Beware of False Teachers

 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” – 1 John 1:3-4

Less than 50 years after Jesus hung on the cross, the Apostle John began to see false teachers infiltrating the Christian church. He knew he MUST act. So, inspired by the Holy Spirit, John wrote his first letter to the early church, known in the New Testament as 1 John.

 In the final few decades of the First Century, false teachers were peddling an early form of Gnosticism (“having knowledge”). The Gnostics were pulling believers away from Christ and the Church, robbing them of their joy in Christ. They were enticing Christians to live immoral lives that would bring them under God’s judgment. The Gnostics were predatory, false teachers. They tried to convince Christians that there IS no bodily resurrection and that believing in Jesus Christ will NOT lead to eternal life.

 

Two thousand years later, we, too, are bombarded with false teaching. In fact, there are more false teachers alive today than there were in John’s day. And many of these false teachers peddle some of the same old lies (for example, Jesus isn’t God. The cross isn’t the only path to salvation. Salvation is about what you do for God, not about what Christ did for you. And sin isn’t a big deal).

 

It is critical that we pay attention to John’s teachings and warnings in 1 John, because there are plenty of influential people who are trying to lead us down a path of destruction, and we MUST … NOT … LET … THEM. But you don’t have to face this battle alone. When you accept the apostles’ testimony and place your trust in Jesus Christ, John says in vs. 3-4: “You also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” You see, as Christians, we are partners and participants together. We participate in the same salvation together, and together we participate in a loving relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 

True fellowship with God produces true fellowship with other Christians. And according to verse 4, if you are missing out on true fellowship with other Christians, you are missing out on a whole lot of joy.

 

Here are three Life Lessons we can draw from this passage:

 

Life Lesson #1: This side of heaven, there will always be false teachers who pollute the truth of God’s Word with idle speculation. Ignore them and warn other Christians about them.

 

Life Lesson #2: Fully embrace this truth in your heart: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). You don’t have to worry about whether or not this Book and everything in it is the Word of God. It has proven itself to be true and absolutely reliable time and time again.

 

Life Lesson #3: Whether you realize it or not, your soul is hungry for good Christian fellowship. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, a new Christian or an old Christian, an introvert or an extrovert. You need good Christian fellowship. Your joy depends on it.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on YouTube or Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.