How to Treat False Prophets (1:3-11)

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As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. (1:3-11)

In the definitive words of John 8:44, Jesus informs us that Satan is a liar. Wherever God sows truth, His arch-enemy endeavors to sow falsehood and error. It is no surprise, then, that one of his most persistent attacks on the church has been through false doctrine. False teachers and their demonic doctrine have been at the core of the battle the church has had to fight throughout its history. Nor are they unique to the church age. The Old Testament contains repeated condemnations of the false prophets that plagued Israel (cf. Deut. 13:1-5; Jer. 14:14ff.; 23:1ff.; Lam. 2:14; Ezek. 13:1ff.; Zech. 10:2).

Our Lord reminded us often of the danger of false teachers. He warned in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” In the Olivet Discourse, He forewarned of false prophets who would arise in the future: “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many…For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:11, 24).

The New Testament authors echoed our Lord’s warning. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13). Second Peter 2:1 says, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies.” Writing at the close of the New Testament era the apostle John noted that “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1; cf. 2:18; 2 John 7).

False teachers are dangerous because, like their evil master, their appearance is deceiving. Satan “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). “Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds” (v. 15). The subtlety, and danger, of false teachers lies in their clever twisting of Scripture for their own ends. They are hucksters, guilty of “peddling,” and “adulterating” the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2). Their teaching, which appears to be biblical and spiritual, is far more dangerous than an open attack on the truths of Scripture. False teachers first confuse, then captivate, and finally damn unwary souls to hell.

Despite its rich history, the church at Ephesus was not spared from the onslaught of false teachers, just as Paul had predicted (Acts 20:29-30). Paul penned this letter to Timothy to tell him to make every effort to halt the influence of the false teachers and set things right in the church. The opening charge in 1:3-11 sets the scene for the rest of the epistle. Paul divulges four things that are true about false teachers: their error, their goal, their motive, and their effect.

THE ERROR OF FALSE TEACHERS

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. (1:3-4)

Verses 3 and 4, though a complete thought, are not a complete sentence in the Greek. Paul starts with a clause beginning with as, but never completes it. The NASB resolves this by translating the infinitive prosmeinai as an imperative (remain). The Authorized Version renders it as an infinitive (“to abide”) and supplies the words “so do” at the end of verse 4. In either case the meaning is the same. Timothy is to remain at Ephesus to deal with the false teachers there. Paul’s concern for proper grammar is swallowed up by his passionate concern for a church dear to his heart.

Urged is from parakale ō, which can mean “to beg,” “beseech,” “entreat,” or “implore.” Paul pleads with Timothy to stay on at Ephesus, which may indicate that he was considering leaving. Even though he was Paul’s “true child in the faith” (1:2), Timothy was not invulnerable to timidity (2 Tim. 1:7). He was somewhat intimidated by those who looked down on him because of his youth (4:12). He may have felt inadequate to handle the arguments of the false teachers. That they were evidently leaders in the church presented further difficulties for Timothy. On top of that was the threat of persecution.

The most natural understanding of verse 3 is that Paul and Timothy had been together in Ephesus before Paul’s departure for Macedonia. Paul at that time began the confrontation and expulsion of the false teachers by dealing with Hymenaeus and Alexander (1:20), perhaps the ringleaders. He urged Timothy to carry it through to completion. To do that, he was to instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines. Instruct is from parangellō, which doesn’t mean to teach, but to command. It demands obedience from an inferior to an order from a superior. False teachers are not to be taken lightly, but as Paul said to Titus, their mouths “must be silenced” (Titus 1:11). They are to be commanded to stop teaching error. Timothy was to use the full weight of Paul’s apostolic authority in dealing with them.

The use of certain implies that the false teachers were few in number. Nevertheless, they had a wide influence, not only in Ephesus, but also in the surrounding region. They were not outsiders, as in Corinth and Galatia, but most likely elders in the Ephesian church and some of the surrounding churches. Paul had told them this would happen when they met together at Miletus. He said, “and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30).

