The Apostle Paul's Instructions Regarding False Teachers' Beliefs and Practices PART 1

While the early church had various leaders to follow, a detailed analysis and examination into the Apostle Paul’s warnings to Timothy and Titus will support his claims regarding the infiltration of false teachers within the early church, their heretical doctrines, and the need to offset church division with such instructions still being applicable today.

 Introduction

            The Apostle Paul is one of the few Christians known in history to have single-handedly had a major impact on the whole world. He is credited to have written the majority of the New Testament and has his unique personality intertwined in his writings.[1] The Apostle Luke introduces this once feared man, whom many considered to be a religious tyrant, in his writings inside the book of Acts. He was known by his Jewish name as Saul of Tarsus and his Roman name of Paul because he was of dual citizenship being that he was of both Jewish and Roman descent.[2] Paul later had an encounter with Jesus on his way to persecute more Christians as he was en route to Damascus. That encounter changed his life forever, and those who followed for they were influential in an amazing Christian conquest of the Roman Empire just a generation after his death.[3] Many scholars and Christian historians accredit much of Christianity’s worldwide growth to the works of Paul. The once notorious persecutor of those who followed The Way became the persecuted by those who feared and did not understand The Way.[4] It is during this time that Paul addressed several issues within the church after having departed from Ephesus where he left Timothy in charge.[5] One of which being heretical doctrines being taught by false teachers, who set out to cause division in the early Church. Paul, in his letters to Timothy and Titus, gave them instructions in how to deal with such matters in what is termed today as the Pastoral Epistles.[6]

 

Definition of a False Teacher

            Many scholars believe that the teachings of Paul were fundamentally different from the faith of the Jewish community. The Christians who lived in Jerusalem believed that their sect was still a part of Judaism and that the new Gentile converts were to follow the Mosaic laws as described in the Torah. This, however, led to many controversial debates and false teachers arose to teach a doctrine contrary to that of Paul.[7] Nevertheless, when Paul taught about Jesus, he spoke of a Savior who accepted all humanity including those Gentiles who were uncircumcised and had not embraced Jewish laws or customs.[8] This was not well received by all Jews who wanted the wall of division to remain.[9] Scholars over the centuries have debated the ability of Paul being able to preach a message that dismissed the ancient laws of Judaism although having described himself as once being a devout Jew. They, however, cannot discount that he successfully crossed cultural lines to spread the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles which undoubtedly took the world by storm.[10]

 

            Paul taught that it was through Christ alone who was able to give the believer justification. Jesus Christ had successfully overcome sin for He knew no sin, which made it possible for believers to be saved by faith and not through the works of the law.[11] Therefore, Jesus’ glorification at the cross enabled both Jews and Gentiles to be saved through justification–not by birth heritage, religious rituals, and/or observance to the Mosaic laws.[12] Paul viewed the law as being good when used in its proper context, but it was not to circumvent the work that Jesus did at the cross.[13] Unfortunately, this teaching led to much opposition by various false teachers who wanted to teach another gospel contrary to what Paul taught. Paul outlined in his first letter to Timothy what characteristics and traits that false teachers would possess. To give an overview about false teachers, Paul wrote that anyone who teaches what is contrary to Jesus’ teachings, create controversies, prohibit marriage, forbid certain foods, and instructs in the ways of ungodliness is a false teacher.[14] These distinguished traits that Paul outlined gave little room for there to be any question as to how to recognize the false teachers and what ideologies of demons they taught to be cautious of.

           

---

[1] F. F. Bruce, Paul Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 15.

[2] Ibid., 17.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., 69.

[5] Thomas D. Lea and David A. Black, The New Testament Its Background And Message (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2003), 473.

[6] Ibid., 472-473.

[7] J. J. Scott, Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995), 346-352.

[8] Andreas J. Kestenberger and Terry L. Wilder, Entrusted With The Gospel: Paul's Theology In The Pastoral Epistles (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 162-166.

[9] Scott, Jewish Backgrounds, 352.

[10] William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2017), 555-556.

[11] Andreas J. Köstenberger and Terry L. Wilder, Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul's Theology in the Pastoral Epistles (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 107-114.

[12] Walter A Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001), 895.

[13] Martin Luther, Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960), vol. 35, 388.

[14] 1 Tim. 6:3-5 (New International Version).