False teacher, prophets and doctrines.. again.

[B-A-C]

How do you know if someone is a false prphet or is teaching a false doctrine according to the Bible?

Fruit. Do they bear any good fruit? Or just bad fruit?

Mat 7:15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Mat 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
Mat 7:17 "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Mat 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits.

They allow for lawlessness. They teach no endurance is required.

Mat 24:11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
Mat 24:12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
Mat 24:13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

They say Jesus met with them in secret. ( Think of Joseph Smith here )

Mat 24:23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him.
Mat 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
Mat 24:25 "Behold, I have told you in advance.
Mat 24:26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.

Mark 13:21 "And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him;
Mark 13:22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
Mark 13:23 "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

They pretend to be apostles of Christ, but teach a different doctrine from Jesus.

2Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
2Cor 11:4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.
2Co 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

They teach ceremonial law is required ( circumcision)

Gal 2:3 But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Gal 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

They teach what is false, and they teach people to take pleasure in wickedness. ( Preachers that accept homosexuality come to mind here )

2Thes 2:7; For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
2Thes 2:8; Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
2Thes 2:9; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
2Thes 2:10; and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
2Thes 2:11; For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
2Thes 2:12; in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
1Jn 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

There are two entire chapters in the Bible dedecated to exposing false teacher/doctrines. The first one is in Peter.

2Pet 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2Pet 2:2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

If they teach it's OK to follow sensuality and lust, they are a false teacher.

2Pet 2:3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
2Pet 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2Pet 2:6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;
2Pet 2:7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men
2Pet 2:8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),
2Pet 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

If God is going to punish the fallen angels, the same way he punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, He will also keep the unrighteous
(those who practice unrighteousness) under punishment on the day of judgment.

2Pet 2:10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,

Especially those who indulge the flesh ( lust, sexual immorality )

2Pet 2:11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.
2Pet 2:12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,
2Pet 2:13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,
2Pet 2:14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

These people never cease from sin, and they entice others to continue in sin ( they teach God is OK with it )

2Pet 2:15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pet 2:16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
2Pet 2:17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.
2Pet 2:18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
2Pet 2:19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

These people have left the correct teachings, and have gone astray. They entice others by fleshly desires and sensuality.
They promise people freedom, but yet they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption.

2Pet 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
2Pet 2:21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
2Pet 2:22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

If anyone is teaching you that sin doesn't matter, the commandments don't matter, and you can go back to living in sin... they are a false teacher, teaching a false doctrine.

The second is in Jude.

Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Jude 1:4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Some people say grace covers everything and use grace as a license to sin all you want to.

Jude 1:5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
Jude 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
Jude 1:7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude 1:8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
Jude 1:9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Jude 1:10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Jude 1:12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;
Jude 1:13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude 1:14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
Jude 1:15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

One day the Lord will execute judgment on these people. He will convict all the ungodly.

Jude 1:16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

These are people follow afer their own lusts, and try to get you to do the same. They speak arrogantly and flatter people.

.., to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Eph 4:14; As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

1Tim 6:3; If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,

If anyone teaches a doctrine that does not agree with the words of Jesus, it's a false doctrine.

2Tim 4:2; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
2Tim 4:3; For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
2Tim 4:4; and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Some people want preacher and teachers that agree with their beliefs, they will turn away from the truth.

1Tim 4:1; But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

If they teach you can't fall away from the faith, they are a false teacher.

The common theme in all these verses about false teachers, is they teach grace covers all, sin doesn't matter.
They say it's OK to follow your lust and sensuality. They teach God won't punish unrepentant people.
They teach you can't lose your salvation, no matter how much you sin.

 

[Br. Bear]

They teach you can't lose your salvation,

Greetings brother,

is it 'your salvation' or God's Salvation, in and through and by the Lord Jesus Christ?

Salvation belongeth unto the LORD:
Thy blessing is upon Thy people.
Selah.
Psalm 3:8

And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:10


Bless you ....><>


After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood round about the throne,
and about the elders and the four beasts,
and fell before the throne on their faces,
and worshipped God,
Saying,
Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 7:9-12

you got to be saved

 

[complete]

Hello @B-A-C,

Strangely, I too have been drawn to the study of what is said in Scripture about false prophets lately. Reading the Scriptures you have provided has been profitable: but your interpretation of them, and personal comments I cannot recommend.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[B-A-C]

is it 'your salvation' or God's Salvation, in and through and by the Lord Jesus Christ?

It is from the Lord, but I maintain part of it is your responsibility.

Php 2:12; So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

1Tim 4:16; Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

1Pet 1:6; In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Pet 1:7; so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pet 1:8; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1Pet 1:9; obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

As far as it coming from God, well we certainly can't get saved without Him...

