Symptoms of False Doctrine (Part 1)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Vacation Update, Listener Mail, and the Skull on the Desk

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth, and it is good to be back in the studio. It�s a little rainy today. Real time is August, middle to late August, and I have not recorded a show for some time.

Fred Butler was making sure to let me know that the shows were kind of old. But I was in California. I was in Santa Cruz this summer, and what happened? Oh, I had breakfast with Phil Johnson and Steve Kreyloft.

That was fun. What else happened in Santa Cruz? Didn�t get bit by a shark surfing. That was fun. I did get an email. Someone had asked me about the skull that I have on my desk. I have a, what do I have on my desk?

A javelin, mace. No, not the spray, the thing that you hit somebody with. An hourglass, and there�s an old skull there. Someone asked me in an email, �Why do you have a skull on your desk I thought it was actually a legitimate question.

You know how that works when somebody asks you a question and you think, �Hey, they just want to know what�s going on. It�s legit, and I just said, �Puritans put skulls on their desk. The pastors, the preachers often put skulls on their desk to remind them of their own mortality.

They were going to die one day, so live into the Lord, preach the word, and of their congregation�s mortality that those people would die too, and they need to be cloaked in the righteousness of Christ, preach Christ weekly.

That�s what I wrote to the guy, �Skull on desk. That was the topic. Here was the guy�s response, �This is the most convoluted pile of nonsense I�ve read in a long time. Do you really expect people to believe this garbage?

I do not. Okay, so now you�re ready? Welcome back from vacation. �The human skull is used in Satan worship. Is that what you are doing, and slapping a Christian sticker on it? You�ve been to too many of your buddy MacArthur�s Regen conferences where Satan is openly worshiped.

That�s amazing. �But I expect it to be just as it is, since you have been made into twofold more a child of hell than your master at the master�s seminary, or is it cemetery Daryl. Love Daryl. He didn�t put that far on there.

So anyway, I mean, how do you respond to something like that except you, I don�t know, you talk about it on the radio a little bit and just think, �Oh, okay, Satan, I guess the Satan worshiper. Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, all right.

So, if you want to contact me, the number is thetuesdayguy at No Compromise Radio. Anyway, what else is happening this summer? I�ve been working on the Sexual Fidelity book, stemming from conversations that I had with my son over the years, 30 short chapters designed to get you to think biblically about that subject, and also with a gospel emphasis as well.

It�s one thing to just tell people, �Don�t, stop, be pure but then also to make sure it�s cloaked with Satan worship. Oh, man. Well, the good news is he�s listening, he�s watching. See, that�s the good news.

There have been some who have said, �We just listened to see what we would disagree with. And the other one I�ve been getting a lot lately on Facebook is No Compromise Calvinist. And it doesn�t say Calvinist, it�s a Calvinist, and that kind of reminded me of the guy showing up at the Shepherds� Conference this last year with a Calvinist, you know, or clowns kind of thing.

So, anyway, we�re here to serve, aren�t we? On the docket today on No Compromise Radio is goat�s head soup. I mean, I don�t know what else to do except just laugh at it. It is so convolutedly dumb, I was going to say stupid.

Our show is always biblical, always provocative, always in that order. At least that�s what we attempt to try to do. I attempt to try to push you back to the gospel because Jesus is the only one who never compromised.

Adam compromised, Eve compromised, Israel compromised. I�ve been studying the life of David in 2 Samuel, and David obviously compromised. There needs to be a better David. That�s the longing in 2 Samuel, and you get to the end and you think, �We need the right David to fulfill the Davidic covenant.

You think, �Oh, there�s going to be a better David, that�s for sure. Anyway, in front of me I have J .C. Ryle�s Warnings to the Churches, a little article from his book, same title, 1967, A Banner of Truth, Warnings to the Churches.

And I think the book was just a series of messages that he put together and then Banner of Truth put it together under a book, but it was one of the best books that I read as a new Christian, trying to understand truth from error, and I think you will like the book.

