Discernment, False Teachers

Christine Caine: Have No Regard for the Offerings of Caine

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This article is kept continuously updated as needed.

Christine Caine is “an Australian born, Greek blooded, lover of Jesus, a sought-after international speaker, author and activist. Known for her ability to effectively communicate a message of hope, Christine has a heart for reaching the lost, strengthening leadership, and championing the cause of justice.” Over the last several years, Christine has become a popular conference speaker, a prolific author, a podcaster, and a social media darling.

This is due, in no small part to Christineโ€™s engaging personality. A native of Sydney, Australia, her charming accent, quick wit, and lovely smile immediately capture the attention, and her love and devotion to her husband and children are obvious and endearingly sincere. Unlike some of her over-made, over-coiffed, and overdressed peers, Christine radiates a natural, simple, unpretentious beauty that makes โ€œmiddle agedโ€ look good, and is a tacit encouragement to distinctly unglamourous women like me.

Admirably, Christine seems to have a true desire to impact the world beyond merely achieving fame and selling books, again, setting her apart from (and, in my opinion, above) many of her cohorts in evangelicalism. She and her husband have formed several different organizations for helping others both inside and outside the church world, such as Zoe Church (church planting in Europe) and Propel Women (success-building for women). But the helping organization Christine is best known for is The A21 Campaign, โ€œan anti-human trafficking organization dedicated to abolishing injustice in the 21st century.โ€ Human trafficking is a horrific evil, and I deeply appreciate Christineโ€™s desire to right this wrong.

I like Christine a lot, as a person. She says she loves Jesus. She has a passion for fighting injustice, and seems like a genuine, down to earth, nice woman who would make a great friend and would be fun to hang out with. And if thatโ€™s all it took for me to recommend her to you as a teacher of Godโ€™s Word, this article would end here with a ringing endorsement.

But, as James 3:1ย tells us, those who teach will be judged with greater strictness. At a bare minimum they must be expected to teach what accords with sound doctrine and to tangibly demonstrate that they love Jesus by keeping his commandments. Unfortunately, Christineโ€™s teachings and some of her actions do not meet even these basic biblical standards, and it is my sad duty to recommend that you not sit under her teaching for the following reasons:

“Pastoring” and Preaching to Men

Christine Caine habitually and unrepentantly rebels against Scripture by preaching to and teaching men. God is abundantly clear in His word that women are not to preach to, teach, or hold authority over men in the gathered body of Believers. And though this simple instruction should be sufficient for us, God also graciously explains to us whyย He has issued this prohibition- reasons which are still in effect today. Refusing to obey Godโ€™s word is sin. And in the same way you should not follow a male pastor or teacher who lives in intentional, unrepentant sin, you should not follow a female teacher who lives in intentional, unrepentant sin.

As I have mentioned previously, teaching men is a good, fast, and easy litmus test for ruling out most female false teachers, because, almost without exception, women who have no qualms about disobeying Scripture by teaching men also teach other false doctrine. If you walked into a church sanctuary and the male pastor who got up to preach was dressed in drag or was wearing a pro-abortion t-shirt or littered his โ€œsermonโ€ with profanity, you would know right away that this is someone who is in disobedience to Scripture and someone you should not listen to. Itโ€™s the same way with women who preach to men. Itโ€™s easily observable disobedience to Scripture that should quickly tell you this isnโ€™t someone you should be listening to or following, and Christine Caineโ€™s doctrine and practices in other areas bear this out.

Currently (2022), Christine is on staff as “Teaching Pastor” and “Women’s Leadership Pastor” at Mariners Church, a multi-site organization (which employs several women “pastors”) in southern California. View her “sermons” here.

If needed, you may view additional evidence of Christine preaching to men in the “Additional Resources” section at the end of this article.

False Doctrine

In addition to the false doctrine of women pastoring / preaching, Christine Caine subscribes to and teaches Word of Faith (prosperity gospel) heresy. She is a product of, has held leadership positions at, and is closely affiliated with Hillsongยฒ, which is, undeniably, a Word of Faith โ€œchurch.โ€ย Christineย is a contributor to the Hillsong blog page, the Hillsong web site maintains a bio page on her, and she is a regularly featured speaker at Hillsongโ€™s Colour Conferenceย for womenย and other Hillsong events.

