Part Four: What Must the Church Do? -- By: Luther L. Grubb
Journal: Grace Journal
Volume: GJ 13:1 (Winter 1972)
Article: Part Four: What Must the Church Do?
Author: Luther L. Grubb
GJ 13:1 (Wtr 72) p. 18
Part Four:
What Must the Church Do?
In light of what we have seen, what are the basically important actions for the church to take?
Beware of Apostasy
The local church must constantly beware of apostasy. Unless it guards against the incursions of error and does this actively, by the constant exposition of the Word of God, it will be an easy target for Satan. We cannot overemphasize this fact.
As Paul issued a command to the early Colossian Church, he emphasized this strongly: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Paul knew there were some false teachers in Colosse, and therefore issued a warning against hearing and following them. This same warning stands today for every local church and pastor. This verse is a command. “Beware” is present, active, imperative. The church is to take heed, to have a care actively, about apostasy. Therefore, this is not a mere suggestion. Christians are to watch out for error in doctrine which is all around them today.
“Lest any man,” covers the entire field of those with whom we associate. Any member of our family, a minister, a professor, Sunday School teacher, a close friend, may be the source of this error. Often doctrinal error is found in the most unlikely places. Frequently today people who deal largely with truth mix it with error, a circumstance which makes it doubly deceptive. False religions are Satanically subtle in this. Jesus used a strong word for these people when He spoke to the Pharisees. He called them, “vipers” because of the error they taught. Such teachers, Paul says “spoil you.”
“Spoil” means to plunder, to carry off, or to kidnap. They are not taking something necessarily from the individual, although this is involved, but basically they are taking the person himself as booty in
GJ 13:1 (Wtr 72) p. 19
their doctrinal error. After all, what a man believes not only controls his destiny, but it also controls his personal life and attitudes here on earth. Paul here uses words that might be used of a kidnapper or of a rapist. The false teacher preys on his quarry like an animal and carries him away into error. Such people are usually those who have not seen to it that they have been actively grounded in the truth of the Word of God. The instruments Satan uses to do this are human philosophy and vain deceit. Through the love of wisdom the errorist works. The Gnostics in Colosse were very fond of this. Often the methods of apostates are not in the highest tradition of honesty and sincerity. Much wo...
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