Tit 2:11; For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
Tit 2:12; instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
Tit 2:13; looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

1Jn 2:2; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

It came from God to bring "salvation to all men". ...and yet, all men are not saved. Is that because of God?

2Pet 3:9; The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1Tim 2:3; This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Tim 2:4; who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If salvation is totally in God's hands, and God wants everyone to be saved... why aren't they?

Heb 2:3; how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

John 12:48; "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
1Thes 4:8; So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Acts 7:51; "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

We are certainly capable of rejecting and resisting God when it comes to our salvation.

 

[B-A-C]

Matt 7:13; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14; "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matt 7:15; "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Luke 13:23; And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them,
Luke 13:24; "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:25; "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
Luke 13:26; "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets';
Luke 13:27; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'

Matt 7:21; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matt 7:22; "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Matt 7:23; "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

 

[complete]

We who are Jews by nature,
.. and not sinners of the Gentiles,
.... Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
...... but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
........ even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
.......... that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
............ and not by the works of the law:
.............. for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
.. we ourselves also are found sinners,
.... is therefore Christ the minister of sin?
...... God forbid.
........ For if I build again the things which I destroyed,
.......... I make myself a transgressor.
For I through the law am dead to the law,
.. that I might live unto God.
.... I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
...... yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
........ and the life which I now live in the flesh
.......... I live by the faith of the Son of God,
............ Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.'
(Galatians 2:15-21)

 

[B-A-C]

... Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
...... but by the faith of Jesus Christ,

It's true, "works of law" won't save us. Faith is Jesus is absolutely required. I can do the "works of the law" all day long, but without faith in Jesus, it doesn't help me at all.

I could end there... but really ...what are the "works of the law" in Galatians here? Remember context is king. ( I am starting with Galatians 2, same as you did ).

Gal 2:3; But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

Gal 5:2; Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Gal 5:3; And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
Gal 5:6; For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
Gal 5:11; But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
Gal 6:12; Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Gal 6:13; For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.
Gal 6:15; For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Why did Paul say the things in Gal 2:15-21; ? What led up to him saying that?

Gal 2:2; It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.
Gal 2:3; But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Gal 2:4; But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

Gal 2:12; For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
Gal 2:13; The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
Gal 2:14; But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Gal 2:15; "We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
Gal 2:16; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

1Cor 7:19; Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

Rom 2:25; For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26; So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

may i ?


faith is really much akin to following and abiding, etc.

The context is correct, by the letter, so to speak. I think you'll [we'll] find that the same message is repaeted in other parts of the Bible regarding grace and works of the law. The principal is the same throughout. NOT by works of the law.

While here, may i also introduce the 'concept' of the law and works thereof are somewhat related to the flesh. Man has an idea that god-pleasing will get him where he wants to be, that is, saved, etc The flesh wars against the spirit, not because of naughty things that the 'flesh' might like to indulge in, justified by same flesh or not, but because it forces the man to try to use law and justification through deeds and work to 'get right' with God, which is impossible without true faith in Him through and in Jesus Christ His Son, seasoned with His grace.

therein is the following and abiding.


Bless you and thank you for reading. Be gentle with me in your reply, please... i might be weak.

If i have revelation, that gives me the more reason for humility and fear of the Lord in and with my love towards others. { love is mentioned in the words about fruit. } Fruit also can be seen as 'works' but never works of the law. Love also overides the flesh and the flesh has no grip on it, as those who have tasted and seen know.

works of faith and the Spirit v works of the law and the flesh


Bless you ....><>

 

[Br. Bear]

look up.... your redemption draweth nigh

------------
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.
Let no man despise thee.
Titus 2:11-15

[all of Titus 2 is fititng with this conversation]


Bless you ....><>

 

[B-A-C]

works of faith and the Spirit v works of the law and the flesh

I agree... something to consider here. We are told over a dozen times in the NT by Jesus, Paul and John to keep the commandments...

Matt 5:19; "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 19:17; And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Matt 22:40; "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Mark 10:19; "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"
Luke 1:6; They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
Luke 18:20; "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"
John 14:15; "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:21; "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
John 15:10; "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
1Cor 7:19; Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.
1Thes 4:2; For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
1Jn 2:3; By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1Jn 2:4; The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
1Jn 3:22; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
1Jn 3:24; The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1Jn 5:2; By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
1Jn 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
2Jn 1:6; And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
Rev 12:17; So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Rev 14:12; Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

.. and yet we are told by Paul that works of "the Law" won't save us...

Rom 3:20; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:27; Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
Rom 3:28; For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Gal 2:16; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Gal 3:2; This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Gal 3:5; So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Gal 3:10; For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM."

