Let Us Oppose False Doctrines

One of the greatest responsibilities resting upon every Christian is the obligation to uphold the truth of God's Word and oppose every doctrine that contradicts divine revelation. We are living in a religious world in which doctrinal differences are frequently minimized, religious error is often tolerated in the name of love, and those who insist upon following the Scriptures are sometimes accused of being narrow-minded, judgmental, or divisive. Yet the question before us is not whether the defense of truth is popular with men, but whether it is commanded by God. The New Testament repeatedly warns Christians about the dangers of false doctrine, identifies the destructive influence of false teachers, and commands the faithful to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. To remain silent in the presence of religious error is not necessarily an expression of Christian love, for genuine love rejoices with the truth rather than unrighteousness (1 Corinthians 13:6). If we truly love God, His Word, and the souls of men, we must be willing to distinguish truth from error and stand firmly upon that which the Lord has revealed.

The apostle John addressed this responsibility in unmistakable language when he wrote concerning the doctrine of Christ in 2 John 9–11. His inspired warning establishes that there is such a thing as the doctrine of Christ, that this doctrine can be recognized and identified, and that departing from it has serious spiritual consequences. John explains that the individual who goes beyond the teaching of Christ and does not remain in it does not have God, whereas the one who remains in that teaching has both the Father and the Son. He further warns against receiving or encouraging those who bring teaching contrary to the doctrine of Christ. This passage demonstrates that doctrinal faithfulness is not an optional matter reserved for preachers, elders, or Bible teachers, but an essential obligation for everyone who desires fellowship with God. The Lord has not left His people without a standard by which religious teaching may be examined, nor has He authorized Christians to treat contradictory doctrines as equally acceptable expressions of faith.

The Scriptures repeatedly establish that Christians must be prepared to defend the gospel against those who would corrupt it. Paul declared that he was appointed for the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:17), and he instructed Christians to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). When Paul reasoned with the Jews and others in Athens, he did not abandon the truth to avoid controversy, but engaged those who held religious beliefs contrary to divine revelation (Acts 17:17). Likewise, Jude urged Christians to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (Jude 3). The Christian's responsibility is not to invent arguments, promote personal opinions, or defend human traditions, but to uphold the revealed Word of God against every teaching that would undermine its authority. A defense of the gospel must always be conducted with the Scriptures as the final standard, for the power to save belongs to the gospel itself and not to the wisdom or persuasive abilities of men (Romans 1:16–17).

The seriousness of this responsibility becomes even more evident when we consider the warnings Jesus and His apostles issued concerning false teachers. In Matthew 7:15–23, the Lord warned His disciples to beware of false prophets who approach in sheep's clothing while inwardly possessing the destructive nature of ravenous wolves. Their outward appearance may be religious, their language may sound spiritual, and their claims may seem impressive, but their teaching and conduct must be examined according to the revealed will of God. Jesus made it clear that merely calling Him Lord does not guarantee entrance into the kingdom of heaven, for entrance belongs to those who do the will of His Father. John likewise instructed Christians not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to determine whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1–6). These warnings would be meaningless if doctrinal error were harmless or if sincerity alone made every religious teaching acceptable.

Furthermore, the inspired apostle Paul instructed Christians to take note of those who cause divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching they had learned, and to turn away from them (Romans 16:17–18). It is important to recognize that the division condemned in this passage arises from departures from apostolic doctrine, not from the faithful proclamation of that doctrine. Those who introduce teachings contrary to the Word of God are responsible for the spiritual obstacles their errors produce. Paul warned that such individuals may use smooth and flattering speech to deceive unsuspecting hearts, demonstrating that false doctrine is not always presented in an openly hostile or irreligious manner. Sometimes it comes through persuasive personalities, appealing language, and claims of greater understanding or spiritual maturity. Titus 3:10–11 further instructs Christians concerning the rejection of a divisive person after appropriate warnings. These passages establish that Christians must exercise discernment and must not permit personal friendships, popularity, or religious influence to take precedence over loyalty to Christ.

Before we can properly oppose false doctrine, however, we must recognize that there is such a thing as true doctrine. Religious truth does not originate in human imagination, denominational tradition, theological speculation, or the decisions of religious councils. It originates with God Himself. Hebrews 1:1–2 explains that God, who formerly spoke through the prophets, has spoken in these last days through His Son. Jesus repeatedly affirmed that His teaching came from the Father who sent Him. In John 17:8 and 14, He explained that He had given His disciples the words received from the Father, while John 12:48–50 establishes that His words possess the authority by which men will be judged at the last day. Consequently, the doctrine of Christ is not one religious philosophy among many, but the authoritative revelation of the eternal God. To reject His teaching is to reject the authority of the One who sent Him.

