- Lesson Seven in the Connect360 unit “Find Us Faithful: Standing Firm in Our Faith” focuses on 2 Peter 2:1-3
Sometimes false teachings, called heresies, are obvious because they deny basic principles of orthodox Christianity such as the virgin birth of Christ or salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Whole religious systems have been built upon these false teachings, and many still claim to be “Christian.”
Other false teachings in the church are more subtle, because they maintain the essential aspects of the gospel but skew the Bible’s teaching on second- or third-tier beliefs.
These may not be salvation issues, but they are still doctrinal issues.
In Galatians, Paul warned against false teachers who taught holiness through keeping a set of rules after salvation was attained.
This false teaching of legalism leads to Christians feeling like failures because our own effort never was meant to be our standard of holiness.
Even after our salvation, our holiness is a work of God’s grace and power through Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:3–4).
This legalism is a foundational problem of the prosperity gospel.
This false teaching teaches God will bless you physically, relationally and monetarily if you simply have enough faith and do the right things (often including giving financially to the false teacher’s ministry).
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This sets up people to expect earthly blessings the Bible never promises.
And, when someone doesn’t receive the blessing they expect, the fault falls to them for not having enough faith or performing well enough.
It’s first century legalism wrapped in modern-day packaging.
Like the false teachers Peter was writing about, these false teachers are subtle, “secretly introducing destructive heresies.”
In fact, the Greek word (pareisagō) translated “bring-in” means “smuggle.”
It shows clearly an intentional secretive undermining of the body.
Therefore, Christians today must be diligent to study the Scriptures so they can know the truth and recognize the lies.
Truth is our greatest weapon as Paul wrote in Titus 1:9: “[We] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that [we] can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”
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