And so I saw a little blog article the other day and it listed eight symptoms of false doctrine, eight symptoms of false doctrine, and Ryle said, �Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine particularly dangerous.

And Ryle was one of those Anglicans who knew right from wrong, 39 articles, 39 satanic articles. He had a skull on his desk. I guess everybody has a skull, so I guess is everybody satanic? I mean, come on.

Well, it�s like when someone called me a while ago and said that I was making fun of New Englanders and I did ask them, I said, �Did you hear anything from the show that biblically was not correct �No, no, I didn�t hear anything.

So I was happy for that. See? Here to serve. Number one, the first symptom of false doctrine. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error. Their earnestness makes many think they must be right.

So when you study the book of 2 Peter and Jude, Jude is a little more firm with the contend kind of language and it probably could be argued that Peter is a little softer and wants to make sure you don�t blow your Christian witness as you deal with these false teachers.

Jude, they�re already in the church. Peter, watch out. They�re on their way. It�s back like to the old poltergeist movie, remember that? I think it was in the 70s. Another satanic show. And that little girl touches the TV and there�s some orb or something coming out of it and she says, �They�re here.

So that�s Jude. 2 Peter says they�re on their way. Whether it�s 2 Peter or Jude or 20 of the other New Testament books, we have to be warned by God that if there�s going to be the authentic, then Satan the deceiver, the liar, he�s going to offer the counterfeit.

And we need to be on the lookout. I think today in our culture, not many people want to play the herald. They don�t want to be on the watchtower. One of the reasons I think they don�t want that is because they could easily then be labeled a discernment ministry.

If you�d like to slam me, probably the way that you get my ire up the fastest is if you call No Compromise Radio a discernment ministry. �Oh, I want to discern. That�s just a better way to say it, right?

It�s in the English way �discernment. But I want to do more than that. I�m trying to teach you the Bible and when you teach truth, you teach the opposite. You teach by contrast. That�s just the way we do it.

That�s just the way the Bible does it. That�s the way almost anyone does it except in our tolerant, PC world. People have a zeal and they come across as knowledgeable and enthusiastically so. You have to be careful because you can have zeal, but it doesn�t lead to the truth.

They have a zeal and they have a profession, but it doesn�t quite make it, right? So when I read Titus chapter 1, what does it say? �They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

But as for you, Titus, teach what is according to sound doctrine, hygienic doctrine. I�m trying to think of another verse here. Maybe it is Romans chapter 10. I think that is where I want to go right now.

�Christ is the end of law for the righteousness to everyone who believes. That is true. Every verse in the Bible is true. And I don�t know really what I�m doing. �Brothers, my heart�s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

There we have it. Isn�t that nice? See, just a little rusty, just a little rusty from the vacation, from the holiday. Just because someone has zeal, that doesn�t mean they are correct. I just was watching, only for 30 seconds last night, T .D. Jakes, and I think the organ actually stole the show.

I would say he has zeal. I�ll give him that. But just because he�s earnest, he�s not right. So that�s number one, J .C. Ryle. Matter of fact, I think you can get the book for free online, some PDF, but I encourage you to get the book, �Warnings to the Church�s J .C. Ryle.

I think he died around 1899-ish, England. Bishop Ryle. Number two, second symptom of false doctrine, according to J .C. Ryle. �There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge. Many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides.

False teachers aren�t dumb. Satan is not ignorant, and we�re not to be ignorant of his devices, right? And so, I just said �and so� again. Jill, you�re after me, I know. What we have to do is we have to say to ourselves, just because someone knows a lot, it doesn�t mean they�re right.

Actually, and this is Candid, Candid Microphone. It could be a new radio show. I don�t have the greatest, highest IQ, or the greatest IQ. I am more of an infantryman, and I am just told, �Okay, go do such and such through the pages of Scripture, of course, and I just go do it.

