An Exercise in Refuting False Doctrine
In correlation with the launch of Sunnyside’s new podcast, I am consolidating my blog with its branding, “Have You Not Read?” Hopefully the content on both media will strengthen the other.
Introduction
The Doctrine of Hell has been and remains under relentless attack by the enemy. It is not hard to imagine why. But a fresh response is often warranted, lest the enemy’s advances be ignored to the peril of many. There is great profit in studying the Bible’s declarations concerning the state of the unregenerate dead. Much of this good remains hidden behind a shroud of unwillingness to engage in such a terrifying doctrine. But it is robustly affirmed in our Father’s word by His Spirit of His Son. Do we not need to receive what He has provided? There is a danger in isolating the Doctrine of Hell from the full counsel of God. There are many doctrines of the Faith once for all handed down to the Saints. They should never be severed from one another in unwarranted and critical analysis. The Faith coheres in Christ and outside of this unity specific doctrines lose their integrity. We have great examples of offering a particular focus in context of the whole. Where? Look in the New Testament epistles and in the Old Testament prophets. The servants of Christ under both covenants refute particular heresies by robustly affirming the relevant truths, demonstrating their importance to the Faith.
I will approach this study by first addressing the issue of false teaching and the Christian response. As this will remain the subtext of the remainder of the study on the Doctrine of Hell, I will not take an exhaustive look at the matter. Optimally, the Christian response to false doctrine will be amply demonstrated by the particular exercise of defending the doctrine of Hell. For now we will begin with how generally to understand and respond to false teaching, and then consider the specific occasions of false doctrine. After this brief introductory material, we will take a systematic approach in further posts. Given its inherent repugnance to the human heart, this study will serve as an excellent test case for the good of refuting false doctrine.
The Big Picture of False Doctrine
Herman Bavinck once observed that every false doctrine is rooted in some kind of departure from the mystery of the Trinity. False teaching denies God’s revelation. It is a purposeful deviation from the Godness of God. If we reflect upon the original sin, as expressed historically in Genesis 3:1-6, we will see that this is so. Perhaps it is not a conscious rejection of the Godhead (sometimes it is), but it is purposeful. I did mean to take this exit off the highway, though I was not conscious of how this course took me away from my desired destination. All God-fearing folks have done this. Yet, God promises to sanctify all His people in Christ by His Spirit. An eager meditation on Ephesians 4:1-16 (and a healthy cross-referencing) will confirm God’s longsuffering and inexorable grace. We are not saved by perfect orthodoxy alone, but by grace alone. What regenerate sons and daughters of God believe about Jesus does have particular definition which cannot be controverted if it is a saving belief. Yet we must remember the faith which saves is itself a gift in that by its Spirit-borne agency we are flawlessly united to the perfect Savior. These matters are taken up in many passages of Holy Scripture including Romans 10:8-16 and Ephesians 2:1-10.
Such a trust in God’s gracious and sovereign power to fully save His people, even sanctifying their beliefs, does not give protective shade to false teachers who do more than simply take the wrong exit. False teachers hack digital maps and create divergent paths to an altogether different destination while keeping the labels mostly the same. They resent the Godness of God and teach others to do the same. These deceived by Satan are avid deceivers of others and the church is amply warned against such men and women. Studies of 1 Timothy 6:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 12-19 and similar passages are instructive in both identifying false teachers and our proper response to them.
All this is not to say that unintentional false doctrine is just fine and intentional false doctrine is the bad kind. There is, however, a different moral quality to each. Killing a man by accident, without murderous intent, is bad. Killing a man purposefully with murderous hate is worse. In Israel, a man-slayer deserved death, but accidental man-slaughter came with a possible respite. One who accidentally caused the death of another may flee to a city of refuge and prove his innocence and commitment to the value of life by remaining there until the new High Priest began his office. For intentional murder there was no such refuge. Similarly we ought to give no refuge to the false teaching of deceivers, but in the manner prescribed in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, go to war against all lofty speculations raised up against the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus.
The occasion for this study of the doctrine of Hell is, of course, popular false teaching regarding Hell. How we respond to this false teaching should be guided by the instructions of Christ rendered to us in Holy Scripture. The biblical nature of our response will fittingly adorn our growth in biblical doctrine. Two passages of Scripture in addition to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 which are thus instructive are 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and Jude 1:3-4. I encourage you to read these and consider the commands and clarifications offered to Christians. One observation I make is this, “It takes two to tango.” Notice that false teachers succeed by appealing to sinful desires in their adherents. Those who rejoice in false teachers do so because the false doctrine resonates with their rebellious hearts. Another observation is that our struggle is against the deceits of Satan. We do not settle doctrinal debates with arm wrestling, or by fleshly maneuvers in our conversation. The flesh profits nothing.
A final observation concerns a customary fashion in Western Evangelical culture. Often false teachers are praised in their character while their teaching is “found lacking.” This does not accord with the approach of Christ by His Spirit through His Prophets and Apostles. Where in the Old or New Testaments is the character of false teachers praised and neatly separated from their false teaching? The opposite is universally the case. This is not to justify a fleshly ad hominem attack upon a false teacher. If you answer a fool according to his folly you will become like him. This is to confess the testimony of God’s word concerning false doctrine. Idolatry is ever polygamously married to immorality and injustice. False doctrine has real world consequences. Those who believe it open themselves to the ravages of sin. Those who push false teaching are even more ensnared in the throes of sin. This is a warning for the saints, and an encouragement to repent from false teaching. This is also an observation which should elicit compassion on our part when confronting false teachers. They need to repent, not because that means we win the argument, but because if they do not, they will be lost to reprobate minds and eternal punishment. That false teachers can be saved and radically transformed by the grace and truth of God is manifestly evident in the life of the Apostle Paul.
The Specific Occasions of False Doctrine
Drawing on our meditations of the passages listed above, we receive a great deal of clarity about our experiences with false teaching and false teachers. What was present in the Garden at the fall is still present in every deceit of Satan—illicit desire. Eve coveted the power to determine for herself the definitions of right and wrong. That did not belong to her, but to God. The term used in the Hebrew of her “desire” is the same used in the 10th commandment, “Do not covet.” This desire leads to an exchange described in Romans 1:18-32, wherein the truth of God is exchanged for the lie. What is that lie? It is a god refashioned in the image of man and beasts, the worship of creation rather than Creator. The illicit desire leads to an idolatrous exchange in which man substitutes some deceit for the truth of God. He suppresses the “Godness of God” by amplifying the deceits of the devil. This inevitably requires the false teacher to both eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (determining for himself or herself what these categories are), and then offering the same fruit to those who are with them.
Growing up I learned that there were false teachers by the names of “Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Masons.” What drives these false systems of belief? Illicit desires. God is refashioned in their minds to be more fleshly, less mysterious or more inclusive. Why? These are the traits and preferences of fallen men. When my professors at my undergraduate program denied the foreknowledge of God, the inerrancy of Scripture and the efficacy and exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Savior they did so from illicit desires. They sought to wrest the definitions of good and evil from God. Having appointed themselves the editors of truth, they divined that certain notions about God did not fit with their paradigm, and so they developed a new way of reading the Bible, a new lens through which to interpret the Scriptures. Unsurprisingly, their hermeneutic reinforced their presuppositions (how could the child not resemble the parent?).
