Christian Message Boards: Coveteous men make heresies

This is topic Coveteous men make heresies in forum Bible Topics & Study at Christian Message Boards.

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Posted by scythewieldor (Member # 6830) on :

Dear friends,

quote:
2 Pet 2:1 ¶ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 ¶ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

When it comes to the word of God, there is just not that much there to sell.
Paul writes:

quote:
2Co 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

The Greek word that is translated "corrupt" means 1) to be a retailer, to peddle
2) to make money by selling anything
2a) to get sordid gain by dealing in anything, to do a thing for base gain
2b) to trade in the word of God
2b1) to try to get base gain by teaching divine truth
2c) to corrupt, to adulterate
2c1) peddlers were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain

The things which the apostles were commanded to teach were the commandments of the Lord Jesus. That stuff gathered people and made them able to live in prosperous community together.
What's more, it doesn't take long to bring about the Lord's desired effect. You can't make a living, sitting in one place, doing this.
However, coveteous men want to put people under obligation for their support, therefore we have heresies. Heresies focus on theology and eschatology because those things are so easy to tweak. However, heresies do not focus on the commandments of Jesus, the decrees of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, or the commandments written by Paul which he said were the commandments of the Lord.
Why? Because no heretic can stand the scrutiny of the the command "Love your neighbor as yourself".
Loving your neighbor as yourself means, "If you want others to serve you, serve others". Coveteous men become heretics because they do not want to serve others.
Jesus tells us how to recognize heretics.

quote:
Lu 20:46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
47 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Heretics like to wear long robes. Long robes are not suitable for serving.
Heretics love greetings in the markets. Markets are not places where seving occurs. They are the places where peddlers present the products of the service of others. Thus, heretics love to be far away from the places where they can do real service.
Heretics like the highest seats in the synagogues. They like to have the seats of honour in churches.
Heretics like the chief rooms at feasts. They like to eat out at the most expensive places.
To fund their lifestyle, heretics devour widows houses. They talk little old ladies out of their savings and stipends.
The heretics make long prayers in public places in order to convince men to serve them.

Television is not a place of serving. It is a marketplace. If you see someone on television asking you for your support, compare them to the list above. Don't support someone that looks like the description Jesus gave of a person of which you should be wary.