Some of my friends, I think, are too smart for their own good, and that�s when you start developing new doctrines and nuances that I think you should stay away from. And so, would I like to be smarter?

Yes. Do I wish that I had not smoked so much THC when I was younger? Yes. But, in light of that, and just in light of just natural gifting, or lack thereof, I just look at the text and want to repeat the text, and then do the same thing the next week, and I�m happy that I don�t have such a mind that I can go create things, because I think it�s dishonoring.

I�d rather just stick to the front lines of gospel preaching, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and the response of repentance and faith to that great truth. So, just because somebody has a lot of letters at the end of their name, that doesn�t mean much.

One of my pet peeves is when people have a doctorate of ministry. Remember, a D, men, D, period, M-I-N, doctorate of ministry. It�s not a terminal degree. It�s a degree. Mine cost me money, and a lot of time, and a lot of energy, and flying down to Louisville, down to Kentuckiana, and I am proud to have it, praising the Lord to have it.

It was an accomplishment that was significant in my life, and I have to tell you, though, it�s not a terminal degree. It�s not a THD. It�s not a, did I say THD? PHD. And so, I think even if you have a PHD or THD, and you�re a pastor, I don�t think you should have that at the end of your business cards, or sometimes people have for their email.

Doctor so-and-so. So, even with a D, men, I think that�s �muy mal� is what I think. If you�re teaching overseas, or if you�re teaching at a school, and you need stuff because of accreditation, then I understand.

Novelty and New Doctrine

Number three, the third symptom of false doctrine, J .C. Ryle. Satan�s skulls on your desk. Hey, this is just from J .C. Ryle. Don�t shoot the messenger. Sorry. Number three, there�s a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days.

Many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing novelties. Now, here�s what I like about Bible teachers. J .C. Ryle tries to stick close to the text. He�s basically working through different epistles.

Beloved, I was eager to write to you about our common salvation, Jude 3. I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

I like it that when Ryle is teaching from these Bible texts, that he is relevant today. We are 116 years later on a different continent, and he�s still just as relevant. And so that�s what I love. I think if you�re a pastor or preacher or Bible teacher, Sunday school teacher, the lesson that you give your people, if it�s recorded and played in 100 years, should still be applicable.

And if it�s biblically based, it will be very much relevant and applicational, because that�s the Word of God. I mean, God relevant, the Word relevant, of course. God is always relevant. It says here, �Many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing novelties.

Now, there�s a principle in hermeneutics called �checking. That�s when you write your check to no compromise for you. Just kidding. And the checking principle is, after you�ve done all your exegetical work and you�ve done your studies and you�ve tried to extract the authorial intent out of the text, then you say, �Does my view match up to other people

In the history of the church, have other people understood this text the same way? And then you say, �Oh, yes, so-and-so has. Socinius, he has. And a couple of other false teachers. Excuse me. Where�s my cough button when I need it

But no, you�ll say, �Oh, James Boyce had this view and so did Richard Sibbes. All right? I�m within the swath of orthodoxy. That�s what you�re after. But if you�re the only one who�s come up with this new view, you could still be right.

But I doubt it. Knowing you, knowing me. No, that�s loving you, loving me. Is that Abba? So, be careful if you�ve got a new thing. And I think it�s particularly a sticky wicket. If you�re like me, you begin to learn the Bible and you think sermons are good if you learn something new.

Oh, I�ve never seen that in the text before. Man, that was a good sermon. He brought out something that I didn�t notice. Good sermon. Well, sometimes it�s a good sermon because it�s just a faithful old truth and you need to be exposed to it again about who the Lord and Savior Jesus is.

Now, if you�ve learned something new, that�s fine. But new is not novel. Understanding something new to you isn�t, �Now I�ve got something from this text that nobody else has ever come up with. And I guess there are other people, you know, Sanders, Dunn, Wright, New Perspective stuff, that I guess they could check themselves against themselves.

