Ron Carlson - Fast Facts® on False Teachings

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON

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FAST FACTS ON FALSE TEACHINGS

Copyright 1994 by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Carlson, Ron, 1950

Fast facts on false teachings / Ron Carlson & Ed Decker.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-7369-1214-2

1. CultsControversial literature. 2. Christian sectsControversial literature. 3. Christianity and other religions. I. Decker, Ed. II. Title.

BP603.C36 1994

291.9dc20

93-43729
CIP

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

04 05 06 07 08 09 / BP-CF / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

To Dr. Walter Martin,
our long-time friend and mentor,
who encouraged and inspired us both
to always contend for the faith (Jude 3).

T HE PRESENTATION OF APOLOGETICS isnt always popular. A cultist isnt going to be thrilled that you now know things he wishes you never did, and even many of your fellow Christians will frown upon your newfound zeal to defend the faith. In fact, you might be amazed at the number of well-meaning Christians who find the defense of the faith just too embarrassing and negative for them to even try out. They say, Its too unloving. God sees these peoples hearts. Who are we to judge? So they stand by and let a lie become the norm because they will not speak out with a defense for the doctrines and purity of our faith.

Lets start right out by defining the world of Christian apologetics and polemics.

Apologetics: Systematic argumentative discourse in defense, as of a doctrine. Defense of the faith.

Polemics: An aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another, as in denouncing heresy.

The Bible tells us in Jude 3:

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

Paul tells us in Philippians 1:7:

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in Gods grace with me.

In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul says:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

He says further in 2 Timothy 4:2:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encouragewith great patience and careful instruction.

Peter also declares this same message in 1 Peter 3:15:

In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

With these biblical exhortations in mind, we see that it is our Christian duty to fulfill our commission from the Lord. We become defenders of the faith as we witness to those lost in darkness, and especially to those who bring those false teachings to the world that we seek for Christ.

In the biblical account of Elijahs encounter with the prophets of Baal, we find that Baal worship had been introduced into Israel. So Elijah stood before the people and cried out:

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the L ORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him ( KJV ).

He then challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire from Baal upon the sacrifice that they had prepared. Although they called on Baal from morning to evening, leaping upon the altar and slashing themselves, nothing happened. Elijah derided them by saying:

Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened.

Then Elijah called down fire from God, which consumed not only the sacrifice but also the altar stones and the water in the ditch around the altar (1 Kings 18).

In Matthew 12:34,39, Jesus said this to the religious leaders of His day:

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign.

In Matthew 13:15, He continued:

For this peoples heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

In Matthew 15:7, He called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, and in verse 9, He said:

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

In Matthew 21, He connected the parable of wicked husbandmen with the religious leaders of Israel. In Matthew 23:23-25,27,28,33, He said:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesmint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the lawjustice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead mens bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

All too many people are willing to hear the words of peace and faith from Jesus but are reticent to hear the Jesus who upbraided those teachers who would lead their followers into darkness (Matthew 15:14).

The apostles and disciples of Jesus also boldly rebuked the false teachers of their day. The first of these apologists, Peter in Acts 2:14-41; 3:12-26; 4:8-12 and Stephen in Acts 6:8-10; 7:1-60, spoke forcefully against the unbelieving Jews.