Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

Kill The Wolves

Error has appealed to the nature of man since that moment in Eden when Eve partook of the forbidden fruit. When Eve looked at the fruit, she did not think a little bite would make much difference. The fruit did look appealing. There was a rush of self-worth to think of how the fruit might empower her and so Eve took of that which God forbade. Adam followed suit. Sin has a deceptive appeal that does not come out with blaring horns and marching bands but in small, subtle and unremarkable tones of fulfillment. Satan is a crafty tempter allowing men to believe in God but recreating Him in their own image. The word of God is not always something the devil wants a man to reject but to rewrite the gospel message to fit his own ideals. False teaching comes from truth covered with a mantle of deception. As long as Satan can get a man to dabble in error, the end will be the destruction of the soul.

There were false teachers among the saints of the first century. Paul warned the Ephesian elders of the ravaging wolves that would come in among the flock of God. Peter writes of the false prophets among those of like precious faith that would secretly bring in destructive heresies. In only a few centuries, the apostasy of error had taken full bloom from the seeds of error and the world has never been the same. Devout men failed to stand up for truth, allowing false doctrines to permeate the church’s teaching. It did not happen overnight. The apostasy was a gradual decline when the gospel was no longer defended with urgency and allowed to be replaced with a false notion of truth. Slowly, truth became eroded with the philosophies of men.

Error comes from cowards. To speak the boldness of the gospel takes courage. It requires men and women standing firm on the word of God, unyielding in its defense. The temptation of Satan is to encourage the people of God to embrace error to teach truth. Compromising the purity of the gospel serves a larger audience and gains greater acceptance. The truth must fit the needs of the people rather than allow the word of God to change men. Through compromise, error is accepted in the false notion of using a false doctrine to teach the gospel. This is a mockery of the gospel Jesus died to establish.

Roger Shouse said, “Maybe it’s time we stopped dancing with wolves, flirting with the devil and tiptoeing through weeds of error and get back to the Bible and change our hearts and ways.” He is right on so many levels. In modern ideals, there is a tendency to embrace a little bit of worldly wisdom to promote the gospel. It becomes an effort by spiritual cowards that do not believe the gospel is powerful enough to save and needs propping up by accepting error that has changed the landscape of the church. The gospel is too hard so men try to soften it up. Converting sinners has become placating the consciousness of the weak. It is better to dance with the wolves than to destroy them. A little flirting with error is acceptable. The weeds of error fill the heart choking out truth, righteousness and spiritual courage. God’s word will not change but the heart of men must change. Too often men try to fit the gospel to their wisdom by embracing error to teach truth. It has always failed and it will fail again. Until courageous men and women stand up for truth and refuse to allow the seeds of error to grow, the cause of Christ will suffer. Courageous souls will stand for truth – no matter what! Kill the wolves, stop the flirting and get rid of the weeds. Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord.