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Part of the series: THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD
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THE WORD OF GOD (6)

The Word of God Refutes False Doctrine

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   The Bible has a lot to say about truth.

1.     Psalm 119:142

 

Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

 

2.    Psalm 119:151

 

Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.

 

3.     Proverbs 23:23

 

Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

 

4.    John 1:17

 

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

5.    John 8:32

 

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

6.    John 17:17

 

Sanctify them through thy truth:  thy word is truth.

 

7.    III John 4

 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

 

B.   Truth defined:

1.     Fact, reality, certainty

2.    The actual state of a matter

3.     Verified, indisputable proposition or principle

4.    NOTE:  God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).

a.    It is fact, reality, and certainty.

b.    It sets forth the actual state of the things of God.

c.    It involves verified, indisputable propositions and principles.

 

C.   It is amazing how the truth of the Bible so easily refutes all that is false.  Often it refutes false doctrine with one simple verse. 

 

 

I.          EVOLUTION

 

A.   Evolution is a theory used to explain the origin of all things.

1.     Man is the product of billions and billions of years of evolutionary processes.

2.    In some manner, “eternal” gasses exploded creating just the right process that brought the universe and man into being.

3.     Man is nothing more than the intelligent ancestor of the amoeba.

 

B.   Genesis 1:1

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 

II.        THEISTIC EVOLUTION

 

A.   Theistic evolution affirms the existence of God, but claims that God used the evolutionary processes to bring things into their present form.

 

B.   Two theories of theistic evolution exist among those who claim to believe the Bible.

1.     The Gap Theory

a.    God created a world in Genesis 1:1.  This world took billions of years to evolve.

b.    For some reason that world “became” (was) without form and void.  Some catastrophic event happened to destroy that previous world.

c.    In Genesis 1:3, God begins to create using the six days of Creation.

d.    Note, there is a gap between verse one and verse three.

e.    If this theory is true, man was not created at the beginning of the Creation.  Billions of years passed before man was created.  This contra-dicts the words of Jesus (Mark 10:6).

 

But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

 

2.    The Day-Age Theory

a.    This theory states that the evolutionary processes can be accounted for in the days of Creation.

1)     We are told these were not 24-hour days.

2)    It is said that these were long expanses of time, millions and billions of years.

b.    In Exodus 20:8-10, God sets forth the law concerning the Sabbath Day.

1)     Six days of work, then one day, the Sabbath, involved no work.

2)    This concept was based upon God’s labors during the Creation Week (Exo. 20:11).

 

For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:  wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

 

 

 

III.      SALVATION ISSUES

 

A.   One of the most prominent affirmations made by those who claim to be preaching the gospel is that salvation is by “faith only.”

1.     Statements that are made:

a.    All you have to do is believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and you will be saved.

b.    Just accept the Lord Jesus into your heart and you will be saved.

2.    One verse refutes this false doctrine (James 2:24).

 

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

 

B.   Another prominent proclamation is that baptism does not save.

1.     Statements made about baptism that are false:

a.    You do not need to be baptized to be saved.

b.    Baptism is the first command to be obeyed after one is saved.

c.    Baptism is a work and works do not save.

d.    Baptism is just an outward sign of an inwrought grace.

2.    One verse refutes this false teaching (Mark 16:16).

 

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

a.    What does Jesus say a man must do to be saved?  Believe and be baptized 

b.    See also I Peter 3:21

 

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

IV.       MANY FALSE DOCTRINES CAN EASILY BE REFUTED

 

A.   Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus is a created being.  John 1:1 teaches us that Jesus is God and God is not created.

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

B.   The Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a perpetual virgin.  This doctrine is referred to as “The Perpetual Virginity of Mary.”

1.     Refuted (Matt. 1:24-25)

 

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son:  and he called his name JESUS.

 

2.    Mark 6:3 reveals the names of four of Jesus brothers:  James, Joses, Juda, and Simon.  We are told that he had sisters as well.

 

C.   Many hold worship services on Saturday nights, complete with the Lord’s Supper.  However, the Bible teaches that the first century disciples partook of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

 

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and he continued his speech until midnight.

 

D.   The denominational world believes that many churches are acceptable to God.  They do not acknowledge that there is only one church (See Eph. 4:4).

 

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.  (According to Ephesians 1:22-23, the body if the church.  If there is one body and the body is the church, there is only one church).

 

E.   Wearing religious titles is popular in the religious world.  Men are called reverend, bishop, father, patriarch, parson, etc. (See Matt. 23:8-10).

 

And be not ye called Rabbi:  for one is your Master, even Christ; and ye are all brethren.  And call no man your father upon the earth:  for one is your father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters:  for one is your Mater, even Christ.

 

F.    Premillennialists do not believe that the kingdom has been established.  They believe that a literal earthly kingdom will be established in the literal city of Jerusalem at the Lord’s Second Coming.

1.     The kingdom is not a literal, earthly kingdom (John 18:36).

 

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered unto you:  but now is my kingdom not from hence.

 

2.    The kingdom is in existence at this time (Col. 1:13).

 

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

 

3.     The New Testament teaches that Jesus is presently reigning and will continue to do so until the enemy of death is destroyed (I Cor. 15:25-26).

 

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

 

G.   The Muslims tell us that Muhammad is the final prophet of God (Heb. 1:1-2).

 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoke unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   John declared long ago that many false prophets are gone out into the world (I John 4:1).

 

B.   In the first century, it was easy for false prophets to deceive their listeners.

1.     The New Testament was not in its completed form.

2.    False prophets could deceive by “confirming” their oral message with magic and trickery.

3.     Paul longed for the unity of the faith (Eph. 4:13).  He yearned for the time when the Word of truth was completely revealed.  The reason is found in Ephesians 4:14.

 

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

 

C.   Fortunately for us, we have the truth in its fullness, in its completed form.  This truth refutes all error of man.

 

D.   Our duty is set forth in I Thessalonians 5:20-22.

 

Despise not prophesyings.  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.  Abstain from all appearance of evil.