by Tom Wacaster
Every child
of God has the sacred obligation to "be ready always to give answer to
every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with
meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). We are to "contend earnestly for
the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Our
Lord told us to "beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matt. 7:15). Our
responsibility is no less than those Christians of the first century who were
told, "believe not
every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many
false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 Jno. 4:1). The past twenty
years have seen an ever increasing defection of once-faithful, stalwart
soldiers of the cross. Men who once stood in the gap and wielded the sword of
the Spirit with skill and effectiveness have gone over to the enemy.
A once
faithful brother wrote: "It is not possible to overemphasize the damage
done by perverse preceptors. They not only cause division (a thing God hates),
but the ultimate outcome of their treachery, whether that treachery be witting
or unwitting, is eternal loss to all who are led astray by their
influence." With regard to our Lord's admonition, "beware" is a
forceful word. It is a warning. It says to us, "Look out, danger, peril,
jeopardy, risk, hazard." It screams at us, "Pay attention. Be on
guard."
We are
locked in a battle with error. Truth will prevail, of that we are certain. But
we must do our part to uphold that truth, moving neither to the left nor to the
right. There is always the danger that a little compromise will eventually lead
to wholesale apostasy. Hence the need to answer false doctrines forcefully,
faithfully, and forthrightly. Time is of the essence; souls are at stake; the
cause of Christ must not suffer! Unfortunately the ranks of those who will
address the issues continue to diminish. But if we are to pass the torch to the
next generation we dare not waver in our sacred duty to uphold the truth at all
costs. The late F.B. Srygley was right on target:
"Fighting
for the Truth is almost a lost art. Men who are enjoying the benefits of the
Gospel unmixed with human error, are enjoying these benefits because our
fathers fought for the Truth. Every inch of ground from that mysterious way of
being saved, which was better felt than told, to the plain conditions of pardon
as taught in the New Testament, was fought out for us by our fathers. If
someone before us had not fought for the Truth, most of us might yet be in the
fog of denominational teaching. This is not the time to temporize or make
friends with error (F.B. Syrgley (Madisonville, KY: In Word and Doctrine,
Oct-Dec, 1992), page 19; originally appeared in the Gospel Advocate, 1928)
False teachers have been tolerated, ignored, and in some instances embraced by
unfaithful elders, preachers and members. Far too little has been done in
answer to the false teachers presently assailing the walls of Zion. We only
pray that it is not too late to take our stand and defend the truth.