of those who give credit to them, whom ye must avoid as ye would wild beasts.  For “the righteous man who avoids them is saved forever; but destruction of the ungodly is sudden, and a subject of rejoicing.”  For “they are dumb dogs, that cannot bark,” raving mad, and biting secretly, against whom you must be on your guard, since they labour under an incurable disease. ... I have heard of some who have passed in among you, I have heard of some who have passed in among you, holding the wicked doctrine of the strange and evil spirit; to whom ye did not allow entrance to sow their tares, but stopped your ears that ye might not receive that error which was proclaimed by them, as being persuaded that that spirit which deceives the people does not speak the things of Christ, but his own, for he is a lying spirit. But the Holy Spirit does not speak His own things, but those of Christ, and that not from himself, but from the Lord; even as the Lord also announced to us the things that He received from the Father.  Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

It sounds like Ignatius is describing the Emergent Church, or perhaps the Word of Faith, or perhaps many other false teachers today.  There really isn’t anything new under the sun.

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