This divine revelation was subsequently communicated through the apostles by the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised His apostles that the Spirit of truth would guide them into all the truth (John 16:13), and He assured them that the Spirit would provide the necessary guidance for their inspired testimony (Matthew 10:19–20). Before ascending into heaven, the Lord commissioned them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe everything He had commanded (Matthew 28:18–20). Mark 16:15–20 likewise records the commission to proclaim the gospel throughout the world, accompanied by the confirmation of the message through miraculous signs. The apostles were therefore not authorized to establish their own religious systems, revise the teachings of Christ, or create competing doctrines. They were commissioned to proclaim the truth revealed by God, and the message they delivered carries divine authority.

That inspired revelation has been preserved for us in the written Word of God. Paul declared in 2 Timothy 3:15–17 that the sacred writings are able to give the wisdom leading to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, and that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness. The result is that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work. This passage establishes both the divine origin and the sufficiency of Scripture for the spiritual responsibilities God has assigned. Christians do not need additional revelations, human creeds, or ecclesiastical traditions to determine what they must believe and practice. When God has spoken, His Word must settle the matter. Any doctrine that cannot be established from the Scriptures must not be imposed upon the church as though it possessed divine authority.

The Bible describes this revealed system of divine teaching by several significant expressions, each emphasizing its nature and importance. It is called the truth, because it reveals reality as God has declared it and provides the standard by which men are made free from sin. Jesus taught that knowing the truth brings freedom (John 8:32), and in His prayer to the Father He declared that God's Word is truth (John 17:17). It is also called the gospel, because it announces the saving work of Jesus Christ and reveals the righteousness of God through faith (Romans 1:16–17). The gospel is not merely a message intended to produce an initial emotional response, but the divine revelation through which sinners learn how to be saved and Christians learn how to live faithfully before God.

This revealed teaching is also called the faith, an expression that frequently refers to the objective body of truth revealed through Christ and His apostles. Paul spoke of the coming of the faith in Galatians 3:23, and in Galatians 1:23 he was described as preaching the faith he had formerly tried to destroy. Jude 3 commands Christians to contend for this faith, while 2 Corinthians 13:5 instructs believers to examine themselves to determine whether they are in the faith. Such passages demonstrate that Christianity involves more than personal religious feelings or an undefined belief in God. There is an identifiable body of teaching to which Christians must submit, and faithfulness requires that our beliefs and practices agree with that revelation.

The Scriptures further describe this revelation as sound doctrine. Paul instructed Titus to speak the things fitting for sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), while Peter commanded those who speak to do so as speaking the utterances of God (1 Peter 4:11). Isaiah 8:20 likewise establishes the enduring principle that religious claims must be measured against what God has revealed. Sound doctrine is spiritually healthy teaching because it originates with the God who cannot lie and directs men toward righteousness. False doctrine, by contrast, is spiritually destructive because it introduces error into matters concerning man's relationship with God. The importance of sound doctrine cannot be separated from the importance of godly living, because what a person believes inevitably influences what he practices.

Christianity is also described as the Way, emphasizing that the gospel reveals the path of salvation and faithful service to God. Jesus declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). In Matthew 7:13–14, He distinguished between the broad way leading to destruction and the narrow way leading to life. The Lord did not present these as equally acceptable alternatives, nor did He suggest that men could establish their own paths to heaven. There is one Savior, one gospel, and one divinely revealed way of reconciliation with God. The narrowness of this way does not originate in the prejudice of Christians, but in the authority of Jesus Christ Himself.

Because there is one divinely revealed system of truth, every false doctrine must differ from that truth in some respect. One way in which error operates is by directly contradicting what God has revealed. Whenever a religious teacher declares something contrary to an explicit statement of Scripture, the contradiction must be resolved in favor of God's Word. Human reasoning cannot overturn divine revelation, and religious popularity cannot transform error into truth. Jesus prayed that His followers might be united through the word delivered by His apostles (John 17:20–23). The unity for which Christ prayed is not produced by disregarding doctrinal differences or pretending that contradictory teachings are equally valid. Genuine spiritual unity must rest upon the truth revealed by God, because agreement achieved through the abandonment of divine teaching is not the unity authorized by Christ.