The specific occasion that sparked my pastoral interest concerning this current study has to do with the popular false teaching of Tim Mackie of “Bible Project” fame. Why is he so popular? Part of it has to do with his redefinition of key biblical terms like Heaven, Hell, Sin and Justice. I watched a couple of videos wherein he deals with “Hell.” In these talks he does a couple of things which are very helpful. First, he describes false teaching as that which is riddled with “half” and “quarter” truths but ends up being just wrong according to the plain reading of Scripture. Such mixing of truth with error he himself does in great abundance making his own teaching the primary proof of his definition. His tendency is to make a great show of opening the Bible and reading what it says, but he only ever reads selectively and fills in the rest of the blanks by saying things like “The Bible never says… The Bible actually says… When you let Jesus speak for Himself, you discover… Christians don’t actually believe…” The success of this approach depends directly on three legs. First, the vast ignorance of the Bible which exists in his audience and their unwillingness to to become Biblically literate. (They have no fear of God). Note that false teaching rises where the church’s doctrine is weakest, like the effusion of rats where their natural predators have been removed. Second, his approach succeeds through the desire of his audience to believe things their culture would find far less offensive than otherwise. (They are ensnared by fear of man). Third, Mackie succeeds by presenting himself as an oracle. Without his help, his audience has no hope of interpreting the Bible rightly as they have been so influenced by the erroneous hermeneutic of fundamentalists. This works according to the prevailing pagan construct that only experts can speak to the truth of their field. This also applies to Scripture, in a pagan mindset. All nonexperts must simply take their word for it. Read the text, yes, but only according to the glasses I have specially crafted for you.
The second helpful thing Tim does is make concrete statements. He states unequivocally that one does not go to heaven based on what you believe about Jesus. He mocks the idea that Jesus Christ died on the cross suffering the wrath of God our sins deserve. He states clearly that the concept of eternal damnation is just plain wrong. He states that his conceptions of Heaven and Hell, God and man and the earth are what Christians believe and alternative ideas are not Christian beliefs. Such an approach is helpful because these are easily checked against the Bible and the historical confessions of the Saints. Within a few hours of Bible study all of his statements are proven false. After a few more hours Tim Mackie begins to sound absolutely like a snake. This is not to say that Tim is actually helpful in some regard. Hardly. The videos of the Bible Project are loaded with heretical freight hard to detect. If you have a certain manner you might watch “Bible videos” put out by Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists or Roman Catholics, this would be the approach to take with “the Bible Project.”
One last note about specific encounters with false doctrine. These encounters can be disorienting and frustrating. Sometimes we know by conviction of the Holy Spirit that there’s something wrong with what we’re being exposed to, but we don’t have a clear objection. This is a prompt to search the Scriptures. That is hard work! We are rarely looking for extra work. False teachers frustrate and disorient as well by obliquely referencing so many passages and themes that it overloads the concerned saint. If you let the serpent determine the path, you will be all over the place as well. Arrest one thought at a time and bring each into submission to Christ. If a false teacher is unwilling that one of his claims be tested, then all of his claims together are obviously suspect.
Additionally frustrating, I have noticed with false teachers their fondness for such terms as “Biblical” and “Christ-Centered.” They co-opt good terms for nefarious purposes. These words are not bad, they are used badly. The same goes for theological concepts as for specific terms. Not everything Tim Mackie states is utterly wrong. If we think that, then we will overreact and discard Biblical truth in the name of defending it. This is why our defense of the faith, though often sparked by false teachers, should not be determined by them, or focused on them. This is also why we should not arrogantly claim that false teachers give us better insight into the Scriptures and godliness. Their true themes are thoroughly mixed with their false. The old expression of getting the meat and leaving the bones is a false analogy. The bones and the meat are thoroughly laced with toxic mercury. When engaging false teachers, it is not so much about getting the flesh off the bones for edification, but exposing the presence of false teaching by isolating the evidence of poison so that others can be informed and warned. Paul did not praise the Judaizers deceiving the Galatians by sharing what he and the church could glean from their sincere devotion and valid concerns.
Next time we will take the specific statements Tim Mackie and others have made about Hell and begin to compare them with Scripture. At the same time we will be helped to see the essential nature of this doctrine and why it needs our attention as the Saints of Christ.
