Fight the Good Fight
Part II: Wolves in Sheeps' Clothing
By Todd Uebele
"Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience." -- 1 Timothy 1:18-19a
"12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" -- 1 Timothy 6:12-14
As Christians, we are heavily involved in the "mother of all battles". We are caught in the fight of the ages and called to fight for the Truth. This fight, this battle, is being fought on many different fronts. We fight an enemy that seeks to destroy us, we fight the world who rejects us, we fight each other over trivial matters, and finally, we fight ourselves. Each of us is involved in the battle in one or all of those aspects. Each of us needs to fight the good fight.
The Bible not only tells us to "fight the good fight of faith," it also gives us a good outline of how to do just that. Continuing our three part series, I would like to take a close look at each of the fronts we fight on, look at the Biblical strategy for each fight, and show you the hope of victory we have in Jesus Christ! In this second part, we examine "wolves in sheep's clothing." The enemy infiltrators in our Church and how they are secretly subverting the Body of Christ.
Infiltrated by the Enemy
Webster's dictionary defines infiltrate, "to enter or become established in gradually or unobtrusively usually for subversive purposes." Princeton college puts it a little more plainly, "enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members." To infiltrate is to spy, or to become part of something in order to destroy it from within.
Infiltration was a popular tactic in both World War I and World War II. Both sides would infiltrate the other to gather information, cause sabotage, or determine strategies. The British were very successful in this matter in World War II, when one of their infiltrators discovered the code the Germans were using in their radio transmissions.
Using this, the British were able to decode intercepted transmissions from the Germans. This helped them locate the German flagship, the most powerful ship of its time, the Bismarck. The British were able to find out it's location, course, speed and destination. They then dispatched their fleet, and after a running battle, the Bismarck, pride of the German fleet, was sunk.
It was much more than a military victory. It was a substantial moral victory as well. The sinking of the Bismarck showed that the German war machine was not invincible and that the Germans could be stopped. It also showed the importance of infiltrating the enemy. Such a victory was a direct result of infiltrating the German military. Without such tactics being employed it is unlikely the Bismarck would have been sunk when it was.
Right now, our Church, our Body, is in the same state as the German military was during World War II. We have been infiltrated by the enemy, by "the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). Right now, the enemy is succeeding in sinking our ships. They have succeeded in driving wedges between brother and sisters. They have sown strife in congregations and divided up the body.
From what I have seen in various churches, the enemy has been successful in its infiltration and its subversion. Wolves have both crept in, and arisen from among us. That very thing is what the early Church was warned about by the Apostles:
28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. -- Acts 20:28-31
By the time Peter had written his final letter, Paul's prediction had come true:
1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Today, our Church is in the same state. Wolves have crept in, and arisen from our midst. They come in disguise, and many are hard to recognize. As such, they introduce destructive heresies, cause strife, and sow division among God's people. Our church is divided, and dare I say, in a state of moral decline in come cases (see my study on Moral Ambiguity in the Church to see what has happened and how it can be stopped). We need to be aware of their presence in our Church. Not only that, we need to learn how to recognize them, so we can expose the infiltrators and purge them from our body.
Recognizing the Wolves
The Bible not only tells us that there will be wolves in sheeps' clothing, it tells us how to recognize them. The first way we can identify them is by their denial of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This may seem obvious, but there are many ways to deny Jesus. These wolves will be crafty about it. Some will even use scripture in order to "prove" this heresy! Denial of Christ comes in different ways. They enemy is very crafty and will deny His divinity, His coming in the flesh, or His power to save. We can see examples of this in John's letters:
22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. -- 1 John 2:22-23
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." -- 2 John (1):7
Later in his first letter, John tells us to "test the spirits":
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. -- 1 John 4:1-3
Taking a second look at 2 Peter 2:1 we see the same thing:
But there were They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. -- 2 Peter 2:1
We will be able to recognize these "wolves" by their failure to acknowledge Jesus Christ, both in what they teach and in how they live. Jesus will not be their focus, they will even try to lure people away from Him. The very point of their infiltration is to do just that. However, if we keep Jesus as our focus and test the spirits, we will be able see through their sheep costumes and recognize them for the wolves they are.
Another way to see through their facade and recognize these wolves for what they are is not by something they do, but rather something they will not do. It something, actually, that they will not be able to do: show love to God's people. An infiltrator of God's people will not have God, and therefore will not have love.
