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The False Doctrines of the Last Days and Their Refutation.
v. 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils;
v. 2. speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
v. 3. forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
v. 4. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving;
v. 5. for it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
Just as the apostle had begun this section of his letter with a warning against errorists, so he also closes it with a specific reference to some of the most dangerous doctrines of the last days: But the Spirit says distinctly that in the latter times certain men will apostatize from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error and to doctrines of demons. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of prophecy, who transmits the divine revelations, was especially active in the early days of the Christian Church, also by unveiling the future and thereby conveying warnings to the believers. In this case the Spirit, probably through the mouth of one of the prophets among the disciples, or through a revelation made to Paul personally, had expressly, with distinct words, declared that there would be a falling away from the truth in times to come. After the first love of the apostolic days had died down, many Christians remained with the congregations only for conventional reasons, just as many do in our days. But in addition to that, men would actually apostatize from the faith, would fall away from the sound doctrine of the Gospel. How extensively this was fulfilled is seen in the case of the great number of anti-Christian sects that have arisen in the very midst of the Church. Although many of these men were brought up in the true faith, they have deliberately denied it by giving heed and assent to the spirits of error, to such teachers as have not only left the paths of truth for their own persons, but are also making every endeavor to lead others astray. Spirits of error the apostle calls the false teachers, because they have yielded to, and are driven by, the spirit of lying and deceit. Therefore their doctrines are also called teachings of demons, the evil spirits themselves being the originators of their false ideas, of their perversion of the truth.
The apostle continues to characterize the errorists: in hypocrisy speaking lies, being branded in their own conscience. With a fine show of piety and interest in the welfare of men the demons, or rather the false prophets actuated by them, teach lies. The insidiousness of the temptation therefore consists in this, that it bears the appearance of godliness. See Mat_7:15; 2Co_11:14. Such people are fully conscious of the fact that they are working harm with their hypocritical conduct, but they have branded, seared, their own conscience; they bear the knowledge of their guilt and culpability around with them at all times. The more actively they carry on their propaganda for their false doctrines, the more deeply they drive the hot iron into their conscience. Yet they harden their hearts and are finally lost with their false doctrines.
The apostle now enumerates some of the errors which would be taught in the very midst of the Church: Forbidding to marry and (commanding) to abstain from foods which the Lord has created for enjoyment on the part of them that believe and acknowledge the truth. The state of holy wedlock is God's ordinance and institution, and it is His will that the average normal adult person enter into this state. But certain false teachers did not hesitate to pervert even this order of God by prohibiting marriage, by denying men and women the right and the duty of entering into holy wedlock. But their insolent arrogance did not stop there, since the same teachers also had the temerity to issue orders that men must abstain from certain foods. Not only meats were included in this commandment of men, but foods of every kind. The apostle's judgment of the false teachers, therefore, is sharp, for he calls such teaching doctrine of devils, proclamation of lies. If we take the characterization of the apostle as a whole, it certainly applies, so far as deliberate lying, doctrines of men, the prohibition of marriage and of foods is concerned, to the Church of Rome. As one commentator has it: "There can be no doubt of its applicability to the papal communion. The entire series of doctrines respecting the authority of the Pope, purgatory, the Mass, the invocation of the saints, the veneration of relics, the seven sacraments, the authority of tradition, the doctrine of merit, etc. , is regarded as false. Indeed, the system could not be better characterized than by saying that it is a system speaking lies. ' The entire scheme attempts to palm falsehood upon the world in the place of the simple teaching of the New Testament."
In refuting the false doctrine, the apostle says of the foods, first of all, that God has created them for the use and enjoyment, with thanksgiving, of those that believe and know the truth. The believers, those that know the truth, those that, by the grace of God, have come to the understanding of the truth of the Gospel and have made this truth their confession: they alone receive the gifts of God in the right spirit, namely, with thanksgiving with a heart that acknowledges Him as the Giver of all good things. It is true, indeed, that God lets His sun rise upon the evil and upon the just, and sends rain upon the good and upon the bad, but the only people that accept His goodness in the right spirit are the believers, who, in Christian liberty, make no distinction in foods and do not believe in false asceticism.
The Christians know, as the apostle writes: For every creature of God is good, and nothing objectionable that is accepted with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified through the Word of God and prayer. Here is a definite rejection of the errorist position as to foods. Everything that God has created, everything that His almighty power has brought into being, is good, is excellent even by virtue of its being a product of His goodness. Everything that God has intended for food should then be regarded as such and not prohibited as useless, dangerous, and sinful It all depends upon the manner of acceptance, for if the heart of him that receives the gift is full of ungrateful, sinful thoughts, if he does not accept the goodness of God with thanksgiving, then the purpose of the Creator in donating the gifts is not fully realized. Luther's explanation of the Fourth Petition shows that he really grasped the meaning of this verse: "We pray in this petition that God would teach us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. " So far as God is concerned, His gifts are indeed not influenced by the conduct of those that receive them, but so far as men are concerned, their behavior in accepting the gifts and their use of God's blessings make a big difference indeed. He that makes use of any of God's gifts, including food and drink, only for the gratification of sinful desires, thereby profanes these blessings. On the other hand, the grateful acceptance of the gifts of God by the Christians with the Word of God and with prayer is a consecration of these blessings. Undoubtedly the apostle here had in mind the prayers at meat, which are usually clothed in Bible language, and which always make mention of the dependence of man upon the Creator, the Giver of every good gift This spirit of the Christians incidentally keeps them from despising and abusing any blessing that comes down from above. The errorists with their prohibition of foods can gain no foothold in a congregation where this knowledge is still held.