Paul warned the church in Colossae, and consequently the bride of Christ throughout history,
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8)
Yet, sadly, and at a breakneck pace, worldly ideologies have infiltrated not only churches, but also previously doctrinally sound universities, seminaries and ministries.
The casualty list grows by the day.
The question must be asked, “How is this occurring?”
While Christ remains on His throne with His promise to build His Church intact, Satan is attacking the weak, unstable and immature in the faith, as they’re ““tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).
We see this principle in both the old and new testaments.
The Lord instructed Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites,
Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Sam. 15:2-3)
What was it about the Amalekites that so provoked God’s wrath?
Deuteronomy 25:17-18 provides the details,
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.”
The Amalekites, not bold enough to confront the strong of Israel, assaulted the tail end of the traveling pack, where the slow, weak, elderly and infirmed trudged along.
This is what the false teaching of the Social Justice Movement has done within evangelical Christianity: assaulted and taken captive the weak and vulnerable in the faith.
Speaking of false teachers within the New Testament church, Peter stated,
“They entice unsteady souls.” (2 Peter 2:14)
The metaphor Peter is using is to entice fish with bait. And his use of the term “unsteady souls” references how false teachers do not capture those strong in the Word, but, rather, purposely prey on the weak, the unstable, and the young in the faith.
What, then, must we do?
As Jude 17-25 notes, be aware, in prayer, ever maturing in our faith, reaching out to those who have strayed, all while looking forward to the blessed appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:
But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.
