Dissensions and Hindrances

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:17-20 NASB

“those who cause dissensions and hindrances” in the Church are Satan inspired false teachers. Troublemakers. Demonic sowers of discord among the brethren (something God hates: Proverbs 6:19).  The writers of the New Testament epistles warned repeatedly about these evildoers. There are almost always some of these types in the local congregations. Some may be just arrogant and ignorant, having no respect for the perfect Word of Truth or the Pastors who disseminate Bible Doctrine to the Body of Christ. Often, they are deliberate plants of Satan; false teachers whose mission it is to distort scripture and confuse the gullible among us.

“the teaching which you learned” from  Paul and the other early Church pastors. They had learned from Jesus himself, or one of His disciples, the doctrines of the Church. The troublemakers want to take advantage of the love and grace being practiced by believers, so they put on a phony front of drippy, gushy, smarmy LOVE, or higher knowledge (mysticism), or they insist that faith is not enough; you must also keep the law. Or they have non-biblical expectations of the Pastor and his family, and complain about his negligence of their personal issues. The pastor’s job is to study and teach Bible doctrine; the congregation’s job is to learn that doctrine and make personal application to their own issues, thereby growing in grace and knowledge.

I Timothy 1:3-4 NIV As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer  or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 

1:6-7 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,  they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions  and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6:20-21 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Colossians 2:4  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

2 Peter 2:3  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

What to do? “turn away from them.” Very simple. Notice who they are, realize they are not only wrong, but are trying to corrupt your faith. Stay away from these people. You don’t need anything they have to offer. Since they are deliberately trying to distract you, you cannot expect to correct them. They are evil posing as good. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. The idea of listening to them for the purpose of “knowing the enemy” is not a valid practice. We don’t need to know their evil. We need to be “innocent about evil.” What we need to be is “wise” about God’s truth. If you are familiar with what is true, you will instantly recognize what is false. It just doesn’t ring true, to the serious student of scripture. And scripture, in the Church, is all you need. Not “some says,” not myths, not “new revelations.”

When Jesus was confronted with lies and legalistic controversies, His answer always began with “it is written.” The written Word of God was the final authority then and it is the final authority now.

Paul was delighted with the doctrinal stability of the Roman Saints. They had not been hoodwinked by the false teachers. Still, he didn’t want them to ever let down their guard against the evil of the troublemakers. They really don’t go away, but God will deal with them as only He can in due time.