 |
Ezekiel 13.10 (NIV)
“They lead my people astray,
saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, . . . and when a flimsy wall is built,
they cover it with whitewash.”
|
 |
| Are we going to preach a biblical message or a popular message?* |
 |
A
coat of whitewash might improve the appearance of a wall but it doesn’t add to
its strength. In the same way, we think we are being nice when we tell people what they want to
hear. While there is nothing wrong with being sensitive to another’s feelings,
lying to them is inexcusable.
One
of God’s least favorite things is prophesying falsely. False prophets wanted to
make everyone happy and to be liked, while true prophets told it like it was
going to be, regardless of how they may have dreaded their audience’s reaction.
Watering down the message to make it more palatable wasn’t going to change
their future.
Do
all false prophets know that they are leading people astray? Perhaps not
always. But teachers and preachers beware! Paul says in Galatians 1.9 that if
anyone is preaching any other gospel, “let him be eternally condemned.” He
doesn’t make special provisions for those who misspeak out of ignorance.
How
do we recognize false prophets? We can recognize a counterfeit by knowing the
truth. We don’t come to know the truth by passively allowing another to feed us
the only nourishment we receive; we have to get out our knives and forks and
dig into the meat for ourselves. Compare every message (including this one) to God’s
word to determine its truth.
|
 |
| Those are the most dangerous seducers, who suggest to sinners that which tends to lessen their dread of sin, or their fear of God.* |
No comments:
Post a Comment