Formerly a pastor on staff with Hillsong, Christine still appears to maintain some sort of partnership with this organization. In 2021, she preached at the former Hillsong Phoenix (Christine Caine : Heart for the House – 2021 Year of The Bible), and said in her introductory remarks (1:17), “I’ve been part of the team at Hillsong Church in Sidney [Australia], and now kind of around the world, for the last 27 years, and second only to my salvation…that was the greatest thing in my life…”

Part of Word of Faith heresy is the habitual mishandling and twisting of Scripture while teaching: taking verses out of context, attempting to make the Bible say things it does not say in order to fit the โ€œtheologyโ€ of the teacher, and reading oneself, oneโ€™s audience, or one’s own ideas into Scripture (eisegesis). You will find multiple examples of Christine Caine teaching this way in the โ€œAdditional Resourcesโ€ section at the end of this article.

Partnering with False Teachers

Christine Caine regularly associates and partners in ministry with false teachers. The Bible clearly forbids this in a number of passages. She has preached at the aforementioned Hillsong on far too many occasions to enumerate,ย T.D. Jakes events events, Joel Osteen events,ย Bethel events, at Robert Morris‘ย church, Rick Warren’sย church, and Steven Furtick’sย church (all to co-ed audiences) just to name a few. Paula White considers Christine a friend. Additionally, Christine has close relationships withย Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer, frequently sharing the stage or partnering with both.

Christine Caine speaking at Bethel

But perhaps Christine Caineโ€™s best known and most worrisome bond is with false (Word of Faith) teacher Joyce Meyer. Christine considers Joyce her โ€œspiritual motherโ€:

โ€ฆand even went so far as to lay her hands on Joyce Meyerโ€™s Bible, stating:

โ€œOh yes I did lay my own hands on Joyce Meyerโ€™s Bible and teaching notes and prayed for an impartation of that teaching anointing and revelation. It was a privilege and honor to shadow her this past week. Far more is โ€˜caughtโ€™ than is ever โ€˜taughtโ€™ in life!โ€

christine joyce bible
Christine Caine on the January 21, 2022 episode of Joyce Meyer’s show, Enjoying Everyday Life: Confronting Your Past

40th Annual Love Life Women’s Conference 2022 | Joyce Meyer Ministries

Featuring Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Lisa Harper, Christine Caine, Chris Tomlin, Tauren Wells, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham
Love Life 2022 Website

No one who immerses herself in the company of, and partnership with, so many false teachers, even considering one of the most egregious a spiritual mentor, can be trusted to teach the truth of Scripture and sound doctrine.

Itโ€™s true, Christine Caine is a lovely, charming woman with an admirable passion for helping people. But this does not excuse or make up for her disobedience to Godโ€™s word and teaching false doctrine. These are not minor โ€œdifferences of opinionโ€ that can be blithely swept under the rug. These are rebellions against the holy God of the universe.

I very much dislike having to warn women away from popular evangelical teachers, thus, it is my hope and prayer that Christine will repent of these sins, learn sound doctrine, and begin to teach it to the women in her audience who so desperately need it.  Until such time, however, I regret that I must recommend that neither women nor churches receive teaching from Christine Caine or any of her ministries or materials, nor (in obedience to Scripture) participate in any way with The A21 Campaign or any of her other organizations. Do not have regard for Caine’s offerings.


 

Additional Resources:

Disclaimer: The specific links below are provided and endorsed as evidence pertaining to this article only. I do not endorse any of these sites in so far as any of them might deviate from Scripture or conflict with my beliefs as outlined in the โ€œWelcomeโ€ or โ€œStatement of Faithโ€ tabs at the top of this page.

Preaching to Men

(See also “Partnering with False Teachers” below)

Events– The “Events” page at Christine’s website frequently lists her as preaching the “Sunday Service” or “Worship Service” at various “churches”.

Christine Caine Sermons on YouTube

We are well able | 5pm | Christine Caine | Sunday at Celebration Church | Feb 27th (Men visible in the audience from 0:09)

Christine Caine | Code Orange Revival | Elevation Church (Men visible in the audience from 0:00)

Christine Caine : Trust God in any difficulty– New Life Church, 9:30 a.m. worship service (Men visible in the audience from 0:00)

Partnering with False Teachers

(Also some examples of Christine preaching to men.)

