Sep 13, 2020
Originally Presented: March 15th, 2009
Scripture Reading: Romans 16:17-20
Ever since the beginning of the human race there have been those who not only deny the truth about God, but offer alternative and false statements. In the garden of Eden, Satan blatantly declared, "You surely shall not die." His declaration to Eve was as deadly as it was untrue. Then there were the Egyptian magicians mimicking Moses' displays of divine power. And there were the false prophets who challenged Elijah and Jeremiah with idolatrous claims.
In the first century there was no shortage of false teachers, denying the nature and supremacy of Jesus. In Romans 16:17-20, Paul warned the Christians in Rome to be on the lookout for false teachers and turn away from them. In Romans 16:18 Paul exposes the hearts of these men. They are motivated by pride and personal honor rather than by being slaves of Christ.
Today there are many voices of which we must beware. They deny the person of Christ … they deny creation … they deny the reality of hell and they even deny the omniscience of God. The pillars of the church are its doctrines, revealed in the Bible. We must be serious students of the doctrines of the Scriptures or else the description of Romans 16:18 will be true of us - ". . . by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."