Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Give Us This Day

Home
Evangelical
False Teachers and True Shepherds

False Teachers and True Shepherds

Last updated on: February 1, 2018 at 3:52 pm by Fr. Charles Erlandson

False Teachers and True Shepherds 2018-02-01T15:52:57-05:00 Fr. Charles Erlandson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

False Teachers and True Shepherds – Galatians 4:12-20

How do we as pastors come to our flocks, and how do we as sheep receive the pasture that God gives us? These are the 2 related questions that St. Paul raises for us today.

First, for those of you who are pastors of some kind, among whom I include ordained clergy, Sunday school teachers, mentors, and, of course, parents: how do you come to the sheep that God has entrusted to you? Do we come like St. Paul or do we come like the false teachers Paul describes?

The false teachers are first, of course, false. There are many kinds of false teachers and false teachings, and I suppose that sometimes false teachers aren’t aware that what they are teaching is false. The false teaching Paul is especially concerned with, here in Galatians and elsewhere, is the teaching that our righteousness comes from the Law. But there are other kinds of false teachings: the self-help gospel; the health and wealth gospel; the gospel of antimonianism or lawlessness; the all religions are the same gospel; the I’m a good person gospel; the “I can’t believe in a God who would _____” gospel; the demand the miracle of the day gospel; the gospel of experientialism: I know it’s good if it feels right; the “I’m a good person” gospel; the intellectual gospel (in which I believe the right truths but don’t live them out); the America first gospel; the “but everyone’s doing it” gospel; the gospel of creeping materialism; the “minimum I can get by with” gospel; the “don’t be too different than the culture” gospel; the gospel of leisure; the “that’s too radical” gospel; and so on.

What these false teachings have in common is that they are propagated by false teachers, and often we are our own false teachers. The motive of the false teacher, of whatever kind, is to deny something God has taught or to even escape God Himself.

But Paul comes to the Galatians with love. Paul comes to the Galatians through infirmities and trials (verses 12-14). Paul comes as a loving father to his children, always praying, hoping, and working for the best for his children. He is almost like a mother in labor, waiting to give birth to them: that is the kind of love and labor he has for His beloved Galatians. He is also zealous, passionately seeking out all the good he can do (that is, all the love he can do) for them.

As their spiritual father, Paul is not only willing to come in love when they are obedient and faithful but is also willing to come in love as their father when they are going astray. Though he would rather change his tone to one of encouragement and affirmation, he is willing to love enough to also come with discipline and rebuke when necessary. Either way, he has their good in mind; either way, he is acting as a loving parent.

Is this the way we come as pastors to the sheep in our lives?

Paul also gives us 2 examples of sheep: interestingly enough, the Galatians themselves are the example of both kinds of sheep. As good sheep, they had Jesus Christ clearly portrayed among them as crucified (3:1). They began in the Spirit and willingly suffered for Christ’s sake (3:2-4). If possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to Paul! (verse 15).

This is the way we should come before the pastors and teachers God sends us: with zeal and passion, hungry for the pure Word of God; devoted to those pastors; and willingly suffering for Christ and His gospel. How did the Galatians receive Paul, the pastor God sent them? They received him as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus! When the Galatians first received Jesus Christ, they received Him through St. Paul, and they clearly saw that Paul was an instrument of the grace of Jesus Christ. So clearly did they see Christ in Paul that they saw Paul as Christ.

Beloved, this is the way we should see the pastors and teachers in our lives, when they are faithful pastors and teachers. This is the way godly children perceive their parents. They know that the parents are not Christ Himself, but they see Jesus Christ in and through their parents.

This requires the humility and zeal and hunger that the Galatians must first have had. And this is the position we, as sheep, should always seek to be found in so that Jesus the Good Shepherd may lead us to our daily bread, which is Him.

But even good sheep may go astray, especially if led astray by false teachers. Even the Galatians, who started so wonderfully, are in danger of falling away. Paul believes that they are “bewitched” (3:1), and he has his doubts about them (4:20). What a sobering, terrible pronouncement by one’s spiritual father: that he has his doubts about you! Such words would cut me to the quick; they would cause me to weep and grieve; they would devastate me. And yet others will hear such words and only harden their hearts more.

Again, I’m reminded that in an age when we believe every individual has the right to interpret the Bible for himself and has the right to trump the teaching of any leader and in an age when we believe that each of us has our own personal pipeline to Jesus, we ourselves are often the false teachers that we follow. Unwilling to humbly submit to another, we lead ourselves astray.

The true test, when we as sheep go astray, is not whether or not we have gone astray through false teaching: it is whether or not we come back. At one time or another, to different degrees, we have all gone astray. The question isn’t one of perfection or of keeping the Law, or else we would all be permanently lost. The question is whether or not we hear our Master’s voice when He calls through His earthly shepherds. The question is how easily do we come back (repent), and do we come back at all or keep insisting on going our own way?

Whether pastors or sheep or both this morning, the parental love of Paul, that is, of Jesus Christ Himself, calls to you this morning.

Prayer: Father, preserve us from false teachers in the Church. Jesus, Shepherd of my soul, help me to hear Your voice and obediently follow that I may find food, shelter, and Your blessing all the days of my life. Help me to follow as a little child in Your kingdom that I never stray. Amen.

Point for Meditation:

Where are you in terms of the life of the Galatians? Are you responding with zeal and faith and joy to Jesus Christ and His gospel; are you being led away by false teaching or wandering aimlessly; is it possible that you’ve been bewitched in any way? Honestly assess where you are. Pay special attention to the shepherds God has put in your life and to what they say.

Resolution: I resolve to consider one way in which I have been led astray by false teaching and to come back to Jesus immediately today when I hear Him call.

Shepherd and Sheep – U.S. Public Domain

Previous Post

February 1, 2016

The Gospel of Galatians

Next Post

February 3, 2016 How God Kept His Promises to Abraham

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Featured Give Us This Day Give Us This Day Devotional love me love my wife Love My Wife Reformed Catholicism Blog Spirit-Reality Take This Cup Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 September 2018 July 2018 March 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book directly follows Joshua?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Numbers Ruth Leviticus Judges