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Monday, June 25, 2018

How apostasy occurs

 

"CERTAIN MEN CREPT IN UNNOTICED"

 

In his brief, one chapter, but extremely important letter, Jude exhorted his readers to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).  "The faith" is the full, complete, and final revelation from God to man by Christ through the gospel as set forth in the New Testament.  In it God has revealed all that He has done for mankind's redemption from sin and all that man must do in order to establish and maintain a right relationship with God.  It is the "one faith" (Ephesians 4:5).

 

In the next verse of his epistle Jude explained why it is so important for Christians to earnestly contend for the faith.  He says, "For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4, New King James Version).

 

The King James Version says "certain men crept in unawares."  The American Standard Version says "certain men crept in privily" (i.e. secretly).  The Revised Standard Version says, "For admission has been secretly gained by some."  The New English Bible puts it quite graphically when it says, "Certain persons have wormed their way in."

 

This is a picture of false teachers and how they work.  They never advertise themselves as false teachers.  They never say upfront what their agenda is.  They come in surreptitiously (Phillips' translation).  They enter by stealth, unnoticed for who and what they really are, showing great (though false) humility (Colossians 2:23), speaking "great swelling words of emptiness," appearing to be so kind and so loving and so spiritual minded, "flattering people to gain advantage" (II Peter 2:18; Jude 16).

 

In reality, those who creep in are "false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves," as our Lord warned in Matthew 17:5.  They are "savage wolves" who "come in among you, not sparing the flock," as Paul stated in Acts 20:29. Of such false teachers the apostle said, "And their message will spread like cancer" (gangrene, ASV) (II Timothy 2:17).  Elsewhere he declared, "For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple (the undiscerning)" (Romans 16:18).  In the previous verse Paul had plainly said to mark (note) such divisive teachers and avoid them (i.e., have no association with them) (Romans 16:17).

 

Let me be plain here: What the preceding texts are warning of still occurs today!   False teachers, lacking the integrity to let others know what they really believe about various vital matters, "worm their way in" to various venues in order to influence and change the thinking, practice, tone, and tenor of those settings.

 

It happens in local congregations.  Preachers come in whose views are not in alignment with New Testament teaching on such matters as instrumental music in the worship of the church, the role of women in the church, and the undenominational nature of the church.  With a liberal, mocking, deriding view of the New Testament as a pattern for the people of God in all ages and how it authorizes, they soon wreak havoc in those congregations.  Men who do not know their right hand from their left spiritually speaking manage to get themselves appointed as elders (worm their way in) and begin to allow such matters as those mentioned above (and a host of others) to be taught and practiced in the local church. Eventually, that church loses its identity as being "of Christ."

 

It happens in the Bible Departments of our Christian colleges and universities.  While it is not always the case, it is often the case that young and inexperienced men in the faith (as well as sometimes older men) study in denominational seminaries and in schools of divinity attached to secular universities.  Not being "grounded and steadfast in the faith" (Colossians 1:23), they become easy prey for the infidelity and liberalism to which they are exposed in those schools.  They become enamored with the "scholarship" and the academic euphoria found at such schools, and they breathe the very "air" of those institutions.  They come to believe that they have risen above the rest of their "unenlightened brethren back at home." Then they are hired to teach in the Bible Departments of our schools where they bring their unbiblical and liberal views and corrupt the faith of many young people (including young aspiring preachers) who are influenced by them and their teaching.  It has happened again and again, it is happening today, and the Bible Departments of some of our colleges and universities are now completely dominated by such men.

 

Most recently it has happened in a Middle Tennessee gathering of preachers (and a few non-preachers) who meet for a half a day once a month for study, reflection, and fellowship.  Into this gathering has crept one whose views on several matters are not in line with the known views of most of those attending this gathering.  Yet, he has been welcomed with open arms by some and has been allowed to present and distribute sermon outlines, review books, participate in leadership roles in the meetings, and in general to have an influence on those too easily impressed with what is falsely called "scholarship." 

 

While some who attend this gathering may agree with (or at least be in sympathy with) his views and those of the university where he serves as a Professor of Bible, nevertheless since I have made known my objection to his participation in these meetings (first to him and later to the group as a whole) a number of attendees have spoken to me about this matter and agree with me.  One of the former regular attendees wrote to me saying, "Dear Hugh, I sincerely appreciate your conscientious stand for truth.  I have struggled with the same feelings of confliction, wanting to be at the meetings but knowing the liberal influences."  Another wrote: "Hugh...agreed with your email on ___________________ (the name of the person).  / I appreciate your stand for the truth."  Others have sent private messages and some have expressed themselves verbally to me about their concern over this situation. 

 

I understand that this is an informal gathering, and no one has the authority to ban another from attending.  At the same time, no one has the authority to ban me from speaking out and registering my objection to the participation of this person in the meetings.  As noted above, others agree with my objection to his participating in the meetings.  As the old saying goes, "We shall see what we shall see" where this matter is concerned, but we all would do well to heed the admonition and warning of Jude 3-4.

 

Hugh Fulford

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