The Bible tells us that God is love. It also tells us that one cannot have God and not have love. I encourage you all to take a moment and read 1 John 4 in its entirety. The passage is too long to quote here, so I will only post parts of it. However, it is a wonderful chapter on Love and on God, so I would like to encourage you to read the entire chapter before proceeding. Below are small snippets to back up what I have said so far:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (v8)
20If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (v 20-22)
As you can see, those who do not love do not have God. Without God, they are incapable of showing true love to God's people. They may pretend to have love (2 Cor 11:15), but he will actually treat God's people with contempt and scorn. It may not be visible at first, but that is why we need to be watchful. Now, no single person is loving every moment of his or her life, believe me, I know this to be true, but the wolves among us will be incapable of love. They may put up a good facade for a while. They may be able to "fake it" for a time. However, eventually, their true colors will show.
Just how will we see their "true colors?" Jesus tells us:
33Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. -- Mat 12:33-37
Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Eventually, their disdain for the Truth will show through, and their lack of God's love will be evident to all (2 Tim 3:9).
Finally, and perhaps the trickiest of all, we will be able to recognize wolves by what they teach. This requires a good amount of discernment and prayer. For many teach things we do not agree with, but that does not mean they are teaching false things (see Romans 14 for differences on "disputable matters"). However, there are some very distinct things, or heresies that wolves will introduce to the Church. That is the very reason they infiltrated us to begin with!
Before we go on, I want to say this again. I apologize for repeating myself, but I feel this important: teaching something we do not agree with does not mean someone is a "wolf." I firmly believe there are certain topics, the peripherals if you will, that we are given leeway on. That is, there are some things where it is ok to "agree to disagree."
However, the Bible is clear that people will teach things that go against God's Word, and we do need to keep our eyes open for such:
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. -- Matthew 16:5-11
3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain .... 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. -- 1 Timothy 6:3-5, 9-10
1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. -- 1 Timothy 4:1-4
The best way to do this. That is, the best way to recognize the "yeast of the Pharisees" or "things taught by demons." Is to compare them to God's Word. For example, in the passage from 1 Timothy 4 we are given two examples. Take a look at Genesis 2:21-41 and Acts 10:10-16 to see what God says about those things. When we compare the "things taught by demons" to God's Word, we see they are directly opposite!
This is important to note, they are directly opposite. They are not differences of interpretation, they are not different ways of looking at scripture, they are directly opposite. This goes back to the differences of opinion in "disputable matters." There are something things different people will see differently, and that is ok. However, people who do not have God, who do not have love, will teach things that directly contradict God's Word.
That is why Jesus tells us to have discernment. That is why it is important to spend time in God's Word daily. Typically, a wolf will exhibit all of these characteristics. That means, if we see someone is teaching things that are contrary to God's Word, we should not automatically assume them to be a wolf. Rather, we should look at how they act, observe how they treat believers and listen carefully to what they teach about Jesus.
The key, I believe, is that last one: what they teach about Jesus. This requires discernment as well. It is unlikely the enemy will come out and say that Jesus is not sufficient for our salvation, or that Jesus is not God. Rather they will teach that we are saved by our own obedience instead of Jesus' sacrifice, or that we much do our part in God's plan of salvation. While we certainly need to be obedient to our Father and walk in the light, our obedience should never overshadow, or take precedence over, what Christ did on the cross. Also, they will stress the teaching about Jesus Christ being a man, teach about His humanity and ignore His divinity. They will also discourage such talk in their congregations. Again, while Jesus Christ was just as Human as you and I, He was also God. He was, literally, God in the flesh.
Many times wolves will sneak their teaching in, or sneak their heresies in. When you spend time in God's Word, use discernment and test the spirits, you will be able to recognize such teachings, as well as those who have infiltrated our Church. This requires us to pay attention. We cannot be pew warmers, that is how we were infiltrated in the first place! No, we must keep our eyes open, and we must consistently spend time in God's Word. Then we will be able to spot those who have infiltrated the Body of Christ to subvert us from within.
CONCLUSION:
God's Word is eternal and unchanging (Matt 5:19). What pleases God and what displeases God does not change, yet the some who have infiltrated the church seek to change it. As we grow in our relationship with our Father, as we dig deeper into His Word, and as we learn to emulate Christ, we can better and easier discern the destructive teachings that are being introduced into our church. We can truly be united in Christ, and we can stand on the truth. We will not be popular, but our Lord and Savior was not even accepted by His own people. We should set our hearts on things above and focus on what is right and not what is easy. When we work on ourselves as individuals, we can then unite as a church and stand on our Rock. We can not only overcome the enemy within ourselves, we can defeat the wolves in our Church. With Christ as our foundation, we shall never be moved.
Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6). Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the life. If we make Jesus our focus, we will not be led astray. The Bible warns us, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Colossians 2:8). We need to test the spirits and compare everything to the Truth Himself. That way we will be able to stand until the end and not be deceived. This is, I feel, one of the most important things and cannot be stressed enough. We need to make Jesus Christ our foundation, or focus, our life. If we continually do so, we will not be led astray, for "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
