DON'T PREACH AGAINST ERROR
by Lynn Parker
Over a number of years of preaching
we have occasionally heard that someone is unhappy with preaching and teaching
that refutes doctrinal error. Some may believe that we ought to leave error
alone unless it appears at the congregation's front door. Others might believe that you should deal with
doctrinal error privately and never from the pulpit. I heard one woman say that we should just
preach God's Word and never call the names of those who are false teachers. Some object to calling names of denominations
or congregations in error.
Of course, preachers could preach
on error to the neglect of other topics needed by the hearers. To avoid extremes, it is a good idea for
preachers to make a list of sermon topics to be addressed during the year, and
to keep a log of what has been taught so as to cover the many areas that need
attention. Balanced preaching will cover the negative and the positive, the
error and the right. It will teardown
sin, and build us up in righteousness. It
will afflict those who are comfortable in sin, and comfort those afflicted by
trial and tribulation. Effective, sound preaching will make those in sin
uncomfortable or contrite. They will
either repent or get mad. Remember that
for some folks, even one sermon refuting error is one too many-it just really
irritates them.
So what should preachers do? Preachers should take a lesson from Jeremiah's
commission to, "pluck up and to
break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant"
(Jeremiah
Now if someone says, just
"preach the word" and leave error alone, we would have to ask this
question: "Which part of God's Word would you have me leave out of my
preaching?" You see, if I leave off preaching against error, I must leave out Colossians 2 for the second chapter of
this epistle is directed at errors confronting the church (agnosticism, etc.). Almost all of the Galatian letter-6 chapters worth- refutes errors facing the church. Leave out refutation of error and you will
have to edit the epistle of 1 Corinthians because Paul dealt with sin and error
frequently there. And while we are
deciding which passages to cut out of our preaching, we must remove several
scores of verses from Hebrews and James. And by the way, we can no longer preach from
either 2 Peter or Jude-they are almost completely devoted to refuting error.
And the epistles of John (1 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John) simply must go because they
are militant against error. The book of Revelation gets kicked out of our
preaching because John called the specific congregations by location (rebuking
five of the seven churches), and then called the name of a specific group of
false teachers:
“But
I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the
children of
I doubt the Nicolaitans
appreciated that mention but it is written there nonetheless!
I know of a congregation where the
preacher and elders seldom spoke of error. Few warnings were given. And when finally error was at the "door,"
the congregation was unprepared to handle the matter. The congregation is now, for all practical
purposes, dead in sin and error. Brethren,
refuting error, and calling the names of groups or individuals that teach
error, is as much a part of Christianity as love, joy; and peace! It builds the faith, it protects souls, and it
arms the Christian soldier with ammunition to battle against every false way (Psalms 119:104). Let us stand by the proclamation of the whole
counsel of God (Acts