There are at least four reasons for concluding that the false teachers were elders. First, they presumed to be teachers (1:7), a role reserved for elders (3:2; 5:17). Second, Paul, not the church, excommunicated Hymenaeus and Alexander. That implies they were in positions of power and the congregation couldn’t deal with them. Third, the qualifications of an elder are given in great detail in chapter 3. Giving those implies that unqualified men were serving in that office, and Timothy needed to see them replaced. Finally, Paul stresses that sinning elders are to be publicly disciplined (5:19-22).

Timothy was to command these erring elders not to teach strange doctrines. Heterodidaskalein (to teach strange doctrines) is a word most likely coined by Paul. It is a compound word, made up of heteros (“of a different kind”) and didaskalein (“to teach”). The errorists’ teaching was of a different kind than the revealed truth of apostolic teaching (cf. Acts 6:3-4). The teaching of the apostles was the standard by which all other teaching was judged.

After describing the false teachers, Paul described their error. It consisted of myths and endless genealogies, legends and fanciful stories manufactured by men. These “doctrines of demons” (4:1) were being passed off as God’s truth. Paul ridicules them as “worldly fables fit only for old women” (4:7).

What the specific myths being taught were, or how exactly the false teachers were using genealogies is not clear. Whatever form it took, the errorists’ teaching was contrary to the truth. While the exact heresy at Ephesus is unknown, some of its general features can be pieced together from 1 and 2 Timothy. From 1:7 we learn that it contained elements of Judaism, since the false teachers wished to be teachers of the law. Commentator J. N. D. Kelly suggests that the myths and endless genealogies

In 4:3 we learn that the heresy involved a false asceticism. The errorists were “men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods.” They hoped to obtain divine acceptance through legalistic attention to self-deprivation. Their preoccupation with myths and genealogies resulted not in edification but in “controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions” (6:4). Timothy was to “solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Tim. 2:14). Their teaching was nothing but “worldly and empty chatter” leading to “further ungodliness” (2 Tim. 2:16). Such talk “will spread like gangrene” (2 Tim. 2:17), leading people “astray from the truth” (2 Tim. 2:18). The errorists’ “foolish and ignorant speculations” would only “produce quarrels” (2 Tim. 2:23). It all stemmed from a failure to handle accurately the Word of truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15), and to “examine everything carefully” (1 Thess. 5:21).

The effect of false teaching is to give rise to mere speculation. The false teachers’ endless questions and speculations contributed nothing to furthering the administration of God which is by faith. That phrase refers to God’s saving plan. Their heresy struck a blow at the gospel of saving faith. It may be safe to conclude, therefore, that like all other false religion, it was a legalistic system of works righteousness.

All the myriad religions of the world fall into one of two categories. There is the religion of divine accomplishment, that God in Christ accomplished salvation apart from human efforts. That is the Christian gospel. The other category is that of human achievement, where men attempt to gain salvation by their own efforts in good deeds, ceremonies, or rituals. Every other religion to one extent or another fits into this category. The false teachers at Ephesus, like all other false teachers, offered a way to God which required human achievement.

Since they threaten people with eternal ruin, false teachers are not to be taken lightly. As Paul wrote to the Galatians,

To believe wrongly about the saving gospel is to be eternally lost. Any one who tampers with the gospel is deadly because they lure the unwary to eternal damnation.

THE GOAL OF FALSE TEACHERS

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,(1:5-6)

Paul contrasts the goal of his instruction with that of the false teachers. He seeks to produce in the church that which God requires, love toward Him and those who are His. It is essential that believers “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37, 39). Love, indeed, is the mark of the Christian. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John added, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Agapē (love) is the love of choice, of will. It involves self-denial and self-sacrifice to benefit others. This kind of love flows from three sources.

The concept of a pure heart is a rich Old Testament theme. The psalmist asks, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?” (Ps. 24:3). He then answers his question, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4). After his sin with Bathsheba, David cried out in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Psalm 73:1 exclaims, “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!” A heart washed by regeneration (Titus 3:5), an obedient heart (Rom. 6:17), is a pure heart.

