Reading someone’s final words can sum up what they said and what is essential for the reader to take to heart. Many times, these final words contain a warning. They are exclamation points attached to what someone said, just like it was with Paul’s closing words in the last chapter of his letter to the Romans.
“Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words, they deceive innocent people” (Romans 16: 17-18).
Paul included similar warnings in the closing chapters of all his letters to the Church. He warned about many aspects of our lives that are influenced by the exercise of our faith or the failure to do so.
Paul’s warning to the Romans 2,000 years ago still holds today: ‘Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught.” The Church today is afflicted by the same issue.
The deceptions afflicting the Church today come via “smooth talk and glowing words” tailored to deceive God’s people. This smooth talk comes from voices within the Church, not without. Instead of standing firm in the truth, people are being led away from historical truth, doing what seems right to them in their own eyes in opposition to the established truths of Scripture.
There is nothing new under the sun, including our theology. Smooth theological talk and words crafted around the glowing promises of some new freedom lead people away from true freedom and into places of bondage where an error is too readily accepted.
We are living in dangerous times when many differing opinions about our faith are being offered. These opinions seem reasonable to a natural mind but depart from the clear and simple words of Scripture.
Just as Paul said, we need to “watch out” for those leading us away into these delusions. The watching part is the job of each of us in the Church, not just the job of our leaders. This personal commitment is not living a life of continuous suspicion. It’s living under the influence of wisdom—a wisdom based on God’s word, not on the smooth and glowing opinions of people who, without closer examination, will lead us astray.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash
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