Evil Men and Impostors

“…But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

                         —the apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 3:13

The apostle warned his beloved disciple Timothy about false teachers who propagated falsehood and who believed it themselves. Sadly, there are many such people today. There are many who spread lies about the Bible, or who corrupt the truth of the gospel with error.

It is important to note that Paul said that these people were deceived—not only did they spread a toxic brew of lies, they accepted and truly believed what they taught. Such people are especially hard to counteract because they can appear genuine and sincere.

Nevertheless, examine how Paul described such persons; he called them “evil men and impostors.” As such, the influence of the deceived is to be strongly counteracted by gospel light and truth. Paul actively fought against falsehood as the apostle of Christ, even as he said he was “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5). For Paul, error and truth were not academic matters, but were matters of life and death in the churches.

He fought darkness by shining the piercing light of truth—look at Colossians 2:1-4. What Paul told them, he told them because he wanted to ensure that no one would delude them ‘with a persuasive argument’ (Col. 2:4). There are many persuasive and plausible arguments in the world that can only be opposed by the truth of the Bible. At the same time, we can trust that the Lord has given us sufficient knowledge in the Scriptures to oppose all error. We have more than adequate light to dispel even the darkest of the devils lies!

This does not mean that the dispelling of darkness is an easy task, though. Rather, it is something that we must train for, that we must prepare our minds for beforehand. When we suffer for the sake of the gospel, Peter says, we should always be ready “to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). I believe that this requires a great deal of thought, study, and training. How will you know how to counteract error with truth, unless you have a solid foundation in the Word of God? How will you gain a solid foundation without study?

God has given us His Word for the purpose of knowing Him. One fringe benefit of the Word, however, is that we can learn the truth in order to defend ourselves and our spiritual family against the errors of the deceived. In addition, God may even open the eyes of those who are in darkness, saving them by His sovereign grace (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Study, then! I encourage you all to dig into the Word of God with eagerness, seeking to know God in truth, being able to defend your hope with undeniable truth. May God be glorified by the spread of light in the midst of darkness. May He bring a new reformation to our hearts, to our minds, and—through His Word at work in us—to our land.

Soli Deo Gloria!

--Dean of Admissions