empty promises from slaves

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

2 Peter 2:19

Peter’s vivid apostolic warning about false teachers is some of the strongest language in the New Testament. It warns Christians to stay true to the Word of God and their Savior Jesus Christ. Not everyone who claims to be speaking to Christians is speaking Christian truth. False teachers stray from the gospel. They want followers. They carefully craft both message and personal image to gain a crowd. They supplement and diminish the gospel with deceptions they devise.

Christians must be diligent with doctrine. We must know God’s Word. We must read it, study it, listen to it preached, demand that those who teach it also live by it, and base our thoughts, attitudes, and actions on biblical truth... not on what any person says. Smiling faces on book covers are a dead giveaway that the focus is being pulled away from Jesus. So is popular acclaim of the person. In fact, I still believe the best Christian writing has stood the test of time and was written by men long gone to their reward. Read the dead guys! There is a reason their books are still being published! Run right past those flashy bestseller promotional displays and find the Christian classics section. That’s where stability is.

Not everyone who claims to understand God really does so. Not every crowd gathers to the truth because usually false doctrine is much more appealing... it seduces our sinful selves. And if we take it in, we are in danger of becoming caught up in our sin again. False teaching enslaves, even as it promises a better life. Staying in the Bible consistently in personal reading and study, demanding pastors preach only the Bible, and praying hard for God to show us what His Word says so that we can stay true to Him will help keep us from such deception.