This is a common argument used to disarm any resistance to false doctrines. Rather than opening the scriptures, false teachers use intimidation, confusion, and claims of personal authority to pressure conformity. The fact is they know their teachings cannot stand against scripture; therefore, they use whatever methods they have found successful in disarming the Bible from the hands of resisters. I’ve heard false teachers pronounce curses upon anyone who dares to question their teachings. Yet the Bible praises those who question teachings and forbids true disciples from cursing their enemies. Therefore, anyone who pronounces curses is not walking as a disciple of Christ. See Romans 12:14, Luke 6:26, and Matthew 5:44.
In Acts 17:11, the Bible praises the people of Berea because they received the teachings of the apostles, but then searched the scriptures to see if the things being taught were true. Are those who now claim to be prophets saying they are greater than the apostles? The apostles welcomed criticism because they testified to the truth, and knew the scriptures would testify to their doctrine. The only reason someone would not want their doctrine tested by the scriptures is because they fear the word of God shining a light that will expose their teaching as false. When someone points out a contradiction, rather than reasoning the scriptures, they will pronounce a curse upon anyone who dares to touch them as God’s anointed.
When the Bible warns the people not to touch God’s anointed, it was directly speaking of killing the prophets and the king. These two offices were anointed with oil and chosen by God. See 1 Chronicles 16:22. It is not harm to question doctrine, but rather it is obedience to the word of God. We are commanded to test all things and only to hold to that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are commanded not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see if they are of God (1 John 4:1). We are also told that those who claim to be prophets are subject to the prophets who spoke in scripture (1 Corinthians 4:32). It is not a sin to question teaching, but it is sin to allow false teaching to go unchecked and unquestioned.
I once had a pastor friend who turned to strange doctrines, invited several false teachers into the church, and began to teach that man is equal to God, among other things. All the things he was teaching were directly refuted by scripture. I tried to discuss this and was met with great hostility. He claimed that everything he was now teaching could be supported by scripture. He agreed to meet with me to show me the scriptural support, but left his office just before our scheduled meeting. He avoided me and to this day, I have never been able to have another conversation with this man. There is no way these doctrines can be supported without twisting scripture out of its meaning and removing phrases out of their intended context. This is why false teachers refuse to allow their doctrines to be compared to scripture. Instead of meeting with me, my friend preached that there were people influenced by Satan trying to subvert the work of God. He also claimed that those who opposed the new direction of the church were just afraid of the new move of God and were bound by tradition.
Accusations of fear is a card false teachers often toss out in order to disarm resistance. When someone is alarmed at a false teaching, they are told that it is their personal fears and that they must resist the spirit of fear. It is claimed that fear is of the devil and it is a sin to fear what God is introducing to them. The real sin is calling the discernment of the Holy Spirit a spirit of fear and a work of Satan. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit testifies truth to our spirit. When a lie is being presented as true, the Spirit of God alerts us to danger. When we hear false teaching, the turmoil in our heart is the Spirit of God alerting us to the danger at hand. The Spirit is warning that this is not of God, and the false teacher is calling that warning a spirit of fear and the work of Satan. We must not reject God’s prompting, and certainly not call Him the devil. Calling God’s discernment a work of the devil is blasphemy. Read the entire chapter of 2 Peter 2. You will see the work of false teachers in the church, and the end of those who reject discernment.
Are Traditions contrary to God?
People who claim we are bound by tradition are misusing Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees. Jesus told them they had nullified the work of God by their traditions. Was Jesus condemning all tradition? Or was he condemning something specific about their traditions? On two occasions, Jesus specifically condemned traditions; therefore, let’s allow Jesus to explain the problem of tradition. Look at these two passages:
Matthew 15:3-6
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
4 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'
5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" --
6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Mark 7:7-9
7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
…
13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."
What is Jesus criticizing here? Is he condemning the Pharisees for holding to the biblical traditions, and resisting a new thing? Quite the opposite. Jesus is condemning them for making their own traditions and teaching them as though they are the word of God. He is also condemning the fact that these traditions are preventing people from obeying the word of God.
In the first passage, the Pharisees created a tradition that encouraged people to give their money to the church. Rather than caring for their elderly parents, the people were being taught that it was honorable to give what should have been for their parent’s needs to the religion of the day. Then they would tell their father and mother, “What would have benefited you is now a gift to God.” The Lord expected them to honor their parents through caring for them in their time of need, but they could do little for them because they thought they were doing God a service, thus making the commandment of God to honor father and mother of no effect.
