How to Recognize False Teaching
Francis Chan (born 1967) is an American preacher. He is the
former teaching pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, CA, a
church he and his wife started in 1994.[1] He is also the Founder and
Chancellor of Eternity Bible College. (Wikipedia)
The Cornerstone Church makes a statement about believing in “the
present ministry of the Holy Spirit”, and what that is seen to mean to Francis
Chan is that of getting “calls” and urges to do things that do not come from
the word of God, but from within his own mind. Thus, when we try to “test the
spirits” using the same standard as Chan, we cannot say the Holy Spirit was not
really guiding and leading them (that is, if subjective thinking is the
standard of measure). Thus, the Holy Spirit could lead two people to do and
believe opposite things and no one should challenge whether the Spirit was
doing the actual leading in either case. Chan is claiming special (in addition to
the revealed word of scripture) Holy Spirit guidance at times as many false
teachers do, and this alone would mark him out to me as a false teacher. Gardner Hall observes some things regarding
Chan’s view of Holy Spirit guidance.
* He says, "The Spirit not only inspired the Bible but
also illumines it for us today." (p.23) The tricky question is how, apart
from the word, does He "illumine?" Does he miraculously
"illumine" Francis Chan in one way and a Catholic Charismatic in
another? Does He teach him one thing and Oneness Pentecostals something else?
The bottom line is that there is no shortcut to an honest and sometimes
detailed analysis of the scriptures. Simply praying for the inner illumination
of the Spirit regarding a text and then coming up with an interpretation is no
guarantee that the interpretation is correct. Thinking that our interpretation
is illumined by the Holy Spirit because "we’ve prayed for the Spirit’s
guidance" results in close mindedness—"I know my interpretation is
correct because God has illumined me about it." It also leads to confusion
because one thinks subjectively that the Spirit has illumined him one way
regarding a certain text while another subjectively thinks the Spirit illumines
the text in a completely different way.
* God does not send us mysterious messages through voices in
the night, or feelings about specific places to go, as Chan implies on page 90.
He gives us principles and gives us the free will to make our own judgments about
where to live or where to go based on those principles.
* On page 55 Chan accepts the "possibility" of
God’s speaking supernaturally through people today. Though warning on the
following page about such a concept being abused, he has in essence opened the
door for the blaring inconsistencies of all the modern prophets vying for our
attention, each claiming to be lead by the Spirit. However, the scriptures
still teach that "the faith" was delivered once (Jude 3) and that we
should accept no additions to it today (Rev. 22:18). Frankly, page 55 teaches
false doctrine. http://www.gardnerhall.com/articles/reviewForgottenGod.html
Then, we observe Chan talking about “How to Recognize False
Teaching”, and Francis Chan has a video on this, but as I listen to it, I find
that this man has some good points to make but really severely misuses
Colossians 2. There is death in the pot of what Chan mixes together and serves
out to untrained and undiscerning ears. It
seems that he is making an application of the cross of Jesus to ANY sin, and
saying not to judge others or let anyone judge you in regard to any “rules”.
Jesus died for those sins, so don’t judge anyone about their sins and don’t let
anyone judge you about your sins. Is that really what Colossians 2 is saying?
The context shows that the Law of Moses has
been abolished at the cross, so don’t let anyone judge you by a standard that
no longer is in force such as Sabbaths, New Moons, and Festivals, etc. He is not saying don’t let anyone judge you
in regard to the righteous standards of Christ in the New Testament. Paul also says not to let someone judge you
by self-imposed religion and doctrines of men, but Paul is NOT saying for us not
to judge people such as the man at Corinth who had his father’s wife (1
Cor.5). Chan is misapplying the point
Paul was making, and that makes him a false teacher. The danger of his logic is that people will
excuse all sin and use the grace of God for license (Jude 5). Neither did Paul use the grace of God to give
himself the right to ignore the rule of expediency (1 Cor.9). There are things
that are proper and improper, and the grace of God is not to be used to ignore
the rules of love and propriety and modesty. In fact, the grace of God is what
taught Paul to hold back at times in demanding his own rights. He would not
allow someone to impose the law of Moses or the doctrines of men on the church,
but he would try to win souls by measuring his behavior in how best to act with
the particular people he is with. That is what the rule of love demands. But, neither love nor grace teaches us to
break God’s law which entails commandments and principles.
Now, consider that in the same book
of Colossians, Paul has shown that Jesus had paid for sins that have been repented
of, and that the law of Moses (the Handwriting of requirements) has been taken
out of the way and nailed to the cross (2:14-16). However, God’s wrath will
come upon those who are “sons of disobedience”(Col.3:5-10). Thus, sons of obedience are saved. Paul is not
arguing against “rules”. He is arguing
against rules that either no longer apply (law of Moses) or never applied
before or after the cross (doctrines and commandments of men). But, there are rules of righteousness that
always apply, and there are rules of conduct in Christ that apply. Paul affirms
running our race according to the rules. 2
Tim 2:5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he
competes according to the rules .NKJV You
will never find Paul undermining “rules” per se. He will oppose someone trying
to impose the rules that have been abolished and rules of human origin, but
NEVER the rules of righteousness and service to Christ. Are there rules that come to us in Christ?
Absolutely! “Teach them to observe all things I have commanded you”(Matt.28:20).
He that hears these saying of mine and does them will be like a wise man who
builds his house upon the rock (Matt.7:24ff).
The grace of God does not teach us
that we are free from all “rules”, but that we are free from the bondage of
sin, and bondage to the Law of Moses which did not provide the means of
forgiveness, and free from the commandments of men. But, the grace of God teaches us to deny
worldly lusts and keep the commandments of God in Christ (Titus 2:11f).
John 14:15-16 "If you love Me, keep My commandments” . John 14:21 - He who has My commandments and
keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My
Father, and I will love him and manifest 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.
1 Cor 7:19-20 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is
nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
1 Cor 14:37-38 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or
spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments
of the Lord.
1 John 2:3-6 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we
keep His commandments . 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not
keep His commandments , is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever
keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that
we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just
as He walked.
1 John 3:22-23 And whatever we ask we receive from Him,
because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His
sight.
1 John 5:2-4 By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His
commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And
His commandments are not burdensome.
Rev 22:14 Blessed
are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of
life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
In all of these verses we are to
judge ourselves by whether we are keeping Jesus’ commandments. Jesus did not
nail our sins to the cross so that we could ignore His commandments. When
someone starts using the grace of God in such a manner as to teach against “rule-keeping”
in general, I know that they are misleading people. This is a dangerous misuse of the text and
context, and this is precisely what false-teachers do. They take something true and misapply it.
They seem so nice when they are doing it too.
They are wearing sheep’s clothing, but the words carry misleading ideas. The grace of God is used to give license that
God has not given (Jude 3-4). Beware brethren, because they are in churches of
Christ too, not just in denominations. Terry W. Benton