Christine Caine | Code Orange Revival | Elevation Church (Steven Furtick)

Lakewood Church – Women’s Fall Extravaganza (2012) (Victoria Osteen)

Don’t Look Back | Christine Caine | Hillsong Church Netherlands July 17, 2022

Q&A with Beth Moore and Christine Caine– Living Proof Ministries with Beth Moore Facebook page

Meet Christine Caine at Priscilla Shirer’s Going Beyond Ministries

T.D. Jakes & Christine Caine: You Have a Purpose (Full Teaching) | Praise on TBN May 13, 2022

Christine Caine with Joyce Meyer– Christine Caine’s Instagram

Priscilla Shirer and Christine Caine on Human Trafficking

When Christine Caine met Joyce– Joyce Meyer Ministries YouTube

Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Christine Caine Q&A– Joyce Meyer’s Love Life 2016 Conference

False Doctrine

(Also several examples of Christine preaching to men and partnering with false teachers.)

Six Reasons Not to Follow Christine Caine by Elizabeth Prata

Review of Christine Caine’s sermon at Steven Furtick’s Code Orange Revival at Craig Brown’s Reformed Theology

Hillsong Church Leader Christine Caine Proudly Admits to New Age Practice of ‘Impartationโ€™ at Now the End Begins

Top 10 Lessons I have Learned from Momma Joyce by Christine Caine

Articles on Christine Caine at Apprising Ministries

Reviews of Christine Caine sermons at Pirate Christian Radio

Articles on Christine Caine at Hillsong Church Watch

Christine Caine Said What? at When We Understand the Text

Looking at Christine Caineโ€™s speech at Passion 2019 by Elizabeth Prata


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Guest Posts

Guest Post: How to Survive a Wimpy Womenโ€™s Ministry

If your theology pretty much matches up with mine (as outlined in the “Welcome” and “Statement of Faith” tabs) and you’d like to contribute a guest post, drop me an e-mail at MichelleLesley1@yahoo.com,
and let’s chat about it.
Kim Wine Wimpy Womens Ministry

How to Survive a Wimpy Womenโ€™s Ministry
by Kim Wine

Vanessa was excited to attend the weeknight womenโ€™s ministry event. A new friend had recently invited her to their annual womenโ€™s conference. Vanessaโ€™s own church was extremely small and had no womenโ€™s ministry, so she was excited to attend an event that would edify her and train her in righteousness through the Word of God. She walked in with joyful expectation of tools to help her in her spiritual growth.

Upon entering the event, Vanessa was given her itinerary. The day was filled with craft projects, networking activities, and tips on how to create a more hospitable home environment. Vanessa maintained an optimistic attitude, still looking forward to the keynote speaker. Unfortunately, Vanessa left weeping, feeling discouraged and disappointed and even emptier than she felt when she walked in the event. The speaker delivered a highly motivating speech that โ€œempoweredโ€ women and made them feel loved and accepted and โ€œat peaceโ€ with God and each otherโ€ฆ. And it was woefully devoid of Scripture, the gospel, or any mention of sin or repentance.

Maybe youโ€™re like Vanessa and have experienced something similar? Have you walked away from womenโ€™s events at churches and wondered โ€œwhat on earth just happened? Wasnโ€™t I supposed to know more about my Lord at the end?โ€ How do we change the culture of womenโ€™s ministry in todayโ€™s churches? I believe the solution lies in the discernment developed in the lives of both the ministry leader and the participant. Both participants and leaders must have a discerning mind and heart about what theyโ€™re allowing to be taught.

The Participant

Letโ€™s assume youโ€™re just like Vanessa. You donโ€™t feel led by the Lord to be a womenโ€™s ministry leader, but youโ€™re desperately hungry for more from your womenโ€™s ministry. What do you do to encourage your leader to be discerning in the teaching choices she makes?

1.ย Become discerning yourself. It is your responsibility to be knowledgeable about the Word of God. No one else is responsible to spoon-feed you. (1 John 2:27) You have the Holy Spirit indwelling you to remind you of the things you have learned (John 14:26), but you must learn them first in order to recall them.

