Bible Science Forum

Reposted from “SCRATCH My EARS” by Chuck McLean

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables. 5 But watch you in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:2-5 KJVER

In recent weeks, I have become more and more aware of the truth
of Paul’s warning to Timothy. Growing up, I was taught that people
who would not “endure sound doctrine” were people who didn’t want
to hear the Bible any more. But many of the folks I see today who
will not endure sound doctrine are avid Bible readers and religious
TV viewers. They are attending all the conferences, filling notebooks
full of sermon notes. They are some of the most religious people I know.

Some have become quasi-experts in Jewish tradition. They are
observing the feasts and wearing yarmulkes and prayer shawls. They
follow after rabbis and eschew the name “Jesus” for the more Hebraic
“Yeshua”. There are rapidly-growing cadres of kosher charismatics
and wannabe Israelites.

Others have become end-time prophecy wizards. They follow Israeli
current events in the newspaper as Holy Writ. They chart the current
geopolitical winds, divining Israel’s past and present to find the
American Christian’s place in the Last Days. They measure every
rising world leader to ferret out the Antichrist.

Then, there are the new “Freedom Riders” who have shaken off the
shackles of their religious past to such an extent that their freedom
is their new Promised Land. These are the modern Corinthians: so
free and open-minded that even gross sin and heresy are simply
marks of shedding religious bondage.

So, what am I on my soapbox about? It is about Paul’s idea of
“enduring sound doctrine”. I am seeing so many today whose
endurance is running out, causing them to become sidetracked on
their spiritual journey. For to “endure” sound doctrine is to bear up
under the changes in our lives and in our hearts that come with the
formation of the character of Christ. It is to remain still as the truth
re-forms us in Christ’s image. And make no mistake, there is
endurance involved.

Paul tells Timothy to “correct, rebuke, and encourage; with great
patience and careful instruction”. But this is not always a pleasant
process. Who wants to be corrected and rebuked? Who wants their
ideas or interpretations challenged? Who wants their life examined
and the unregenerate parts brought to light? No chastisement is
pleasant at the time, and many have decided that they no longer
wish to endure it.

But Paul does not warn Timothy that these folks will drop their
Christian identity and go back to the world. In fact, the opposite
phenomenon takes place. They get more religious yet. They get
more teachers, more sermons, more books and tapes. Rather than
have the character of Christ formed in them, they seek to gain
sufficient “spiritual” or “mystical” knowledge that such a thing as
crucifying the flesh becomes a distant memory. They seek
advancement in the Kingdom by the acquisition of mysteries. They
have “itching ears”, the desire to hear just one more piece of
information that will bring them spiritual stature.

Enter the teachers, the knowledge vendors, the hawkers of “hidden
revelations”. Highly in demand, they generally ply their trade at long
distance, far from personal accountability. These teachers proudly
display their resumes in order to establish their credibility, telling of
the organizations they have built or the degrees they have earned.
Christians gather their books and tapes by the carload, but know
almost nothing of the character of these men on a personal basis.
(When the King James Version says “they will ‘heap’ to themselves
teachers”, I can’t help but visualize a heap of books and tapes.)

The stock and trade of such teachers is “hidden” knowledge. The
simplicity of the Gospel is scorned and replaced by ethereal mysteries.
“If they only knew what I have discovered, then they would understand
the mind of God.” “If only other men had what I have (my wisdom,
dreams, visions, PhD in Attic Greek, Jewish bloodlines, etc.) what
spiritual giants they would be!” And Christians flock to this, as they
have since the first century, hoping to draw near to God by their
knowledge rather than by the ongoing work of Christ. It is far easier
to learn “new things” than it is to be crucified and remade in the
likeness of the Son of God.

Such soulish desires lead to the next stage of Paul’s warning, that
these men “will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside
to myths”. This is not an intentional step, but a mark of the inherent
deception in the process. No one consciously decides, “Enough of
this reality, I’m going to Fantasyland for the rest of my life!” But they
do indeed take that path.

It is the seduction of Eve all over again, only with new music and
choreography. Satan, although he is the Father of Lies, has a limited
repertoire. That is, he knows only a few deceptive tunes, which he
dusts off and rearranges for every new generation of men. The folly
of knowledge that turns men from truth to myths is directly from the
Garden of Eden. Here’s a replay of one of Satan’s Golden Oldies:

“Dear, dear Eve! All you do all day is take care of this silly garden.
Don’t you ever get tired of being second banana to that clod Adam?
If you only had that added revelation, that God-knowledge, you would
be somebody! The only thing that stands between being like you and
being like God is that special secret knowledge! It’s hanging there on
that big green tree. Don’t you want it? I know God’s been withholding
it from you, but I have access to it. Let me pick one for you. Just take
a big bite of this juicy mystery knowledge. Tastes good, hmm? Opens
your eyes, doesn’t it? You know things God knows, like good and evil.
See, you’re already wiser than anyone you know. Well, wiser than
anyone except me… your friend, the serpent. Why don’t you see if
Adam wants a bite?”

The modern parallel is easily seen. Men seek someone to improve
their minds, rather than change their hearts. We seek to be like God
by our knowledge, rather than to know Christ through his sufferings.
And there are always men available to guide us in this path. It is the
man-road to godhood… and it leads to death. Always has, always will.
If you see these things, please understand the next encouragement
Paul gives Timothy. “Keep your head in all things, endure hardship…”
When you face off with the mystery sellers, you will find that what
they are offering is much more attractive to the carnal man than is
“take up your cross and follow Me”. You will see deceptions from
the most blatant to the most subtle. You will find real Christians
swallowing real myths hook, line, and sinker. Keep your head. God
is not panicked, nor does he write off his children. Speak the truth
in love and intercede faithfully for the brothers.

Be prepared to endure hardship. The fundamentals of Christianity will
become foolishness to some, and you will be called a fool for choosing
it over certain “new revelations”. You may lose your accustomed
influence. You may be considered old-fashioned or backward if you
hang on to the simple truth of God’s word. But that is of no consequence.
God will give you the grace to walk without judgment, neither judging
nor being subject to.

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Recommended Reading

Book: Apocalypse Now: On the Revelation of Jesus Christ

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