A Final Warning Romans II Series [29] Romans 16:17-23

PAUL’S REASONS FOR THIS FINAL WARNING Reason #1: Paul’s love and care for the Roman church.  Paul loved them enough to caution them.  This was how he cared for the church as a spiritual father. Reason #2: Paul’s concern about the potential danger of division and obstacles within the Roman church.  This danger was real and common among the Early Churches.  The Roman church was not exempt from this potential danger. Reason #3: Paul’s desire to see the true unity within the Roman church.  This issue is completely different from the issues of non- essentials (Romans 14) and diversity in church (Romans 16:1-16).  This issue is about non-negotiables of the historical Christian faith (essentials).

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 1)VIGILANCE: Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught... (v.17)

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 1)VIGILANCE: Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.  The first appeal is To WATCH OUT for people who are harmful for the church.  Who are these people? They cause [1] divisions/dissensions and create [2] stumbling obstacles; the underlying cause is their deviation from sound doctrine.  Therefore, the key is doctrinal vigilance—to guard it as the heat of the church.  Unless we are vigilant, we may not be able to detect the subtlety and illusiveness of doctrinal deviation (i.e., the ripple effect of a small deviation may lead to a heresy).

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Tim 4:3-4 [NIV]

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 2)SEPARATION: Avoid them. 17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught: avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve. (vs.17-18)

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 2)SEPARATION: Avoid them.  The second appeal is to AVOID THEM—not argue with them or force them to change, or to harm them. Why? God will uproot them in his time (Matt 15:13).  The characteristics of these false teachers are: [1] self-serving, [2] motivated by selfish-gain (greed, money, fame, etc.) [3] skillfully deceitful.  We are to watchfully separate from them because of their skillfulness and subtlety of deception (i.e., they may be very nice and sophisticated people).

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 3)DISCERNMENT: Be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (vs.19-20)

PAUL’S WARNING: A THREEFOLD APPEAL CONCERNING FALSE TEACHERS 3)DISCERNMENT: Be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.  Third appeal is to grow in spiritual discernment— becoming wiser and more sophisticated in good and being wholesome and pure in evil (Matt 10:16).  Paul affirms their obedience but challenges them to a mature faith in which shrewdness and purity converge.  The promise is that Christ has already won the victory and soon Satan will be rushed under the believers’ feet.  To grow in discernment, we must faithfully and attentively follow Scripture and godly examples of faith (vs.21-23;2 Tim 3:14-15).

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. (vs ) 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Three Valuable Tests To be wise in regard to good is to recognize it, love it and follow it. With regard to evil, however, [Paul] wants them to be unsophisticated, even guileless, so completely should they shy away from an experience of it. J. B. Philips captures the contrast well: “I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil.” Here then are three valuable tests to apply to different systems of doctrine and ethics—biblical, Christological and moral tests. We could put them in the form of questions about any kind of teaching we come across. (1) Does it agree with Scripture? (2) Does it glorify the Lord Christ? (3) Does it promote goodness? - John R. W. Stott

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 1.Be vigilant about DISSENSION AND DOCTRINAL DEVIATION!  Watch out for people that cause dissension in the church.  Watch out for teachings that deviate from the essential doctrines. 2.Keep the unity of the church on SOUND DOCTRINE not around error.  Know the real thing—the historical Christian faith—to detect counterfeits.  Guard the sound doctrine as the truth-based unity. 3.Grow in your spiritual discernment through SCRIPTURE- GUIDANCE and Spirit-dependence.  Learn to discern what is sound and wholesome to your soul.  Be experts in good—not even beginners in evil.