.. so then is this a discrepancy in the Bible? Does the Bible contradict itself? Well if it did, I would go with the majority of scripture... there are more than twice as many verses about keeping the commandments, as there are about works of the law.
But, actually I don't believe there is any contradiction at all. Romans and Galatians are the only two books in the NT that mentions works of the law. Both of these books also mention circumcision quite a bit, Galatians in particular.

.. so then,... is it possible that "works of the law" really have nothing to do with the commandments? If not, then how do you reconcile the first 19 verses in this post? Do you just ignore them, and hope they go away?

Matt 19:16; And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
Matt 19:17; And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

 

[Br. Bear]

1Jn 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

'bump'

 

[B-A-C]

... another thought comes to mind, as I re-read that last post. Some seem to believe Paul and Jesus are teaching two different messages. I do not. But if I had to make a choice between which one to follow...
well, Paul is a good guy, an apostle, all of that... but he isn't my Lord, God and Savior.

Paul says...

1Tim 6:3; If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
1Tim 6:4; he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,

 

[complete]

But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses
for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory,
much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect,
by reason of the glory that excelleth.
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face,
that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
But their minds were blinded:
for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament;
which vail is done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
Now the Lord is that Spirit:
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.'
(2 Cor. 3:7-18)

 

[complete]

@Br. Bear said (Reply#13)

1Jn 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

'bump'

Hello Br. Bear,

When reading this, I believe we have to take into consideration the fact that John was one of the Jerusalem council, considered one of the 'pillars' of the Church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9). Who was also one of the Twelve, who with Peter had a ministry to the circumcision: To those who were the believing remnant of Israel. James in referring to many thousands of converts in Jerusalem, referred to them, as being - 'zealous of the law' (Acts 21:20) and a possible threat to Paul on that occasion, for the reasons given in (Acts 21:21). Yet, Peter in a response to James in Acts 15, in a previous visit by Paul, said:-

'And when there had been much disputing,
Peter rose up, and said unto them,
Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago
God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth
should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us;
And put no difference between us and them,
purifying their hearts by faith.
Now therefore why tempt ye God,
to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples,
which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they.'
(Act 15:7-11)

* I love those words of Peter, 'But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.'

* Salvation is all of grace, not of works, 'lest any man should boast'. I also believe that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, walks in accordance with the will of God in Christ Jesus, regardless of a written code. For we are His workmanship. The flesh counts for nothing. It cannot please God. Only by the Spirit can we please God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

* Paul also, as a Jew, and therefore under the law of the Old Covenant, 'walked orderly, and keepest the law' (Acts 21:24),

* The Church which is the Body of Christ was not revealed until Israel, both in the land and in the diaspora, had finally rejected the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, at Acts 28:28: and only then was salvation sent to the Gentiles apart from Israel, for until then salvation was of the Jew, as our Lord told the Samaritan woman in John 4:22.

* The revelation of God, made to Paul, concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, was made known by Paul as it's Steward, after Acts 28, in the epistles written from prison:- Eph, Phil, Col, 2 Tim. Tit & Phile. in which Israel as a nation has no part, all it's members come as individual believers from all nations, as well as those of Israel, and are joined to Christ their Head, all equal and united in Him, by the Spirit.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Butch5]

The best way to spot a false teacher is to know the truth intimately.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

How do you know if someone is a false prphet or is teaching a false doctrine according to the Bible?

Deut. 18:15-22, this is a prophecy of Yeshua, but it also applies on any self proclaimed prophey. How? This answer is simple: a reality check.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’“And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

 

[complete]

Hello @B-A-C.

'But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man,
but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers,
for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.'
(1Tmothy 1:8-11)

'Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law:
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.'
(Galatians 2:16)

'For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.'
(Galatians 2:19)

'This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?'
(Galatians 3:2)

'For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.'
(Galatians 3:10 )

'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:'
(Galatians 3:13)

'Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law;
ye are fallen from grace.'
(Galatians 5:4)

' For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty;
only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh,
but by love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.'
(Galatians 5:13-14)

'But if ye be led of the Spirit,
ye are not under the law.'
(Galatians 5:18)

'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
(Galatians 5:22-26)

'Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.'
(Galatians 6:2)

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[KingJ]

Excellent stuff BAC

There are various types of false teachers. I believe discernment 101 is to always look at what is motivating a preacher.

Love for Jesus brings truth and humility. Love for money and power brings false teaching on prosperity and power.

Then, perhaps the worst false teaching is from those who hate Jesus and know scripture very well. Ex Christian atheists come to mind. Not all, but certainly many atheists cherry pick scripture to misrepresent God on almost every topic.

I would not want to be that person guilty of false teaching standing before God of the universe on judgement day. Terrifying!!