When Religious

1. When Religious Controversy Comes

2. Religious Controversy Will Come …Because the devil is trying to destroy our faith. (1 Peter 5:8) …Because the Bible warns brethren that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

3. Religious Controversy Will Come This is why the gospel preacher must be prepared to preach the word at all times without fear nor favor of men. (2 Timothy 4:2; Galatians 1:10) Because the Bible warns us, Christians must know how to contend earnestly for the faith and not for their own opinion. (Jude 1:3; Romans 14:1)

4. Religious Controversy Will Come When it comes, we must remember to humbly speak the truth in love so that in all things God might be glorified through Jesus Christ and not ourselves. (1 Peter 4:11; Ephesians 4:15) By doing that, we will be able to cast down arguments that are raised up against God’s word so that we can be obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

5. What Makes Controversy Necessary Because of false teaching. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:1-3)

6. What Makes Controversy Necessary False teaching must be challenged and opposed rather than ignored or accepted because many will be deceived by it and speak evil of the truth. Our loyalty to the Lord and the truth of His gospel should compel us to be boldly speak the truth to those whom we love.

7. What Makes Controversy Necessary “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (Galatians 2:11-14)

8. What Makes Controversy Necessary The apostle Paul loved the apostle Peter, and rebuked him before all since the other Jews were influenced to follow Peter’s hypocrisy. Our love for the truth must be greater than our love for our family, friendships, and even respected gospel preachers or we are not truly following Jesus. The apostle Paul said that we are to learn from his example and Apollos“not to think of men above what is written.” (1 Cor. 4:6)

9. What Makes Controversy Necessary Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:34-37)

10. What You Should Do in Controversy Examine both sides of an issue by the Bible before making a judgment on it. “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22) Be like the noble Bereans who were “examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11)

11. What You Should Do in Controversy Don’t be prejudiced because of the teacher you like but test what he says by inspired men. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) “We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6)

12. What You Should Do in Controversy Pray for courage to stand for the truth. After the apostles Peter and John were released from prison they prayed, “Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence” (Acts 4:29) Pray for courage to contend for the faith. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Js. 1:5)

13. What You Should Do in Controversy Be quick to hear and slow to speak so that you will keep your anger under control. “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-21)

14. What You Should Do in Controversy Be kind, longsuffering, and gentle when you correct others with the truth. “The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

15. What You Should Do in Controversy If you are wrong, be humble enough to admit it and confess your sins. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” (Proverbs 28:13)

16. Dangers to Avoid in Controversy Do not use carnal tactics (intimidation, insults, or name calling) but cast down their arguments with God’s word. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

17. Dangers to Avoid in Controversy Do not twist or misapply the Scriptures to defend your argument. The apostle Peter spoke about some things that were hard to understand, “which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:16-17)

18. Dangers to Avoid in Controversy Do not allow an emotional appeal to blind you to the truth. “with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

19. Emotional Arguments vs. Truth Someone says, “I know I’m saved. I wouldn’t trade this feeling in my heart for a whole stack of Bibles.” That doesn’t change the truth that Jesus is the “author of eternal life to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:8) It also fails to heed the warning against trusting in our feelings. “There is a way which seems right to a man but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12)

20. Emotional Arguments vs. Truth What if a person is about to die and he can’t get to water to be baptized, won’t he be saved? That argument doesn’t change what the Bible says- baptism is for the remission of sins. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38) “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21)

21. Emotional Arguments vs. Truth If someone argues that a woman can divorce their husband in the civil courts because he is beating her and if you don’t do anything then the state will take away the children. That argument doesn’t change what Jesus said in Matthew 5:32. “Whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery”.

22. Emotional Arguments vs. Truth When someone argues that you are wrecking homes if you preach the truth about marriage, divorce, and remarriage it doesn’t change what Jesus taught in Matthew 19:9. “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.“

23. Emotional Arguments vs. Truth In the Judgment Day, if someone argues that they have prophesied, cast out demons, and have done many wonderful works in Jesus’ name, Jesus will say, “Depart from me I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:22-23) Just because we claim to do something in Jesus’ name with honest and sincerity doesn’t mean that we will be saved. We must “do the will of the Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

24. Conclusion Religious controversy is happening now as it has always been because truth and error will never harmonize with each other. Emotional arguments are causing division in the body of Christ and will lead souls to be lost. We must contend earnestly for the truth rather than our unrevealed opinions because when sin is left unopposed it gets worse and worse. (1 Cor. 5:6)

25. Conclusion By keeping our motives pure and preaching the inspired, infallible, and inerrant word of God we can faithfully serve God and stem the tide of sin. (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5) Will you continue to fight the good fight of faith so that you might receive the heavenly reward or will you compromise? (2 Timothy 4:7-8)