- Oct 28, 2006
- 21,124
- 9,946
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
First, to the extent any of us has false beliefs, no matter how sincere we are, if we teach in accordance with those erroneous beliefs, we are false teachers. In that category, all men have erroneous beliefs. I am a man. You are a man. Charles Stanley is a man. To some extent, if we teach all our beliefs, we are going to be false teachers at some point.
I have been a false teacher. I have altered a number of my beliefs since I started teaching 30 plus years ago. Some of what I taught then as "fact" I now know to be "error". Getting to truth is a process, not a destination. He will continue to perfect us until His coming. I haven't arrived, nor has Charles Stanley.
When Jesus and the Apostles warn us about "false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren," this isn't a warning against other Christians who are genuinely trying to please the Lord but who have some diversity in their understandings of various aspects of Christian faith. No, false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren are false because...God didn't send them, they don't please Him, and they are not acting out from position by which to have power over the people of God.
Charles Stanley, whether I agree or not with very little nook and cranny of his teaching, is a person whom I'm pretty sure we shouldn't classify as a "false teacher."
I don't agree with Stanley about "once saved always saved," but just because I disagree with him on that, does that mean I should see him as "false"? NO! That would be a foolish thing to do. As Paul said in the last few chapters of the book of Romans, we should bear with one another in our levels of understanding on various issues.
Upvote
0