2.ย Be an active participant. (Hebrews 10:23-25) You may not like whatโ€™s going on in your womenโ€™s ministry. Tea parties and testimonies may be the last thing you want to spend your time doing. But as long as the teaching you are receiving isnโ€™t heretical (of course you shouldnโ€™t stick around for false teaching), being active is the only way to develop a good relationship with your ministry leader. Ladies, I realize this is a hard one. I donโ€™t like wasting my time and Iโ€™m sure you donโ€™t either. But developing relationships takes your presence. It is not a waste of time to form a relationship that could give you future opportunity to disciple another woman to more depth and discernment.

3.ย Become a trusted friend of your womenโ€™s ministry leader. Take her to coffee and get to know her with no agenda. Be a support for her. Offer to help with events. You just might find out you both have the same heart for depth and discernment and youโ€™re striving for the same goals. Maybe sheโ€™s working toward the same things you long for as well.

4. Be patient and consistent. It takes a while to turn a whole ship around. Give her time and space to work toward something new. Depth and discernment could be something the women in your church are unfamiliar with. As long as youโ€™re seeing growth โ€“ even if itโ€™s incremental โ€“ stay plugged in and be her biggest cheerleader. Show her that you can be trusted. And gently, as the Lord opens doors in your relationship with your leader, make good suggestions about teachers, authors, and materials.

The Womenโ€™s Ministry Leader

If you have been given the task of leading women, you have been given a very critical role in the life of your church. Women are very easily deceived by false teaching. (2 Timothy 3:6-7) Your job is to be a second line of defense after your pastor to protect these women. Donโ€™t take it lightly. What can you do to train your women to be discerning?

1. Bring in great speakers. Only allow speakers who saturate your women in the Truth of the Word of God. Do not allow women to hear false teaching. Test your speakers against the Word of God. (1 John 4:1) Testimonies are empowering and emotional. But testimonies can never edify like the pure milk of the Word of God. (1 Peter 2:2) Make sure your speaker is faithful to the text.

2. Spend more time on Scripture than you do on activities. Make the Word of God the central part of your ministry. Women should be able to come to any event scheduled and know that whatever the activity is, it will be secondary to the Word of God. Teach your women to crave the Word by making it the main course of every event. Always. Be consistent with this and you will start to see your women change from the inside out

3. Schedule and attend sound Bible studies within your church. Leaders, if you want your women to learn to be discerning, you must offer in-depth Bible study. You may not be able to commit to being the teacher, but you can assign a godly, mature woman to teach the study. Maybe someone like Vanessa? If you are not the teacher, make it a priority to attend at least one of the womenโ€™s studies within your church. You must lead by example. The women in your church will take their cues about whatโ€™s important from two people โ€“ their pastorโ€™s wife, and the womenโ€™s ministry leader. Be a great example so that you can echo Paul when he told others to follow his example. (1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 Corinthians 4:16, Philippians 3:17)

4. Get involved in the womenโ€™s lives. In order to discern where your women are spiritually, you must know them well. Make yourself available for the ladies. Be approachable. If you see someone struggling, ask her how you can pray for her. Just be there. You are not going to know what to offer your women if you donโ€™t really know your women. Acts 2:43-47 gives us a beautiful picture of the church simply โ€œdoing lifeโ€ together. Emulate that in your womenโ€™s ministry.

Whether you are a participant or a leader, you can make a huge difference in the womenโ€™s ministry of your church. Be consistent. Be faithful. And, by all means, be discerning. Then teach others to replicate the pattern.

I know there are many godly women reading this post who have been โ€œin the trenchesโ€ of womenโ€™s ministry leadership for many years. Please comment any other insight you have that would help edify our womenโ€™s ministries.


Kim Wine is a Bible study teacher and speaker whose passion is to teach women how to study the Word for themselves. She is the Womenโ€™s Ministry Director at Glory Books, a Bible study equipping website. She also co-hosts the Womenโ€™s Hope Podcast each Wednesday at Glory Books, which offers biblical solutions for tough womenโ€™s issues. You can read more from Kim on her personal blog. Connect with Kim on Twitter,ย Facebook, or by emailing womenshope@glorybooks.org.


