It Starts Small

Yesterday I wrote about Devilish power corrupting and creating false religions. The danger and how to discern between the Spirit of God and the deceiver spirits in this world. Acts 8 gives us a great example of a man named Simon who had tapped into the power of evil to do many signs and wonders. He captivated the hearts and the minds of the people and because of the miracles he preformed, they all believed his power came from God. He used his power to lie, deceive and manipulate the people.

We also learn from Simon the devilish pride in religion.

⁹ But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: Acts 8:9

The Word of God describes him as someone who thought he was a great person. A classic example of someone who was egocentric or inflated with pride. The hallmark of all false religion, teachers, preachers and Christians is pride. Pride is what made the devil, the devil.

¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14

Five times the devil said “I will.”

I will ascend into heaven.
I will exalt my throne above God.
I will sit upon the mount of congregation.
I will ascend.
I will be the most high.

The devil’s false religion says MY WILL be done, not THY WILL be done. All false religion is based in will worship, a self-centered will. All false religions are built on pride.

³ If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; ⁴ He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, ⁵ Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Paul describes in great detail what will worship and false religion is. We, sadly, take the power of satan too lightly. If we are going to take him seriously, we need to understand how to expose his deception. He’s the master and deception and manipulations. Paul tells Timothy, to identify false teachers, you will be able to spot them by these characteristics. A false teacher is one who teaches false doctrines and doesn’t agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ.

#1 No respect for Authority

Verse 3 speaks about the lack of respect for authority. Often times false teachers or Christians will mix truth and lies about God’s existence, nature, or attributes. They may also deny the Trinity or teach errors about the virgin birth of Christ and Christ’s work and purpose on earth. Honestly, the sky is the limit for how a false teacher or Christian will corrupt or pervert the Word of God. They may even deny the authenticity, inspiration, authority or inerrancy of scripture.

Why? They have no real reverence or respect for the Word of God or God himself. They have no fear (reverence) of the Lord and to them there is no consequence in using the Word of God to obtain their own selfish desires.

#2 Proud and No Understanding

Paul continues to say (verse 4) that false teachers and Christians are proud and have no understanding. A mark of a false believer is conceit, over confidence, and self-important. He has the wrong attitude and his conceit is a sign of his spiritual unhealthiness.

Conceit and pride is unhealthy and God give extensive warning about pride in His word.

¹⁰ Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10

Paul goes on to tell us that false teachers and Christians have an unhealthy appetite for strife and contention. Pride ignores the face value and truth of God’s Word. They easily twist it to serve self-interests instead of just accepting what he has plainly spoken. It’s our responsibility to make sure that we are not reinterpreting God’s Word to suit our own desires.

What does God say?
What has He clearly spoken in His Word?
Are we living our lives in obedience to the sound instruction of the Word of God?
Are we twisting the Word to suit our own desires?

#3 Envy

Paul warns that enviousness is the mark of a false teacher Christian. They are never satisfied or content. When someone else has something they feel they should have, they will twist the Word of God to demean or steal what another has by destroying them with falsehoods. The will take a real situation and instead of being filled with the love of God and through that love extend grace mercy and forgiveness, they will do the opposite. They will work to destroy a blessing of God instead of celebrating it. As Christians we need to keep envy in check.

DO you celebrate and praise God for other’s blessings?

#4 Strife

The devil excels at creating strife through people in all relationships. Does not matter if it is the body of Christ, marriages, friendships, or family. The devil’s number one tool is to create strife. It opens the door to destroying relationships and it all starts with pride. A proud heart can not love, nor can it extend the grace and mercy required to forgive.

#5  Malicious talk and Slander.

Malicious talk is blasphemy against God. When it is used against other men it is abusive speech or slander.

⁸ But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Colossians 3:8

This sort of speech has no room in the life of a Christian. We must watch and really listen to what teachers and Christians say concerning others. If their speech is malicious towards others, it is a mark of a false teacher or Christian.

18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. Proverbs 10:18

There is no place in a believers life for gossip or slander. The mark of a false teacher and Christian is they think they can conceal their hate, but their words will reveal their true motive and heart.

#6 Evil Suspicions

Paul continues to describe false teachers and Christians as those who have evil suspicions. Can you really blame them? The speak evil, do evil, so they probably look over their should and wonder who might find them out. They untrusting and constantly suspicious of other’s actions. They are constantly trying to spin the actions and words of others as evil doing with evil intentions.

#7 Constant Friction

In verse 5, Paul writes that false teachers and Christians cause constant friction, are corrupt and destitute of truth in their minds and see godliness as a gain to selfish desires. A mark of those who are false is they are jealous, escalate fighting, blasphemy, insult, constantly suspicious, and create constant friction. They produce nothing good at all in their life. They, themselves have been robbed of the truth of God and so they promote only what they know. They lead others astray thinking they are in pursuit of truth, but because they are robbed of truth they teach corruption of God’s Word.

To make a quick list, Paul sums up what devilish pride in religion creates:

Doesn’t agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ
He is conceited and understands nothing
He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words
Envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction
Robbed of the truth and they use their position to achieve financial gain

We really need to be on guard that we are not led astray of false teaching. The heart of it is in the heart its self. Pride is the root of all evil. Pride comes from the devil. We need to make sure we are saying THY will be done and not MY WILL be done. We need to guard ourselves from will worship and make sure we are not using the Word of God as a weapon against the saved and unsaved. It is a sword, but we need to let the Holy Spirit do the battling, not us. God’s Word is not a weapon to browbeat or mistreat others.