In the second passage, Jesus is being confronted because He and the disciples did not obey the tradition of the elders by completing a ritual washing before they ate. It was a practice the religious leaders came up with, and instituted in order to make themselves ritualistically clean. It was an outward cleansing that served no other purpose than to be a pious show. Jesus was condemning two things. They were neglecting the real commandments of God, and teaching people that their man-made traditions would make them acceptable to the Lord. Jesus goes on to say, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites saying, with their lips they honor Me, but their heart is far from Me.”
Now let’s look at the times when the Bible praises tradition. Look at these two passages:
1 Corinthians 11:1-2
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
What is the difference between the traditions the Bible condemns, and the ones God praises? It should be obvious at this point. The Bible itself is a tradition. For it is the truth of God, handed down to God’s people to be kept from generation to generation. Biblical tradition is praised, for it is given to us by God and we are all to keep it. Jesus told the apostles, “The Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance what I taught you… He will guide you in all truth… He will take what is mine and reveal it to you.” The tradition of truth was handed down to the apostles, and they handed it down to the church in the form of written letters and testifying to the truth given to them by Christ. Those letters we now hold in our hands as the New Testament.
False tradition is what religious leaders hand down to the church as a personal ideology, personal preference, or other tradition not stated in the Bible. When God gives no command, and we turn our ideas into a commandment, this is a tradition Jesus condemns.
Tradition is not necessarily bad. In fact, non-biblical traditions are neither right nor wrong. They only become wrong when we teach them as if they are commandments of God. Order of worship is a good example. People tend to make style of worship the measure of truth, putting their focus on preserving a tradition and putting little effort into knowing the word of God. I’ve been in churches which praise themselves for being KJV only, old time music only, and yet have such a lack of knowledge of truth they have no depth of faith and little understanding of scripture. Like the Pharisees, they think God is pleased with their traditions rather than studying to show themselves approved to God.
Modern churches create new traditions, claiming to be breaking free from old-time, archaic traditions. They introduce new traditions and deceive themselves into thinking they are tradition-free. They stand on the opposite end of the spectrum, thinking they are pleasing God by shaking off the meaningless traditions of their fathers and beginning a new way of worship.
The truth is that neither of these traditions are wrong in themselves. It is the doctrine of truth that proves their faithfulness to God. Whether your preference is the old traditions and music, or the new traditions and modern music, the truth is that neither make us closer or farther from the Lord. It is obedience to the word alone that justifies our worship. Jesus said that we can ONLY worship God in Spirit and truth. If truth is absent, worship is absent. If we are not stepping out of the flesh and worshipping in the Spirit, we are not worshiping God at all. We must not worship our tradition, but the Lord. Worship is obedience, service, submission, praise, and a heart of thanksgiving. This is not accomplished through man-made traditions, but through keeping the word of God.
So don’t let someone intimidate you into conforming to their tradition, nor should you be pressured into abandoning a tradition that aids you in your worship. Church made traditions are neither good nor bad as long as they are observed in accordance to scripture.
The final myth I want to examine in this topic of study is a claim that often causes confusion. Teachers say that the Bible foretells that God will do a new thing, and their new doctrines are a fulfillment of that prophecy. Isaiah 43 is often used by those claiming to be anointed by God to bring in a new revelation and new move of God. What they do not understand is that the work of Jesus is the new work of God. We’ll explain this shortly, but first look at Isaiah 43:18-19
18 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
This is one of those passages that cannot be fully understood without reading the context of the scriptures around it. We need to read several chapters back to get a grip on the topic God is presenting in this passage in Isaiah. The people of God have fallen into idolatry and God is foretelling of their destruction. The Lord is giving a prophecy of doom, saying they will be destroyed as a nation and taken captive. As is usually the case, the Lord presents hope with the warning of judgment. The prophecy of judgment was for the idolatrous people in Israel during the time of their overthrow, but this passage above is given to the future generation who would later return to the Lord.
God is declaring that when He visits them and returns them to their land and from captivity, don’t focus on the former things, but look ahead to the new thing God will do among His people. They are being instructed not to look at the sins of the nation that brought them to this state, but to embrace the hope of God’s deliverance. It’s like the words of Paul. After talking about his former sins before coming to Christ, he concludes, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to what lays ahead.” Once forgiveness is granted by God, we are to no longer remember the former things, but to reach ahead to the merciful calling of God.