ALTHOUGH I DO MY BEST TO THOROUGHLY VET THE THEOLOGY OF THE BLOGGERS WHO SUBMIT GUEST POSTS, IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE FOR THINGS TO SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS. PLEASE MAKE SURE ANY BLOGGER YOU FOLLOW, INCLUDING ME, RIGHTLY AND FAITHFULLY HANDLES GOD’S WORD AND HOLDS TO SOUND BIBLICAL DOCTRINE.

Discernment

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

disney dalai divangelista1Social media and the internet are a gold mine for inspirational quotes, and today’s most popular divangelistasย post a lot of them. But, does inspirational always equal biblical? Shouldn’t you be able to tell the difference between a line from a Disney movie, a platitude from the Dalai Lama, and biblical truth from a Christian leader? In homage to Tim Challies’ Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookie? I give you Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?. Try to guess who said it, then click on the link below the quote to see if you were right.

1.ย All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

2. Compassion naturally creates a positive atmosphere, and as a result you feel peaceful and content.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

3. Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

4.ย Patience to wait does not come from suffering long for what we lack but from sitting long in what we have.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

5. Today is a new day, and every day you can be one step closer to conquering your fears!

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

6.ย You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

7. In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

8. In every situation, in every interaction, in every day, be a noticer of the good.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

9. ย All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

10. When we stop fearing failure, we start being artists.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

11.ย Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

12. Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

13.ย You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

14.ย If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?

15. It is useless to compare yourself to someone else. That person has a completely different path to follow.

Disney, Dalai, or Divangelista?


What was your score?
0-3:
You spend waaaay too much time reading your Bible and listening to sermon podcasts to keep up with the latest fluff from divangelistas or to get out and see a movie. The Dalai Lama? Is that the Thursday special at that Asian restaurant down the street?

4-10:
Cut back on the “inspirational” Pinterest boards and trade out your kids’ DVD ofย Frozen for an Awana CD. Read some books by the old dead guys like Spurgeon or Ryle, and learn how different (and how much better) Christian doctrine is from Buddhism.

11-15:
Would you consider yourself a good person?
(I kid! I kid! You probably just have a photographic memory!)

Guest Posts

Guest Post: Itching Ears

Since I’ve had to temporarily cut back on blogging I’ve asked some friends to contribute guest posts. If your theology pretty much matches up with mine (as outlined in the “Welcome” and “Statement of Faith” tabs) and you’d like to contribute a guest post, drop me an e-mail at MichelleLesley1@yahoo.com, and let’s chat about it.michael coughlin itching ears

Itching Ears
by Michael Coughlin

Itching ears abound in 2016. If you are reading this blog, you likely value discernment to a great deal. Consider a section of Scripture such as 2 Timothy 4:3-4:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

What we see here is the contrast between those who will desire sound teaching and those who will not. False teachers will be propped up by people with โ€˜itching earsโ€™ to satisfy their own lusts.

The picture painted is striking. As I write this, I am imagining if my ears were itchy how Iโ€™d be unable to avoid scratching them. In fact, just thinking about it made my ear tingle, and I had to satisfy the itch! The analogy extends to other activities as well. There is a nearly unavoidable response by unregenerate man to his or her lust to attempt to satisfy those passions. The only mode of satisfaction which must be avoided is that of repentance toward sin and faith in Christ. Anything else goes.

In comes your friendly neighborhood spiritual leader/false teacher. You know the type. He or she is likable in some important way, speaking in a way which boosts self-esteems, smiling a lot, and using the word โ€œGodโ€ or the phrase โ€œGodโ€™s Wordโ€ like they were called to it! This false teacher may even proclaim the name of Jesus unashamedly. These folks are like a fingernail on the itchโ€ฆthey possess exactly what is needed to temporarily satisfy the longing!

So, good, discerning people like you and I investigate them. We watch a few sermons, read some of their websites or publications, and we write a post on a blog warning the brethren of the insidiousness of the false teacher. Maybe we throw out a tweet or two reminding people we love that this teacher will lead them away from God. Who knows, a Facebook group could ensueโ€ฆand even be warranted. We use phrases like, โ€œlove rejoices in truth!โ€ And we really believe that and mean it.