A second way false doctrine operates is by going beyond what God has written. This is the very danger emphasized in 2 John 9–11, where the inspired writer warns against departing from the teaching of Christ. The principle is not new, for Moses instructed Israel not to add to the commandments of God or take away from them (Deuteronomy 4:2). Revelation 22:18–19 likewise contains a solemn warning against adding to or taking away from the words of the prophecy of that book. Although these passages occur in different covenantal and literary settings, they consistently demonstrate the seriousness of altering divine revelation. When men introduce religious doctrines, worship practices, or requirements without authority from God, they place human judgment above the revealed will of the Lord. The question must never be merely whether a practice is attractive, traditional, or seemingly beneficial, but whether it is authorized by the teaching of Christ.

A third way false doctrine operates is by falling short of the truth. Religious error does not always involve adding something to Scripture; sometimes it involves neglecting, removing, or refusing to teach what God has commanded. Deuteronomy 12:32 emphasizes the obligation to observe God's commands without adding to or taking away from them, while Numbers 22:18 records Balaam's acknowledgment that he could not go beyond the command of the Lord, whether in a small or great matter. The principle is clear: human beings do not possess the authority to determine which divine instructions deserve obedience and which may be ignored. When religious teachers proclaim only those portions of Scripture that are popular while withholding teachings that confront sin, require repentance, or distinguish the Lord's church from human religious institutions, they fail to declare the whole counsel of God. Paul could affirm that he was innocent of the blood of all men because he had not avoided declaring the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:26–27). Every faithful preacher should strive to maintain that same commitment.

The destructive nature of false doctrine becomes especially apparent when it perverts the divine plan of salvation. The New Testament reveals that salvation is made possible through the grace of God and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, but it also identifies the response of faith and obedience required of those who would receive that salvation. Jesus taught the necessity of believing in Him (John 8:24), while repentance is commanded of all people because God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30–31). The confession of faith in Christ is exemplified in the good confession Timothy made before many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12), and baptism into Christ is connected with the forgiveness of sins and entrance into Christ (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:27). Peter expressly states that baptism now saves, while explaining its significance in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21). Any teaching that removes a divinely commanded response from the gospel, substitutes a humanly devised plan of salvation, or offers assurance apart from the conditions revealed by Christ and His apostles must be rejected.

False doctrine also corrupts the worship of the church when human innovations are substituted for the pattern established in the New Testament. Jesus taught that true worshipers must worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24). The New Testament identifies the practices of the church in passages such as Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, and 1 Corinthians 16:1–2. These passages provide instruction concerning the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, prayers, congregational singing, and giving. Christians must be concerned not merely with whether an act of worship seems sincere or emotionally uplifting, but whether it agrees with the authority of Christ. Sincerity is essential, but sincerity does not authorize practices God has not instructed His people to perform. Worship must be regulated by divine revelation rather than the preferences and inventions of men.

Likewise, false doctrine may distort the nature, organization, and identity of the church. Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), and the Lord added the saved to the number of His people (Acts 2:47). Paul taught that Christ is the head of the church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:22–23), and that there is one body (Ephesians 4:4). The church is therefore not a human institution that men possess the right to reorganize according to denominational preferences, but a spiritual body belonging to Jesus Christ. Its teaching, worship, work, and organization must be governed by His authority. Paul instructed the elders from Ephesus to shepherd the church of God and warned that savage wolves would arise, even from among their own number, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves (Acts 20:28–32). This warning demonstrates that departures from the truth may originate within the church as well as outside it, making constant vigilance necessary.

False doctrine may also undermine the godly life required of Christians. Sound teaching is not merely an academic matter, because the gospel calls believers to holiness, self-control, righteousness, and obedience. Paul instructed Titus to teach conduct consistent with sound doctrine, including faithfulness and integrity in the responsibilities of daily life (Titus 2:1–10). The Christian cannot separate doctrine from practice as though correct teaching were unimportant so long as a person appears morally respectable. Neither can he claim doctrinal faithfulness while refusing to live according to the commandments of Christ. The truth that saves men from sin also instructs them to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner (Titus 2:11–14). Therefore, any doctrine that excuses sin, weakens the obligation of obedience, or diminishes the necessity of holy living contradicts the purpose of the gospel.

The danger of false doctrine is intensified by the fact that Scripture predicts its continued appearance among those who profess religion. Paul warned Timothy that the Spirit explicitly said some would fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1–3). Peter likewise warned that false teachers would secretly introduce destructive heresies and that many would follow their sensuality, bringing the way of truth into disrepute (2 Peter 2:1–2). Paul further predicted a time when people would not tolerate sound doctrine, but would accumulate teachers according to their own desires, turning their ears away from the truth and toward myths (2 Timothy 4:1–4). These warnings reveal that false teaching often prospers because people prefer messages that satisfy their desires rather than instructions that demand repentance and obedience. The faithful Christian must therefore resist the temptation to evaluate religious teaching according to popularity, eloquence, or emotional appeal.

