Five Spiritual Nuggets
To Ponder 021708
6. Some false teachers instruct the way they do to avoid persecution:
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. (Gal 6:12)
Some others distort God’s word for money:
Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. (Jude 1:11)
They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:11)
As Paul wrote, money can have various allurements into evil, which can cause even some Christians to wander away from salvation:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tim 6:10)
Regardless why the false doctrine is declared, we must become carefully acquainted with God’s truth so that we can identify error.
7. For a Christian to teach certain false doctrines will bring swift spiritual destruction and damnation on him:
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Gal 1:8,9)
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. (2 Pet 2:1)
NOTE: 2 Pet. 2:1 shows those false teachers were bought by the Lord. That can only refer to Jesus’ blood buying them at their own personal salvation. Yet, the same will have swift spiritual destruction upon themselves for teaching certain false doctrines.
8. Jesus draws all people to himself (eternal life), since his death on the cross:
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:32,33)
Hence, Jesus is now not only praying for the saints while sitting at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 7:25), he is also drawing all unsaved people to himself so they can be saved. It is his will that all come to salvation, but their opportunities for such will end one day, as shown by what Jesus will say to some of the same at a later point in time:
Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mat 25:41)
The people spoken to will surely remember those stinging words throughout eternity. Those will be the last words spoken to them before getting cast into hell’s fires.
9. Though good and evil are opposites, they are not always easily distinguished from each other:
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Heb 5:14)
This is especially true with various visions, especially among Catholics, Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists. Visions from such sources often condemn sin but also promote teachings which will lead one away from trusting in the Lord Jesus 100% for his salvation.
10. Not all prophecies from God have a thus saith the Lord attached to them. 2 Kings 4:16 is one example. This information is important for Mormons who will sometimes try to protect Joseph Smith from his own false prophecies by saying some of them lack a thus saith the Lord and therefore were not prophecies.
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