But I have noticed something which occurs once in a while which I think is ungodly and detracts from our real message. It seems to occur in media where shorter quips are thrown out, like Twitter, but can happen everywhere. Now Iโ€™m going to say something that to some people will be difficult to swallow:

Not every time a bad or false teacher says something are they wrong.

Yes, you read that right. Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, Benny Hinn and Paula White are all right sometimes. Each of the examples above are folks who, made in Godโ€™s image, cannot help but agree with at least some things God has said. Just like the atheist who actually lives according to Godโ€™s precepts which are written on his heartโ€ฆthese people have an understanding of some of the things of God. Think about itโ€ฆwhen they actually do quote Scripture they are saying something true.

I know, I knowโ€ฆโ€but they twist it,โ€ you say! Yes, often they do. But not EVERY TIME, to be sure. The trend that most concerns me is the trend I see which is to take a single sentence or two out of the context that was given and absolutely lambaste a false teacher for their heretical beliefs. If anyone did that with the theologians you like and I look up to as well, weโ€™d be annoyed. Good men (including Jesus, John, Paul) have made statements that, out of the context the statement was uttered, would be terribly evil or at least inane.

How many times has someone reminded you Jesus said โ€œJudge not?โ€ It would be easy to make a case for sinless perfection being taught by the Apostle John from 1 John, if you take a few verses out of context. And Paul? I donโ€™t know how many times Iโ€™ve heard the โ€˜Paul was a misogynistโ€™ argument based on a handful of instructions concerning women. And honestly, I can see how it would sound like it out of context.

My point is this โ€“ we ought to give the most ardent false teacher the same treatment as we give the Bible and good teachers in regard to judging the things they say in context. Not because they deserve it, but because it is the right thing to do. When we attack something that someone didnโ€™t exactly say, we commit an error which is easily refuted by those who are being led astray by these folks, and we come out looking like the fools who canโ€™t even be honest about what the person we are attacking really meant.

We owe it to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ to honestly present and assess opposing teachings to His wonderful doctrines. It is scholarly to make cases for biblical teaching against the best possible arguments against it. It is immature and dishonest to mischaracterize your oppositionโ€™s argument, and no honor is given to God in that process.

Application: So what do we do with this knowledge? Commit with me to ensure that you will treat false teachersโ€™ statements like we would treat our favorite preacherโ€™s statement, evaluating them in context. It may take a little effort, but it will be worth it. Most of the worldโ€™s false teachers say enough wicked, contradictory-to-Scripture things that you donโ€™t have to reach too hard to find something to expose them for what they are!


Michael Coughlin is a street evangelist from Ohio. He and his wife, Erin have 5 children. You can find him on Twitter, at his blog,ย or on Sermon Audio.


ALTHOUGH I DO MY BEST TO THOROUGHLY VET THE THEOLOGY OF THE BLOGGERS WHO SUBMIT GUEST POSTS, IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE FOR THINGS TO SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS. PLEASE MAKE SURE ANY BLOGGER YOU FOLLOW, INCLUDING ME, RIGHTLY AND FAITHFULLY HANDLES GOD’S WORD AND HOLDS TO SOUND BIBLICAL DOCTRINE.

 

Discernment

Discernment: What’s Love Got to Do with It?

…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…

Ephesians 4:14-15

Christians who know what discernment is have a variety of perspectives about how it should be practiced. Should we teach about false doctrine at all or just make sure our church is teaching sound doctrine? Should we name the names of false teachers or speak about them anonymously? Should we warn people away from false teachers or just pray for them privately? What’s the biblical precedent for using a stringent tone when speaking of those who teach false doctrine?

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase “speaking the truth in love” from Ephesians 4:15 as it pertains to speaking and writing about false doctrine and false teachers.

Many Christian women have the mistaken idea that “speaking the truth in love” equals being “nice.” We’re always smilingly sweet and never say anything that might hurt someone’s feelings or could rock the boat at church.

Many Christian women have the mistaken idea that “speaking the truth in love” equals being “nice.”

Are we to be kind? Yes. Are we to do our best not to hurt others? Of course. Should we be making waves over every little thing that rubs us the wrong way? Absolutely not. We are to deny ourselves, setting aside our personal preferences and, in many cases, even our own rights, to the point of laying down our lives for others.

