Read with Me
1 Timothy 6:3-5 (HCSB)
If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing, but has a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
Listen with Me
Already in the mid 60’s AD there were corrupt teachers making the rounds in the Churches, especially in Europe and the Roman province of Asia where Timothy was ministering in Ephesus. These were not the Judaizers whom Paul had battled for so many years. Instead, these were largely Gnostics and outright heretics who jettisoned the testimony of the apostles and instead taught “spiritual secrets” and “deep truths”.
Of course, these false teachers were not willing to share their secret knowledge for free. But if you were willing to pay their fee, they would induct you into a form of “mystery religion” based loosely on Christianity, but touted as vastly superior, and only for those who were spiritually advanced enough to grasp it. Interestingly, the sign of being “spiritually advanced” was a willingness to pay their fees and to sit under their tutelage!
One hallmark of these false teachers was that they insisted on reinterpreting the clear teachings of Scripture and the clear sayings of Jesus. They reworked the words and phrases with their so-called secret knowledge until the words and sense came to mean something very different, and sometimes the very opposite of their plain meaning in context.
The result of this was division in the Church between those who relied on the clear word of Scripture and those who now believe that they had greater spiritual understanding of those Scriptures. Those who fell for the teachings of these false shepherds did not see themselves as misguided, but as more spiritually mature, having achieved a higher level of understanding and spiritual growth. And they looked down on those in the Church who simply believed what the Scripture said as being less mature.
But Paul saw these false teachers for what they were, and he saw the damage that they were doing to the unity of the Church in order to build their own brand and to reap a financial gain. So, he did not sugarcoat his disdain for these men or temper his condemnation of the damage that they were causing in the body of Christ.
Pray with Me
Father, this is a warning we would do well to heed even today, because those “teachers” are still with us, claiming to possess secret knowledge quote that will get you to a “higher level” than those who lack such knowledge. But Your kingdom, according to Your word, doesn’t have “levels” like that, only maturity. And that maturity isn’t obtained by secret knowledge, but by faithfulness to Your clear word and obedience to Your clear commands. Help me, Lord, to never allow myself to be drawn away from You by the promises of some person or other trying to build their own reputation instead of trying to build Your kingdom. Amen.