False teaching, while unbelievably widespread today, is a problem the early church dealt with in no less measure. Every New Testament book, save only Philemon, tackles this problem, albeit in varying degrees. No one church was spared the threat of men who pretended to be sheep but were, in reality, ravenous wolves whose aim was to distort the truth for their benefit. In fact, some books in the New Testament had it as their primary aim to confront false teaching and false teachers.
Writing to Timothy, Paul explains that false teaching is, in fact, a judgment on those whose ears itch for falsehood; due to their preference for a god who gives in to their demands over the God who is all about his glory (2 Timothy 4:3-4). However, that doesn’t mean true Christians are not at risk (Matthew 24:24). It is with good reason that Paul warned every church to keep guard, even as he remained convinced that Christ had always been their first love (1 Corinthians 1:4-9).
The Need for Spiritual Maturity
The Ephesian brethren, reputable for their devotion to God and love toward the saints (Ephesians 1:15), were worth cautioning against being swayed by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). To be safe, the saints needed to strive for spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:13); they needed to have grown from taking milk to imbibing solid spiritual food (Hebrews 5:12-14), and thus be able to test everything by God’s word.
The Bereans are a worthy example for the way that they revered God’s word (Acts 17:10-12). Paul’s fame, intellect, and gospel exploits notwithstanding, they somehow managed to get up from his preaching and run straight to the Scriptures to corroborate everything Paul had taught! It is such spiritual maturity that Paul advocated for among the churches. A maturity made possible by the grace of God, and indispensable to sniffing out men who teach error, or those who preach with ill motive, living contrary to what they teach (Philippians 1:15-18).
Stay Rooted in God’s Word
To attain spiritual maturity, we must be firmly rooted in the knowledge of God’s Word. People perish because they lack knowledge (Hosea 4:6). It is possible to be admirably zealous but lost (Romans 9:30-33). Children, for example, are often audacious, yet without the slightest knowledge of the dangers they court. Anyone who strays far from the word is bound to suffer great peril at the hands of wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. As with parents to their children, the strong among us should guide the weak in the ways of God until they attain to full maturity (Romans 15:1-2).
In Ephesians 4:14, Paul compared the spiritually weak or immature to children. These are the ones that have yet to be grounded in the full knowledge of Christ through God’s word. Therefore, like children, they are impressionable and easily accepting of every teaching. They are not themselves false brethren, but their growth in Christlikeness will be imperiled. God always holds fast his own (John 10:28). Yet woe to those who cause God’s children to stumble. It would be better for them to die than to face judgment (Matthew 18:5-6).
The Mark of Maturity
We must all grow in discernment, able to single out falsehood. That comes through a consistent diet of truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15). And what is truth? “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s word is our only weapon in the fight against all spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:17). Only by knowing God’s word can we live. So Paul, before he could petition anything on behalf of the Ephesians, prays that they would possess “the Spirit of Wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of [God]” (Ephesians 1:17).
Lovingly and Joyfully Speak Truth
Truth, Paul reminds us, is to be spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15). Some will readily take that to mean cherry-picking what to preach, taking great care not to offend their hearers. But the fact is that love rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). Our task is to make the gospel known, not acceptable. It is only God who knows whom he will convict unto believing. Ours is to preach, not out of obligation, but because we find great pleasure in what we know (Romans 1:14-15).
But first, we must become spiritually mature. We must equip ourselves with sound doctrine. Paul did not embark on his preaching ministry until after he had spent three years in Arabia being taught by Christ and achieving spiritual maturity (Galatians 1:11-24). Without maturity, our exhortations would hardly have any joy or conviction in them. Love would be merely sentimental rather than a joyous delight in others. The mature understand who Christ is and find hope in nothing and no one else but Him. Thus, Christ’s joy is made full in them (John 15:11; 17:13).
Our Lives Belong to Christ
Christians are to grow up in every way into Christ (Ephesians 4:15). All must be done to the glory of God, for to live is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31, Philippians 1:21). Christ completely yielded to the Father’s will (Luke 22:42; John 4:34), motivated by nothing other than the joy set before him (Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 12:1-2). Like Paul, we ought not to regard our lives as dear to ourselves (Acts 20:24), for it isn’t us who live, but Christ who lives in us. Therefore, the life we now live in the flesh is by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself up for us (Galatians 2:20). Hence, we are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), guided by him, our living head.
Christ also supplies us with the power to become spiritually mature. He is at work in and through us, helping us work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). It is only in him that our unity as Christians is achieved (Ephesians 4:3,13). We could be diligent in preserving the unity of the Spirit. However, this unity is impossible without Christ, as he is the one who united us in the first place by fitting us and holding us together. It is in him that we can be effective members of his body. It is in him that we submit to the Holy Spirit and live in cooperation with fellow believers, even though our roles are different.
Edify Others Lovingly
As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, there is no point for any of the gifts if we aren’t using them in love and for the growth and edification of others. Through this love, we who were sinners were made righteous. And by this love (love both for God and for our fellow brethren), we will be able to live joyous lives to the glory of God our Father. By it, we will guide others toward spiritual maturity and, ultimately, thwart false teaching.