Martyrs and Confessors: Attacks come from within and outside Christ's Church

Martyrs and Confessors: Attacks Come from within and outside Christ's Church

I was reading this Lord's day morning an article on the history of Christ's church in the second century ("Twenty Centuries of Church History, "The Reformation Heritage Study Bible, p. 1944).  It is readily apparent that the church has not come far from the second century.  We still have the same problems within and without the church today.  However, the problems are only expanded upon with the invention of printed media and now internet, blogs, websites, and iphones.

The church history article describes two major problems facing the church in the second century.  First, is the problem of blatant persecution.  This is a systematic or outright attack on God's people.  My friends, this will only get worse in the days ahead.  Christians businesses are attacked.  Churches are be attacked for marriage and building use issues.  Employees are attacked and jobs lost for not participating in their employer's sanctioned events.  Hebrews 11 mentions many generations who were attacked, persecuted, and even killed for the sake of Christ's name.  First Peter repeatedly mentions the concept of suffering for both good and evil.  If we are to suffer and be persecuted then let it be for doing right and not evil in God's eyes (society is rapidly redefining God's ways and evil and the world's ways as good).

The second problem is from within the church.  This is the problem of false teaching.  False teachers remain to this very day.  They take many shapes, forms, and charismatic personalities.  They have small and large followings and have deceived many.  False teaching takes many forms but there are three primary ways in which false teaching exists today.

The first way is through doctrine.  This is simply heterodoxy.  The second way is through wrong works, fruit, and actions.  This is heteropraxy.  The third false means is through false emotions and affections.  We'll call this heteropathy.  So there you have it, the three false ways our church is attacked from the inside: false doctrine, false living/practice, and false affections/desires.

All three of these can take many forms.  But let's start with some simple questions:  How would you identify them?  What biblical grid or worldview would you use to identify these three categories?  Add this to the equation, when in history was your conclusion correct?  Has it always been this way?  Who acknowledges certain categories but not the others?  Every wonder why they don't acknowledge the other categories?

Is it possible to believe the right doctrines but to live a sinful and worldly lifestyle (and to encourage others to do likewise)?

Is it possible to practice all the right and godly ways and yet to believe all the wrong doctrinal truths?

Is it possible to have a correct doctrine or practice but to habitually expose yourself and others to sounds, behaviors, and sources that damage your desires and affections?

History is not all that far behind us.  The second century had their specific problems with Christian persecution and false teaching.  We have our own today.  May God give us grace to persevere through the days ahead and give us discernment to see and avoid false doctrine and practice.

Hope this is helpful to some.  As always comments encouraged.