This responsibility is especially important for those entrusted with teaching and spiritual leadership. Paul instructed the Ephesian elders to be on guard for themselves and for all the flock, reminding them that the church had been purchased at tremendous cost and that dangers would arise from both outside and within (Acts 20:28–32). Hebrews 13:7 and 17 emphasizes the importance of faithful spiritual leadership and the accountability associated with watching over souls. Those who preach and teach the Word of God must never regard doctrinal purity as an insignificant matter, for their responsibility involves the eternal welfare of those who hear them. The preacher who knowingly tolerates error to preserve popularity or avoid opposition fails to appreciate the seriousness of his calling. Likewise, Christians who refuse to examine the teachings of influential religious personalities expose themselves to the very dangers against which the apostles warned.

Nevertheless, opposing false doctrine must never become an excuse for dishonesty, personal bitterness, or reckless accusations. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to correct those in opposition with gentleness, in the hope that God might grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:24–26). He also instructed that those who continue in sin be rebuked in the presence of all, so that others may be fearful of sinning (1 Timothy 5:20). These instructions demonstrate that biblical correction must be governed by both truth and the circumstances involved. We must accurately represent what others teach, distinguish honest misunderstandings from deliberate efforts to deceive, and rely upon Scripture rather than personal attacks. Yet we must never confuse biblical gentleness with a refusal to confront error. Love for souls demands that we warn them when their beliefs or practices place them in spiritual danger.

It is sometimes argued that opposition to false doctrine is itself responsible for religious division, but such reasoning fails to distinguish between the cause of division and the exposure of that cause. When a physician identifies a dangerous disease, he does not become responsible for the disease simply because he names it. In a similar way, the faithful proclamation of God's Word does not become divisive merely because it exposes doctrines that contradict divine revelation. Paul did not encourage Christians to maintain fellowship with destructive teaching for the sake of outward peace. Instead, he commanded them to recognize those who create obstacles contrary to apostolic doctrine and turn away from them (Romans 16:17–18). The unity of the church must be maintained upon the foundation of truth, not purchased through silence concerning error. Jesus Himself declared that His Word would be the standard of judgment on the last day (John 12:48), making faithfulness to that Word infinitely more important than acceptance by the religious world.

Every Christian must therefore cultivate a personal commitment to the careful study and application of Scripture. The ability to recognize false doctrine depends upon familiarity with true doctrine. Those who rarely open their Bibles, neglect serious study, and depend entirely upon the opinions of religious leaders are especially vulnerable to persuasive error. The Bereans were commended because they received the message eagerly while examining the Scriptures daily to determine whether the things they heard were so (Acts 17:11). Their example establishes the proper attitude toward religious teaching: an eagerness to hear accompanied by a determination to verify everything through divine revelation. No preacher, teacher, congregation, school, or religious organization possesses authority above the Word of God. Every claim must be tested by the Scriptures, and every practice must be brought into submission to the teaching of Christ.

In conclusion, the obligation to oppose false doctrine arises from the very nature of divine truth and the authority of Jesus Christ. God has revealed His will through His Son, communicated that revelation through the inspired apostles, and preserved the truth in the Scriptures so that men may know how to be saved and how to live acceptably before Him. That truth is described as the gospel, the faith, sound doctrine, and the Way, and it must neither be contradicted, supplemented with human inventions, nor diminished through the omission of divine commands. False doctrine threatens the salvation of souls, corrupts worship, distorts the identity and work of the church, undermines godly living, and destroys the unity that Christ desires among His people. For these reasons, faithful Christians must never surrender the truth for the sake of popularity, personal relationships, or religious compromise. Let us study the Scriptures diligently, proclaim the whole counsel of God courageously, correct error with biblical conviction, and contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Above all, let us remember that our responsibility is not to defend a human religious tradition, but to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Word will judge us in the last day. May we always possess the courage to oppose false doctrines, the wisdom to distinguish truth from error, and the unwavering determination to abide in the doctrine of Christ.

Source Citation: Adapted and expanded from Gus Nichols, “Let Us Oppose False Doctrines,” sermon outline, from the Gus Nichols After 50 Years Jump Drive, preserved in the Gus Nichols scanned notes collection. Original date unknown.