A second prerequisite for love is a good conscience. Agathos (good) is that which is perfect, producing pleasure, satisfaction, and a sense of well-being. The conscience is the God-created self-judging faculty of man. It either affirms or accuses a person (Rom. 2:14-15). The mind knows the standard of right and wrong, and when that standard is violated, the conscience reacts to accuse, producing guilt, shame, doubt, fear, remorse, or despair (cf. Titus 1:15). Those with a pure heart (mind) will not be condemned by their conscience. To maintain a blameless conscience, one free of offense against either God or man, was Paul’s goal (Acts 24:16). Peace, confidence, joy, hope, courage, and contentment are the results of a conscience that is nonaccusing, and love will flow.

Finally, love comes from a sincere faith, one without any pretense. The hypocritical faith of the false teachers will not produce it. Real trust and love go together. As noted in chapter 1 of this volume, Timothy was marked by such a sincere faith (2 Tim. 1:5).

False teachers have dirty hearts, uncleansed by the gospel. They have guilty condemning consciences triggered by their impure hearts. Finally, they have hypocritical, false faith. That kind of life will never produce love for God. Therefore it is no surprise that Paul adds, straying from these things they have turned aside to fruitless discussion. Straying means “to miss the mark,” while turned aside means “to go off course.” The goal of the false teachers was not to create an environment of love, but to fulfill their egos (cf. 1:7), and to fill their pockets. Consequently, their teaching was nothing but fruitless discussion. It certainly could not produce love, which is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

THE MOTIVES OF FALSE TEACHERS

wanting to be teachers of the Law,(1:7a)

The false teachers were driven by a strong, consuming desire to be teachers of the Law. They were not concerned about truly learning the law, or knowing the God of the law, or serving people in love by the law. They desired the kind of prestige accorded rabbis in Judaism, only they sought that within the church. Like the Pharisees denounced by our Lord, “they do all their deeds to be noticed by men … and they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi” (Matt. 23:5-7). They were proud and sought the applause of men (1 Tim. 6:4).

Theirs was the opposite of a proper motivation for ministry. James warned in James 3:1, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.” The one who really understands the role of a teacher understands that it’s not a place for proud people.

John Knox, the Scottish Reformer, understood the seriousness of preaching. When he was called forth to preach the gospel, he “burst forth in most abundant tears, and withdrew himself to his chamber. His countenance and behaviour, from that day till the day that he was compelled to present himself to the public place of preaching, did sufficiently declare the grief and trouble of his heart” (William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, rev. ed. [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1977], 50). The thought of preaching the gospel was so sobering that Knox was overwhelmed.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great twentieth-century British preacher, wrote that teaching the Word is such an awesome task that a godly man “shrinks from it. Nothing but this overwhelming sense of being called, and of compulsion, should ever lead anyone to preach” (Preachers and Preaching [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972], 107). John Stott added,

It requires humility, and the compulsion of God’s call, to be a servant of God. The Ephesian false teachers knew neither. They sought leadership roles for the sake of their own satisfaction. Seeking the prestige of a rabbinic role, they imposed on the congregation a false, legalistic heresy, offering salvation by works. In sharp contrast to godly, humble leaders like Paul and Timothy, they, like Diotrephes (3 John 9), sought the preeminence, personal power, and prosperity.

THE EFFECT OF FALSE TEACHERS

even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. (1:7b-11)

Although the false teachers wished to be teachers of the law, such was an impossibility. Paul writes that they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. The present active participle noountes (understand) indicates they were in a continual state of not understanding. They were like all unconverted people, who by the absence of the Holy Spirit and His discernment and anointing, cannot know the things of God, for they are spiritually appraised while such men are spiritually dead (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). Worse still, they were making confident assertions, as if what they said was absolute truth. It is bad enough to be ignorant, but they were dogmatic about their ignorance. Unfortunately, their spiritual children plague the church to this day. The church today, like the Ephesians, faces proud, ignorant, dogmatic purveyors of false teaching.