We need to understand the distinction between personal preferences and biblical doctrine. We die *to* personal preferences. We die *for* the purity of biblical doctrine.

But we need to understand the distinction between personal preferences and biblical doctrine. And that’s where I think a lot of people get confused. We die to personal preferences. We die for the purity of biblical doctrine. The enemy is stealthily infiltrating and conquering church after church with false doctrine. We are at war. And that’s going to mean ruffling feathers, rocking the boat, and hurting feelings sometimes. Because the full armor of God doesn’t come with a white flag or a pen for signing peace treaties.

The full armor of God doesn’t come with a white flag or a pen for signing peace treaties.

But how do we war for the truth “in love”?

Well, think about the concept and practice of “love.” Love always has an object. We don’t just say, “I love.” We say, “I love my children,” or “I love peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.” Speaking the truth “in love” is not as much about our demeanor or tone of voice as it is about the object of our love. It’s our love for others that compels us to speak biblical truth. And it’s that same love for others that should drive the manner in which we speak the truth.

So when it comes to speaking the truth about false doctrine, how should we be motivated by love? And love for whom?

We love Christ– As Christians, our love for Christ should motivate everything we do. If we’re speaking truth from fleshly motives such as pride, the desire to make a name for ourselves, or the competitive drive to win an argument, everything we say can be 100% factually right and we can still be spiritually in the wrong because the motive of our heart is wrong. God isn’t a debate judge awarding us points for compelling arguments. God weighs the heart.

We love God’s Word– To love Christ is to love the Bible because Scripture is literally God Himself speaking to us. Besides the cleansing of the temple, the passage in which we see Jesus’ righteous anger displayed most clearly is Matthew 23. Here, Jesus delivers a scorching rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees for twisting God’s Word and, in doing so, leading people away from the truth of Scripture. It is only natural for those of us who have the mind of Christ and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit to have that same love for God’s word and feel righteous anger over the maligning of it.

We love the church– To love Christ is also to love His bride, the church. Christ gave his life to cleanse the church “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Seeing Christ’s bride blemished and corrupted by false doctrine should grieve us deeply and motivate us to call the church to be cleansed “by the washing of water with the Word.”

We love the captives– Paul speaks of false teachers “who creep into households and capture weak women.” Often, the women who follow false teachers simply don’t know any better. Though Scripture is clear that they’re complicit in their own captivity, they are casualties and prisoners of war held hostage by the enemy. We are to love them enough to show them the truth of God’s word so that “they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

We love the enemyEvery Christian was at one time an enemy of the cross. Every last one of us. Until someone loved us enough to intervene with the truth of the gospel. False teachers – those who, despite biblical correction, unrepentantly teach doctrine which is plainly refuted by Scripture – have made themselves enemies of the cross, even if they call themselves “Christian,” even if they wear the title of “pastor,” even if they’re holding a Bible in their hands and refer to it occasionally as they “teach” us.

In the same way that a loving sister would not turn a blind eye and hope for the best if her sibling began using drugs and became increasingly addicted, it is not loving to stand idly by and allow false teachers to continue to sink deeper and deeper into Satan’s clutches by doing his bidding without making every effort to stop them in order to rescue them.

*It is not loving* to stand idly by and allow false teachers to continue to sink deeper and deeper into Satan’s clutches by doing his bidding without making every effort to stop them in order to rescue them.

Sometimes – just as with the drug abuser – this can be accomplished early on with a private word of correction. And sometimes – as with the addict – more extreme measures of “tough love” and intervention must be employed. But we always love them enough to desire that they come to repentance and embrace the truth.

 

Our love for these also drives the manner in which we speak truth to them. A good soldier would never deal with a civilian casualty in the same way he would fight off an enemy bent on waging war. Likewise, part of discernment is knowing who the enemy is (and is not) and dealing with people in a biblically appropriate way. This requires humility, wisdom, thorough proficiency with our tools and weapons, unceasing prayer, and complete dependence on and self-crucifying love for our King. We trust in Him and His Word to guide us in the wise and loving way to humbly speak His truth.

Discernment. Speaking truth. What’s love got to do with it?

Everything.