Our correspondent referred to some of the recent subjects taken up in "The Editor's Column" regarding certain evil teachings that have crept into the professing church, and suggested that we quote the scriptures that are used by those who teach error, and then that we explain how these same scriptures are misused.
ANSWER: It scarcely falls within the scope of this publication to take up the misapplied and distorted scriptures that are used by the false teachers of the cults. It would be an almost endless task, and eventually we would have to come back to the firm foundation on which our faith rests—the plain, incontestable statements of Scripture.
All of the teachers of false doctrines have fixed but delusive paths through the Scriptures. They will lead one on from place to place, verse to verse, and quote passages that have no connection with the subject being attacked. Practically all of the false doctrines are supposedly built on the statements of Scripture. But none of this need alarm us, for the Word of God never contradicts itself, so if we know a certain truth from a plain statement of Scripture we need never fear that anything else in that blessed volume will ever alter what we know. We can take our stand there with all confidence.
It is of these heterodox teachers that the "babes" in the family are warned in 1 John 2:18-2718Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:18‑27). Their danger is false doctrine, but even they need not be misled by it, for they—the babes—"have an unction from the Holy One, and... know all things." The Holy Spirit who indwells the one who was saved only yesterday will teach him what is not the truth. What the young convert needs is simple faith and confidence in God. He may then be like the lady of whom we heard; she was truly saved, but not deeply taught, and when some of the so-called "Jehovah's Witnesses" came to her with their false doctrine she simply replied, "I do not know what is wrong with it, but it is not the Shepherd's voice." The Spirit of God gave her to be conscious of the defects in their speech; their speech always betrays them. It reminds us of the greatest of all false teachers—the false prophet who is to come, the antichrist—who will have a deceptive appearance, but a telltale speech:
It is not wise to allow these people to take the lead in conversation; in fact it is wiser to leave them alone. Those who have gone into these fundamental errors and become teachers of it are almost without exception irrecoverable. They seem to be given over to it as by the government of God, somewhat in the same manner in which the false profession of Christianity will be given over in the day now speedily approaching: "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:11, 1211And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11‑12).
There may be times when one would not be sure that the person who mentions such errors is a teacher of it, and so would want to answer him. But in any such case it is always prudent to stay fast by what you know the Word of God says; do not be led about by a fast scampering through the pages of the Bible, but make all stand or fall on a simple statement that you do know. Keep to it, and keep the questioner to it.
We might illustrate this by naming a few points: suppose the one who comes to you is suspected of holding to the false teachings of "Jehovah's Witnesses"; challenge him on the ground that the Lord Jesus is truly God (watch that he does not admit that He is the Son of God and yet deny that He is truly God Himself) and this will bring out the seriousness of the error.* You do not need to know all the misuse he will make of Scripture in an attempt to prove his point, but stand fast as to what you know; for instance, John 1:1, 21In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1‑2). "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." Here we find the eternity of His being (He was in the beginning), the distinctness of His Person (He was with God), and His own deity, for He "was God." Your acquaintance, being a deceiver or a deceived one, may refer to the fact that the Lord Jesus as born into the world was declared to be the Son of God—"Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee" (Psa. 2:77I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2:7))—or that in Matthew 3 He was declared to be the Son of God after His baptism. All this in no way nullifies the fact of His deity and eternal existence, but merely brings out that as a man in this world He was called the Son of God. Rom. 1:44And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Romans 1:4) connects this with His being declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from among the dead.
If the perfect sinlessness of the Lord Jesus as a man down here is attacked, you need not know more or press more than, He "did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth" (1 Pet. 2:2222Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1 Peter 2:22)), and that He "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)), and "in Him is no sin" (1 John 3:55And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)). He is a liar who denies this, and one may safely cut any conversation short with such a person. It would be hard to imagine all the twisting and turning of the Scriptures that would be done to refuse these simple, clear, and precise statements. Much error along this particular line has come from a bad use of the Psalms. There are some psalms in which the language is that of the Lord Jesus Himself, but in others He identifies Himself with a suffering Jewish remnant. It will be obvious' that if you take the language of the remnant in their sin, and make it apply to the Lord, it is basic error.
If the subject be "soul-sleeping," the false teacher will probably refer to Ecclesiastes where the language is that of a man "under the sun" who sees all here, and no more. It is apart from a revelation. But here again, stand on what you know—"To depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" for the saints, and Luke 16 which draws aside the veil and lets us see the misery of the lost, even before the resurrection and final judgment.
If the deluded soul seeks to assure himself that there is no hell, you need not try to answer all his "foolish and unlearned questions," but stand by what you know, as in Mark 9, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched," and "the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are [they will have been there a thousand years then, and are not annihilated], and shall • be tormented day and night forever and ever." Rev. 20:1010And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10).
When the Lord Jesus was down here the devil once came to Him with (as it were) a Bible in his hand. He sought to have the Lord tempt God o see if He would be as good as is word, and then quoted a part of the 91st Psalm. What he did was to quote only a portion of it, which in reality falsified what it did say. The devil said, "It is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." Matt. 4:66And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Matthew 4:6). But the devil left out that the angels who were to take care of the Messiah were "to keep Thee in all Thy ways." Now the enemy craftily applied a psalm to the Lord that properly applies to Him, but it certainly was no authority for Him to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple to see if the angels would take care of Him in so doing. The word said that they would keep Him in all His ways, not just in some unwonted test. Now the Lord might have said to him, "Satan, you have misquoted that scripture," but He did not; He merely replied by quoting another scripture; namely, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." The Lord knew the devil was misusing the Word, but He also knew, from another statement, that the thought he suggested was wrong. And so with us; we may not know that a certain scripture is actually being misquoted, or misused, but we should know from other portions of the Word of God by what principles we should act; and so we would be kept. Stand by what you do know, and do not reason, but accept the veritable language of Scripture in all simplicity.