Reaching ahead is not reaching for a brand new revelation, but reaching for what God has already revealed and placed before us. When we repent, we turn from our ways, and toward God. Only then do we see the path of righteousness. It is what lays before. Three chapters later in Isaiah, after God tells them to forget the former things, God tells them to remember the old paths. Look at Isaiah 46:8-10
8 " Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
They are not being told to forget the word of God and look for something new, but to forget their old sinful ways, put the judgment they have experienced behind them, and to turn back to the paths of truth God has already revealed to them. The thought concludes with, “My counsel shall stand.” Jesus made it clear that the word of God will never pass away, but will be completely fulfilled.
In Israel’s case, they were to seek the ways God had already delivered to them through the prophets. These were the paths that would one day lead directly to Jesus Christ. In our case, we stand on the paths that have already led to Christ. He is the new thing. Look at Romans 16:25-27
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith --
27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
What was once a mystery in times past has now been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, our salvation in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was a mystery. It wasn’t revealed to those of the past. Their witness was the law and the animal sacrifices given through the Old Testament law. But to us, we have seen the manifestation of Christ and the will of God that was veiled in the Old Testament law and rituals. We are witnesses and partakers of the new thing – the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. To look for yet another covenant is a denial of the sufficiency of Christ. Also consider Hebrews 1:1-3
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
For the Christian, the one whose faith is in Christ, the revelation has been given. In times past, God spoke to us through the prophets, but in these last days, has spoken to us by His son – Jesus Christ. The phrase ‘last days’ is significant. Last means just what it says. There is nothing to follow. Jesus is the conclusion of all things – the Author and Finisher of our faith. There is none greater; therefore, no new prophet can arise to compensate for what Jesus lacked. He is not lacking, but is the fulfillment of all things. He is the First and the Last. He is the one who began the revelation through the prophets, and the one who has spoken and revealed all things. There is no new revelation. Prophets today merely reveal the truth of God as given to us through scripture. Prophets of old pointed to the coming revelation, and prophets today point back to that revelation.
Jesus is the final word. He spoke to His disciples and promised the Holy Spirit would remind them of what He said, and reveal the meaning of His truth to them. This is the New Testament we hold in our hands. If we look at Paul, the only apostle not an eyewitness to Jesus’ teaching, we still see no new revelation. Paul repeats the same doctrines of the other apostles and reveals how the Old Testament is fulfilled through Christ. He is not revealing a new thing, but the old thing already given to us. The abundance of revelation Paul received was the same truth given to the disciples of Jesus, the truth of the Old Testament, and how it applies to the church and our obedience to Christ.
Many claim to be prophets, but those who turn us away from the revealed truth are not workers of righteousness. The Bible warns that if anyone, an angel of light, worker of righteousness, or even the Apostles themselves come and deliver any teaching that is contrary to what we have already received, we are commanded to account them as anathema – cursed by God.
We must be people of the Word.
Regardless of how we break down the issues discussed in this study, everything points back to the same truth – our focus should be on knowing scripture and abiding in Christ through His word. Every single issue presented by false teaching is clarified by an understanding of the word. Knowing God’s word removes confusion about doctrine. These myths are expressly refuted in the scriptures. I’m often amazed at how many false teachings are directly and unmistakably debunked by scripture. 99% of all false teaching would die in the pulpit if God’s people knew the word.
We should stand amazed at the foreknowledge of God. Each time a false teacher finds a new angle to deceive, God’s word is already shining and exposing the lie. The light of truth exposes what is false and shines on the right path for His people. The only ones who will be deceived are those who refuse to look at scripture, or refuse to accept it. Whether someone closes their eyes, or denies what they see, they are in rejection of God and are making a willful decision to choose the lie.
We should be comforted knowing that God has provided a way of escape and the strength to run this Christian race with victory. But it is only to those who hold to His word. Study the word, for it provides good doctrine, rebuke, correction and instruction in righteousness. Through the scriptures, you will be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16). It is the only way. Take heed of the words of Peter. When Jesus taught a doctrine they didn’t like, many departed just as we see in the church today. When Jesus asked the remaining disciples if they would leave too, Peter said, “Where shall we go, for only you have the words of eternal life.”
Many new doctrines and false teachers will arise and draw disciples after themselves, but only the scriptures, given to us by Christ, has the words of eternal life.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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