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When The Teaching Is Wrong

by Micky Galloway

During the day of Jeremiah, the wickedness of the people could not be blamed on any shortage of preachers for they had plenty. The problems existed because they had too many who were preaching the wrong message. In Jeremiah chapters 5 and 6 we learn that both prophet and priest had failed, and the spiritual strength of the nation was dissipated. The people had relied on those who told them lies. God, through Jeremiah, tells us plainly what the manner of error was and its effect upon the hearers. The effect of wrong teaching has not changed today, no matter how honorable the motive of the teacher may be.

The false assurance of the prophets resulted in vain hope. In Jeremiah 23:16 we read, “Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Harken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they teach you vanity…” There is no substitute for truth. All the eloquence in the world, emotion and pleasant platitudes can never do what truth will do. Jesus taught, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Sincerity is no substitute for truth. In Acts 23:1 Paul said before the Jewish council, “Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.” As he continued his defense before Agrippa he said, “I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth…” (Acts 26:9ff). Sincerity does not make that which is false truthful. When the prophets of Jeremiah’s day said to the people, “Ye shall have peace … no evil shall come upon you” (Jeremiah 23:16), their words instilled a vain hope. We must have the hope that is truly the “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). That hope is rooted in the word of God, not in what men say.

The prophets of Jeremiah’s day preached their own ideas and opinions. Jeremiah said, “They speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah” (Jeremiah 23:16). Perhaps these felt that what they said was right, but that is subjective faith; one from within one’s own heart and mind. Yet, ours must be an objective faith, from outside ourselves delivered from God. Paul said, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Too many are guided by their own feelings. Often what we feel is the result of what we have been taught to feel. If the teaching is wrong, the feelings will also be wrong. The only way to be sure that your feeling about spiritual matters is reliable is if it is based on what God said in His inspired word (cf James 1:21).

The prophets of Jeremiah’s day preached themselves not the Lord. Jeremiah said, “I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21). These false prophets were not listening to God, yet they were telling the people, “The Lord hath said…” (verse 17). What better way to “blind the minds of the unbelieving” (II Corinthians 4:4) than to convince the people they are following the Lord when in fact they are not? Paul, when he wrote to the church in Corinth, said, “And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God, For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul repeatedly warned about following men. “Wherefore let no one glory in men” (I Corinthians 3:21). “This I say, that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech” (Colossians 2:4).

Whatever the motive, the false prophets turned people from God. Jeremiah said these false prophets “cause my people to forget my name by their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal” (Jeremiah 23:27). Indeed, God warned that there would be those who teach wrong things in every generation (II Peter 2:1; I Timothy 4:1-2; II Timothy 4:3-4; Acts 20:30). Does the intention of those who teach error really change the results of their teaching?

The call of Jeremiah went forth to all Judah, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Application: God's rule for marriage is simple; one man for one woman for life. In Genesis 2:24 God said, “therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” This rule requires one man for one woman. (Notice “a man,” and “his wife.”) This “one flesh” relationship between “a man” and “his wife” would forbid fornication, adultery, polygamy, concubines, homosexuality, and bestiality. These things would desecrate the union and Jesus says this is grounds for one who is innocent to put away the guilty (Matthew 19:9). Therefore the put away fornicator is excluded from marrying another. Some wrongly teach that he may marry another. Jesus said if he does he has committed sin.

Throughout history, there have been many deviations from this divine pattern. In Genesis 4:19 we read of the first case of bigamy. Later in Genesis 12:10-20 we read of one offering his wife to another. Further, in Genesis 16:1-3 one had a child by a household maid. In Genesis 25:1-6 we read of a man taking concubines. Moses even made a concession regulating Jews who were divorcing their wives (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). All this prompted the Jews to ask Jesus, “Is it lawful (for a man) to put away his wife for every cause” (Matthew 19:3). Jesus ended the Mosaic concession and commanded that “what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6) and explained God's original marriage law, “but from the beginning it hath not been so.” The only exception that Jesus gave is “for fornication.” Jesus allows one who is innocent to put away their guilty companion and “marry another.” In every other case except this one case Jesus said if one marries another it is adultery. Isn’t that simple?

Jesus deals with two forms of putting away. One FOR fornication, and one NOT FOR fornication. Both refer to the same action; one allows a man or woman NOT guilty of fornication to remarry without sin. The other does not allow for either to remarry without sin. Jesus specified the cause of putting away. If “fornication” is not the cause, divorce results in no rights for either to remarry. The “putting away” or “divorce” must be the result of fornication – not the fornication the result of the divorce! The order is just as important as faith, repentance, confession, baptism and salvation. There is a difference. When divine order is not respected, the result is always sin. Specifically to answer the proposition, “When a man puts away his wife for any cause other than fornication (bad breath to burned biscuits, no fornication involved) and he subsequently marries another, his first wife may then put him away ‘for fornication’ and claim scriptural right to ‘marry another.’” No, brethren … The cause of the divorce is wrong, the order is wrong and the result is sin, because the teaching is wrong.

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