Circling Back on false teachers
Remember how Paul seems to have dismissed false teachers in chapter 1? He said that at least Christ was being preached?
Now Paul circles back on them with a direct condemnation. He points out early in the chapter that the true circumcision is three-fold: worship God in spirit and truth, glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (v 3). Here he points out that false teachers also have a three-fold focus: their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame.
Could there be more opposite foci? True teachers focus on Christ, even in their imperfection. They call us to pursue the resurrection, ceaselessly and whole-heartedly. False teachers take us down the road of destruction, the closed path, the consuming god.
Could there be a more direct indictment of the state of the Christian religion? When we are driven by consumerism and focused on big name teachers and popular movements?
Created 12 months ago
