False Teachers

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How to Treat False Teachers, Part 2

John MacArthur – Grace to You

1 Timothy 1:7-11

Let’s open our Bibles this morning to 1 Timothy chapter 1.  We’re looking again at verses 3 through 11.  The opening charge that is given from the Apostle Paul to Timothy to carry out a work in the church and the region around the church in Ephesus.

Now as I mentioned last time, the primary objective that Paul has in mind with Timothy in the writing of this epistle is to encourage Timothy to bring the church to a place of sound doctrine and godly living.  He is concerned about the impact of false teachers, not only what they say but what they model by way of a life style.  And he is greatly concerned that Timothy reverse the impact of these false teachers.  In so writing to Timothy he has left us a letter which all of us in the church of Jesus Christ today, or in any era, can benefit from because we all face the same potential encroachment of false teaching and unholy living.

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How to Treat False Teachers, Part 1

John MacArthur – Grace to You

1 Timothy 1:3-6

Turn in your Bible to the first chapter of 1 Timothy.  We have recently begun a study of 1 Timothy.  We’ve had a couple of messages getting started, looking at the introduction, and now we come in this next section to verses 3 through 11.  This section has to do with dealing with false teachers.  I want us to take verses 3 through 11 as a unit, but we’re going to divide it between two weeks, this Lord’s day and next.

Let me introduce our study today by reminding you of something I’m sure you’re very much aware of.  In John’s gospel chapter 8 and verse 44, it reminds us that Satan is not only a murderer but Satan is also a liar.  One of the manifestations of the lying intent of Satan is the proliferation of false teachers that besiege the gospel and the church through all the history of the church’s life.  False prophets and false teachers are a part and parcel of the battle the church has to fight in every age.

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Rob Bell: “Evangelical and orthodox to the bone?” Hardly.

Grace to You Blog (a follow up) Thursday, April 14, 2011

Rob Bell is reminiscent of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10:17-27. He has a warped view of goodness. He talks as if his own standard of good is the norm, and Bell even suggests that God is not good if He sends people to hell.Jesus’ reply to the young inquirer (“No one is good except God alone”—v. 18) says God himself alone is the standard of true good, not any creature—certainly not a fallen creature.The Young Ruler was not saved, nor can any person be who thinks his or her own preferences determine what is truly good. That kind of arrogance reflects a damning egotism.

n his books, sermons, and videos, Rob Bell has consistently promoted views that are antithetical to biblical Christianity and hostile to historic evangelical principles.

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Bells Hell Sells

Grant Swart

In keeping with our intended purpose, and as mentioned on our About page, we attempt to maintain a positive slant to the content of 4TheLoveOfTheTruth. There are certainly sufficient blogs which effectively highlight the negative deception and falsehood in the what the world sees as the Christian church.

In certain instances I feel it is warranted that attention be given to events which could have a “worse than usual” negative impact on the Christian. The recent book by Rob Bell is one of those instances. Another recent posting on this blog, in which John MacArthur addresses this issue, ties in with this short but thought-provokingly powerful piece by Ray Comfort.

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John MacArthur’s Speaks out Regarding Rob Bell

Grace to You Blog

Rob Bell: a Brother to Embrace, or a Wolf to Avoid?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

If Christopher Hitchens or Deepak Chopra penned a book that scoffed at the biblical teaching on hell, we would not be surprised. So why would anyone be shocked or confused when Rob Bell writes Love Wins? Has Bell shown any more commitment to gospel truth, or any more devotion to the principle of biblical authority than Hitchens or Chopra?

Is Rob Bell truly a Christian, or is he one of those dangerous deceivers Scripture warns us about repeatedly (Acts 20:29; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Colossians 2:8; 2 Peter 2:1; etc.)?

It’s a fair—and necessary—question. Christ’s famous warning about wolves in sheep’s clothing is given to us as an imperative: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16). Our Lord clearly expects His true disciples to be able to spot spiritual imposters and wolves in sheep’s clothing—especially those who are purveyors of deadly false doctrines.

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The Doctrines of Grace (Part 10 of 10)

John MacArthur – Grace to You

The Doctrine of God’s Effectual Call

We have a wonderful subject to talk about tonight and I took up a little more time than I ought to have, in one sense, but wanted to share with you what I did, so we’re going to try to squeeze it in the time we have. I want you to open your Bible to Romans 8…Romans chapter 8 and let’s begin in Romans 8 with some very familiar revelation from God.

Verse 28 which is familiar to all of us is a good starting point. Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, for whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren, and whom He predestined these He also called and whom He called these He also justified and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

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Not a Kingdom Now

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Why would someone hate the word Exegesis? part 3

John MacArthur – Grace to You

How to Study Your Bible

Psalms 1:1-2; Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Corinthians 8:1

Introduction

Truly the Bible is magnificent. Early twentieth-century evangelist Billy Sunday pictured the Bible like a majestic palace. He wrote,

I entered through the portico of Genesis and walked down through the Old Testament’s art gallery, where I saw the portraits of Joseph, Jacob, Daniel, Moses, Isaiah, Solomon and David hanging on the wall; I entered the music room of the Psalms and the Spirit of God struck the keyboard of my nature until it seemed to me that every reed and pipe in God’s great organ of nature responded to the harp of David, and the charm of King Solomon in his moods.

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Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Heretic?

Evangelical Apathy and the Danger of False Teaching
by John MacArthur

The following is excerpted from The Truth War (Nelson, 2007, pp. 165-68)

Why do so many evangelicals act as if false teachers in the church could never be a serious problem in this generation? Vast numbers seem convinced that they are “rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’; and do not know that [they] are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

In reality, the church today is quite possibly more susceptible to false teachers, doctrinal saboteurs, and spiritual terrorism than any other generation in church history. Biblical ignorance within the church may well be deeper and more widespread than at any other time since the Protestant Reformation. If you doubt that, compare the typical sermon of today with a randomly-chosen published sermon from any leading evangelical preacher prior to 1850. Also compare today’s Christian literature with almost anything published by evangelical publishing houses a hundred years ago or more.

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Understanding Islam


John MacArthur – Grace to You

With all that is going on today, can you help me gain a basic understanding of Islam? How does it differ from biblical Christianity?

Islam is actually a word that means “surrender” or “submission.” Islam claims to be fully surrendered to the will of Allah. And the will of Allah,Muslims believe, was revealed through his prophet Mohammed. The revelation is written down in the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

There are six basic articles of faith in Islam and five duties. A simple Islamic doctrinal statement would look something like this:

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The Gospel According to Islam


John MacArthur- Grace to You

Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the already ecumenical climate in America has reached new heights. In an effort to distinguish between the extremist Muslim terrorists and the mainstream Muslim population, the media has called for an even higher level of tolerance and acceptance of the religion of Islam than usual.

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The Rise and Fall of the World, Part 2

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The Rise and Fall of the World, Part 1


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How can we determine what doctrines are essential and what are they?

John MacArthur – Grace to You

To begin with, the strongest words of condemnation in all the New Testament are aimed at false teachers who corrupt the Gospel. Therefore the Gospel message itself must be acknowledged as a primary point of fundamental doctrine.

But what message will determine the content of our gospel testimony? The biblical message of instantaneous justification through faith alone-or a system of rituals and sacraments that are supposed to convey grace to the participants with no guarantee of ultimate salvation? What authority will we point people to? The Scriptures alone-or a papal hierarchy and church tradition? Those two gospels are flatly contradictory and mutually exclusive.

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