But when a new novel thing comes up, I think you just ought to be very careful. As Jeremiah would discuss, and even in Ryle�s other book, Old Paths, there�s a path that has been worn down well by the feet of many saints who have taught the Bible.

That�s where I want to stay. Stay close to the old paths. I do not want to make any new doctrine. I don�t want to come up with anything new. Now, I might have looked at a particular, well, most everybody takes this subjective genitive as subjective, and I�m going to take it as objective genitive.

There are certain things like that. But even there, I�m not the first and the new, and it�s not going to compromise any doctrinal issue. So you want to be careful in these latter days, the search for new, the search for novel, the search for wow.

I know that�s in me. Sometimes when I�m in the grocery store, I talk to myself, especially when I�m only by myself. If I�m with someone else, I talk to them. And I was walking down the aisle the other day of our grocery store, and here in New I always like the regional names of grocery stores in the Midwest, Piggly Wiggly.

And in California, we have Safeway and Alpha Beta. Albertson�s is around. Maybe that�s a national chain. Mormons are everywhere. I know. So the one here, Stop and Shop. We have Price Chopper. Price Chopper.

And we have Market Basket. I don�t know if it�s still called Demula�s or not. It doesn�t sound odd. And we go, because it�s close to our house, we go to Hannaford. We go to Hannaford. Hannaford. And I was walking, and I saw something new, and I said out loud, not very loud, but out loud, I�m a marketer�s dream.

Here�s some new product. I just want to try it. Here�s something exciting, new, novel, great packaging, fewer calories, more money. How is that, that something that has less calories costs more? Don�t you think it�d be more calories, more money?

Shouldn�t things be priced based on caloric content? I�m not sure. Oh, counting calories. Yikes. So difficult, right? That�s why you have to stock up on blueberries and strawberries. Well, when you want something new at the grocery store, that�s one thing.

When you�re looking for something new and novel, go back to 2 Timothy and read through it sometime. 2 Timothy, Paul is reminding Timothy to remind the people of what�s already been taught. It�s sound doctrine.

It�s not necessarily new doctrine. It�s sound doctrine. Exhibit A, 2 Timothy 2 .14. Remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which does no good but only ruins the hearers.

Do your best to present yourself to God as the one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed rightly handling the word of truth. What we�re supposed to do is cut it straight. We�re not supposed to knit a new yarn.

We are supposed to be faithful to the text that�s already revealed. We are to be trustworthy stewards, not coming up with new doctrine. Newfangled doctrine, that�s something that false teachers do according to the Bible and here even J .C. Ryle.

People who have itching ears want to accumulate for themselves teachers who suit their own passions and they turn away from listening to the old truths, I�m adding in the word old there, and wander off into myths.

So be careful. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. That�s what Paul says to the legate Timothy. So we want to be careful. We want to teach the truth, yes.

You will recognize error by understanding truth. But you need a discerning heart and mind so you can recognize error. You�ll see it regularly through the pastoral epistles. Paul says to Timothy, but you, you however, all these other people, they learn, they don�t arrive at the truth, they�re like Janice and Jambres, they oppose Moses, God�s ordained leader, so therefore they oppose the truth and their mind is corrupted, disqualified regarding the faith.

They will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of these two men. But you, however, Timothy. Well, my name is Mike Avendroth, this is No Compromise Radio. Today was part one, the first three symptoms of false doctrine.

That means we have five more for another show. Some have said they wanted the show to be longer, and I have a day job. Info at NoCompromiseRadio .com. Don�t forget the new book, Sexual Fidelity, No Compromise, is going to be out soon.

You can order it through the NoCo porthole there. I�ll tell you more about that later. And you can email us or you can write us, we�d love to hear your responses. And we have a skull on the desk, NoCompromiseRadio .com.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Avendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God�s Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6. We�re right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.