Lest anyone get the wrong idea, Paul hastens to add that we know that the Law is good. While he condemned those desiring to be teachers of the law, Paul did not intend to condemn the law itself. He is careful not to throw the baby out with the dirty bath water. Kalos (good) could be translated “useful.” The law is good or useful because it reflects God’s will. As the psalmist put it, “The law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps. 19:7). Paul wrote in Romans 7:12 that “the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

The Law is good when it is applied lawfully. There is a proper understanding and use of the law, but the false teachers were misusing it. Deluded by their pride into thinking they could please God through their own efforts, they used the law as a means of salvation. That is a role the law could never fill (cf. Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). Law in general, and the Mosaic Law in particular, is not made for a righteous man. Those who think they are righteous will never be saved (cf. Luke 5:32), since they fail to understand the true use of the law. The law was made for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane. The purpose of the law is to show willing sinners their sin (cf. Rom. 3:19), and need of a savior (Gal. 3:24). The law is morally right and good, but the law alone is not good news. The law forces man to recognize the bad news that all are guilty of violating God’s standards. It thus condemns everyone and sentences them to hell (Rom. 3:19-20).

Paul then illustrates the type of people for whom the law was made. Taking his cue from the Decalogue, he lists sins against both God and men. The first three couplets deal with sins from the first part of the Ten Commandments, those dealing with our relationship to God. Each couplet contains both a negative element and the effect it produces. Anomia (lawless) describes those with no commitment to any law or standard. That leads to the effect of being rebellious. To be ungodly is to be without regard for anything sacred. Such people are sinners; they live without regard for God’s law because they have no regard for God. An unholy person is indifferent to what is right. He is indifferent to God and his duty to Him. That indifference leads him to be profane, to trample on what is sacred. Lawlessness produces rebellion, ungodliness sinners, unholiness, and profanity. The law was made for just such disobedient, impure, and irreverent people. If they would heed it, it would show them their sin and need of salvation.

The rest of the sins in Paul’s list come from the second half of the Ten Commandments, those dealing with our relationship to other people. He probably selected the specific sins in this list because they characterized the false teachers at Ephesus. Those who kill their fathers or mothers are in obvious violation of the fifth commandment to “honor your father and your mother” (Ex. 20:12). That commandment is broadened in Exodus 21:15 and 17 to include striking or cursing parents. It forbids everything from dishonor to murder. Murderers are in violation of the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). Immoral men and homosexuals (arsenokoitais, literally “males in the marriage bed”) violate the seventh commandment, which forbids sexual activity outside of marriage. The eighth commandment forbids stealing. In light of that, Paul mentions kidnappers, since in his day theft of children was commonplace. Kidnapping was a capital offense in the Old Testament (Ex. 21:16; Deut. 24:7). The ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16), condemns liars and perjurers.

Then to make sure nothing is omitted, Paul adds, whatever else is contrary to sound teaching. Sound is from hugiain ō, from which we get our English word “hygiene.” It refers to that which is healthy and wholesome. Paul advocates teaching that produces spiritual life, growth, and health.

To use the law lawfully is to use it according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. The law, since it shows men their sin, is a necessary part of the gospel. If there were no bad news that men were lost sinners, there could be no good news of Christ’s redemption. The gospel is glorious because it reveals God’s glory, His attributes. One of those attributes is holiness, which involves hatred of sin. Another is justice, which demands punishment when His law is violated. Any gospel that ignores the law and sin is not the true gospel, since it does not reflect God’s attributes. The blessed God is both blessed in Himself (cf. 6:15), and the source of blessing for His people (Eph. 1:3). It was the true gospel with which Paul was entrusted (Gal. 2:7).

All believers have a responsibility to be on the alert for false teachers. What do we watch for? First, look at their understanding of Scripture, and ask if their teaching is biblically sound. Do they place extrabiblical teachings on a par with the Bible? Do they handle accurately the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15)?

Second, examine their goals. Do they seek to love, honor, and glorify God? Or do they pursue self-love, material wealth, or personal happiness? Does their message speak of purity of heart, a good conscience, and nonhypocritical faith?

Third, examine their motives. Are they humble and selfless? Or do they seek the preeminence?

Finally, examine the effect of their teaching. Do their followers understand clearly the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do they define the gospel properly? Do they use the law properly, as part of the gospel message, or do they promote works righteousness?

Those who pass the above checks should be welcomed as brothers in Christ, even if we differ with them at some points of interpretation or doctrine. Those who do not are to be rejected, no matter what experiences they may have had, or what else they may teach. Constant vigilance is our defense against those who would enslave us to a false gospel.