What would be your reaction if someone who claims to be a very close friend of your family came to you and blatantly lied about your father (or mother), made up damaging stories about him, and falsely misrepresented him to you and those around you?
Most likely, it would be one of shock, frustration, and consternation, followed by a vigorous defence of your father’s honour and reputation. The reaction would be understandable and probably justified. The family honour is at stake. It’s not just your father’s name being dragged through the mud, but the entire family’s name and honour are at stake.
Yet, when it comes to God, whom many claim to be their heavenly Father, their reaction is the very opposite of what they would do if it were their earthly parents. They are indifferent to the claims made by false teachers and prophets, even to the point of being apathetic.
Others take offence at any reaction that calls out the errors and false claims made by the false teachers. Any attempts to correct or rebuke them, or to warn others about them, are met with stern rebukes and finger-pointing, often followed by accusations that they are dividing the Church.
They value peace over the honour due to their heavenly Father. This, obviously, is a false peace. No family is at peace when some who claim to be members of the household make false claims about their father and misrepresent his character. Instead, the unity of the family is at stake, and their claims only sow discord and hatred.
These two groups of people – the apathetic and the offended – don’t realise that they are more offended when their earthly parents are insulted or misrepresented than when God is misrepresented and blasphemed. The honour of their parents seems to be of greater importance than that of God, and I know some will still find this an odd statement because they don’t see a problem with having more honour for their parents than God.
What is more offensive, calling out false prophets or blaspheming God? The misplaced priorities (and even allegiances) when it comes to God and false prophets are often revelations of the state of many people’s hearts (the idolatry within) or the doctrines that many churches teach.
Yet, misrepresenting or blaspheming the name of God is not something to be taken lightly. The Jews to whom the revelation of God came in the form of the Old Testament took it so seriously that they would not pronounce the name of Yahweh for fear of being struck down for blasphemy. Why?
Holy, Holy, Holy, Is The LORD
Perhaps too familiar a story that it has lost its significance in our day; Isaiah 6 narrates the story of Isaiah’s encounter with Yahweh (the LORD). Seraphim stood above God with their faces and feet covered, crying out and declaring the holiness of God. They dared not show their faces or their feet.
Isaiah, caught up in this moment, realised his precarious position. He was a sinful man (unclean lips) and dwelt among sinful people, yet he had seen the LORD. How can a sinful person stand in the presence of a holy God and not be destroyed?
Unlike today, where people run to announce their ‘visions’ about God, Isaiah’s lips were not filled with joyous announcements about his vision. He had no joy at all but was filled with dread and lament, brought on by the realisation of the holiness of God.
God’s holiness refers to His absolute moral purity; His blameless, faultless, unblemished moral purity. He is so pure, so blameless, so faultless that to ascribe anything else would be a grave sin. No wonder the Jews feared mentioning His name for fear of blaspheming Him.
Unfortunately, many who claim to know God have not known Him as a holy God. The words in Isaiah 6, “holy, holy, holy is the LORD,” do not ring out in their hearts, and their actions do not reflect His holiness. He is, therefore, not revered as holy, but treated as someone who, perhaps, won’t mind being offended, or who will forgive and forget everything.
Much of this is related to the type of gospel most people have been taught. There is no penalty for sin, the wrath of God due to sinners, the justice of God who always does what is right, or the holiness of God. Instead, all we hear is the love of God, specifically how he loves us and wants to save us from the situations we are in. Salvation from slavery to sin is hardly mentioned. It’s no wonder we hardly have any sense of how offensive our sins are to God.
But God’s holiness, expressed to the third degree by Isaiah, is something every Christian ought to consider with utmost importance. Every attribute of God is directly related to His holiness. His love is holy, his wrath is holy, his anger is holy, his justice is holy, etc. It should be unthinkable for anyone to defame, blaspheme, or attribute anything to God or His word that He did not say.
So What Has All This Got To Do With You?
This holy God, who is jealous about His glory and honour (Exodus 20:5; Joshua 24:19), has given His people instructions on how to deal with those who claim to be His people yet blaspheme His name – false prophets and teachers.
Avoid Them
Romans 16:17-18 tells Christians not only to watch out for those who create divisions and create obstacles contrary to sound doctrine, but also to avoid them. This command is so serious that it is repeated in 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10.
Watching out for these people is the one thing that most Christians do not do or desire to do. Yet, watching out for them is a command. It is an intentional and careful look out for such people, like a guard who keeps watch for thieves at night. You cannot avoid what you do not know, and you cannot know who a false prophet is without examining them.
Rebuke Them, Publicly
In 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Paul tells Christians that those who persist in sin should be rebuked publicly, so that others may learn to fear. Misrepresenting or making false claims about God, even when unintentional, is sinful.
Most false teachers/prophets have been repeatedly told about their errors, but they persist in them. They continue to dishonour God through their persistence in sin. This persistence in their sins can also encourage others into the same errors, hence why Paul insists that they must be rebuked publicly so that those who may be encouraged may learn to fear.
Expose Them
Ephesians 5:11 calls Christians to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. In other words, Christians should not participate in any of the works of darkness, which include misrepresentations or false claims that characterise false prophets.
Neither are they to be passive when these things happen. The command is to expose them. An outright refusal to expose them is disobedience to God, who jealously seeks His honour and glory. There are several instances where false prophets are called out (exposed) and their teachings exposed.
- Diotrephes was called out by John (3 John 9) for rejecting the authority of the apostles.
- Demas was called out by Paul for deserting him, a result of falling in love with this world (2 Timothy 4:10)
- Hymenaeus was called out twice by Paul for rejecting the faith, and his doctrine being as bad as gangrene, his co-conspirators being Alexander and Philetus (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:17)
Choose This Day Whom You Will Honour
The commands to avoid, rebuke, and expose false teachers/prophets are biblical commands. They are not suggestions that one may take up at will, but the express duty of every Christian who is submitted to God in Christ. Silence does not honour God. It is disobedience to God’s commands expressly given to us in Scripture.
Exposing them is not a comfortable thing to do. It shouldn’t be. No one takes pleasure in disciplining those they love. Yet discipline is necessary if people are to grow in obedience. If false prophets/teachers are to turn from their ways, they must be warned and rebuked. If not, others must be openly warned about the dangers so that they may “learn to fear” and not follow them into error.
There is no difference between a child molester, a rapist, and a false teacher. If we are outraged by the rapists and child molesters, we must equally be outraged by false teachers. Their effect is as bad, if not worse. Their teachings are leading so many to hell by presenting an idol to them rather than the holy God of Scripture. They must be avoided, rebuked, and exposed.
Will you seek the honour of the God who is thrice holy, or will you seek peace with those who dishonour Him?
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