6 “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” (1 Timothy 1:6–7 (ESV)
Individuals who embrace false doctrine (I Tim. 1:3-5) are not just content to dwell in their wanderings and vain discussions without understanding (vs.6). More often than not, they want to teach within the local church and infect it with their false doctrines.
Recently, a young man and his wife wanted to join a local church they attended. They were not in agreement with the church’s statement of faith. They requested the elders make an exception and allow them to become members anyway. The elders declined their request. The couple were not happy about it. Also, the young man wanted to teach in the church, once he became a church member.
Paul addressed a similar situation which Timothy was facing in Ephesus. There were individuals who were desiring to be teachers of the law. The word desiring (θέλοντες; thelontes) refers to a present, active craving for an experience. The craving was for the experience of teaching God’s Word. However, these so-called teachers possessed two major disqualifications.
First, they were without understanding (νοοῦντες; noountes). They did not correctly comprehend or perceive what they were saying concerning God’s Word. Second, they were equally without understanding about their confident assertions (διαβεβαιοῦνται; diabebaiountai) or what they were affirming.
“The problem with these false teachers, as is often the case, was a matter of the ego. They wanted to become respected teachers of the Law. Yet they were completely incapable of doing so. But instead of recognizing their inadequacies and remaining silent, they went on babbling as if with great authority, never understanding their subject (the Law), or even what they were saying about it.[1]
“Antipathy toward God’s Word inherently resides in the hearts of all sinners. This antipathy may even be present in those within the church. If there is any doubt about this, it is worth asking why popular evangelicalism’s greatest fear is being out of sync with the culture. Pastors and leaders are chasing the culture, so that its trends show up in their churches. They treat this pursuit as a necessary evangelistic strategy,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“But the only way to be in sync with the culture is to diminish the presence of the Word of God, because unregenerate culture will always be fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible with the truth of God. By catering to the unchurched or to the unconverted in the church, evangelicalism has been hijacked by legions of carnal spin doctors seeking to convince the world that Christians can be just as inclusive, pluralistic, and open-minded as any postmodern, politically correct worldling.”
I am instantly on my guard when a visitor to church almost immediately wants to be allowed to teach an Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF), or to speak at a men’s, or women’s, church gathering. More than just asking, they become insistent and imply their knowledge of God’s Word surpasses all others; including the church’s pastors and elders.
What usually occurs when they are not allowed to teach is they become increasingly frustrated their desires are not met. They soon leave and begin attending another church in which this cycle repeats itself. However, in one instance an individual who fit this pattern returned when their new church would not allow them to teach either. They continue to attend our church but are conspicuously silent and no longer insist on teaching.
Pastors, elders and other church leaders must continue to be on guard for those individuals who seek to assert their influence. Pray for discernment on behalf of your church leadership. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 732.
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