That leads us to the third fact we can glean from the text about these two and that is their teaching were upsetting the faith of some. Upsetting might not be strong enough. Other versions say this was destroying or overthrowing the faith of some. The bottom line is the false teaching was eroding the faith of some believers and leading them astray. Much in the same way today, we see many false teachers with varied false teachings, leading many astray and destroying their faith as well. For let us not lose sight of the fact that these three things are all the text tells us about these two individuals and that motive, intent, or sincerity are never actually addressed. So let us for a moment give Hymenaeus and Philetus the benefit of the doubt. We can believe that they genuinely believed in what they were teaching. We can believe that maybe they felt it confirmed for them in the Holy Spirit. After all, we can convince ourselves anything is from God. We can believe that they believed they were God's anointed vessels to bring this teaching forth. We can believe they were really nice guys too! That they helped out in their communities. That they cared about the sick and the elderly. We can believe that they were completely accidental wolves. It simply does not matter.
They were still filled with irreverent babble beloved. Being sincere does not erase irreverence. Being reverent starts with being in awe of God and respectful of His Word. Hymenaeus and Philetus were neither. The same can be said for Joseph Prince and Joel Osteen for example. But preacher, Joel is such a nice guy! I am sure he is but that is not relevant when judging teaching. Osteen is so irreverent he has bragged about not needing to apologize for not using Scripture until the very end of his messages and that doctrine is not one of his "giftings." Prince routinely mangles the Bible to prop up his false grace teachings. No awe. No respect. Anyone who shamelessly teaches that because Joseph gave Benjamin five times as much as his brothers that God wants to give you five times as much stuff too has simply no reverent fear of the Lord.
It did not matter how nice Hymenaeus and Philetus were, their irreverent babbling was spreading like gangrene. They had swerved from the truth and destroying the faith of many. There is nothing new under the sun beloved. As it was so it still goes today. There are no shortage of Hymenaeus' and Philetus' in the church today. The Bible makes it clear our job is not to judge their heart but rather their fruit. We are not called to evaluate their intent but rather their teaching. It matters not if it is by accident or design. A wolf is a wolf is a wolf. We should not found coddling wolves. We should not be trying to find common ground with them. Holding hands with them. Singing Kumbaya with them. We should not be defending them. Justifying their actions by their intentions. Excusing their false teachings by understanding some deeper sense of their wicked hearts. Protect the sheep beloved. Protect the sheep.
Reverend Anthony Wade - December 1, 2014
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