Modern medicine has done a lot to mitigate the risk of widespread infections. Still, we hear on occasion of some virus or disease that begins to spread rapidly and people must take drastic measures. In recent news, there has been the outbreak of the coronavirus. In a rare move, the CDC has issued quarantines on those returning to America from areas infected with the virus. While treatments do exist for some highly infectious diseases, the most tried and true method to prevent their spread is a quarantine. A person who has been identified as a threat of spreading infection is sealed off from contact with others until they are no longer a danger.
Satan has sought to infect mankind with his lies from the beginning. His most used method for spreading the disease of untruth is to find human carriers to spread lies under the guise of authentic Bible teaching. We must consider the question, “What is the best way to handle someone who has been infected with Satan’s lies and has become a carrier of false doctrine?” Romans 16:17-20 provides the answer. We cannot afford to be apathetic toward false doctrine and those who spread it. We must aggressively defend the truth and distance ourselves from those who would spread false teachings. We must enact a spiritual quarantine.
The basis for determining if a doctrine is true or false is the Word of God. “The doctrine which ye have learned” is how Paul refers to it in verse seventeen. We do not rely on religious creeds from days gone by or the writings of Christian influencers past or present for our doctrine. While the writings of men can be helpful, we must always judge what a man says by what God says. Teaching that contradicts the Bible is false, and it is a dangerous risk to believers.
Verse seventeen lists two symptoms of false teaching. The first is division. When a false teacher spreads heresy, and some people are caught up by it, the result is division in the body of Christ. Schisms in the body of Christ weaken it and reduce its effectiveness. The second symptom of a false doctrine infection is “offenses.” The word translated “offenses” is the word that “scandal” is derived from. This is a scandal of the faith that causes people to backslide into error and apostasy. Satan’s goal in introducing false doctrine is to cause people to fall from grace, not in the sense that they lose their salvation (which cannot happen), but that they lose the close fellowship with God that we do enjoy when we believe right and behave rightly.
The Bible instructs us to take two steps to quarantine those spread the false doctrine that causes division and offenses. First, we are to mark them. That means that there must be an evaluation of their teaching and determination made about it. We must “try the spirits,” taking intentional action to ensure that false teachers don’t get a free pass to spread their infection. (1 John 4:1)
We evaluate for false teachers in two ways. The first is by what they say in their teaching. If what they are saying contradicts what the Bible says, they are teachers of false doctrine. But sometimes the error is mixed with enough truth to make it very difficult to detect. Sometimes the fault lies what a person implies, what they omit, or what their motives are. For this reason, Jesus told us also to examine the fruits of their teaching. (Matthew 7:15-17) It takes time for fruit to ripen, but once it does, there is no doubt as to the quality of the tree. Similarly, it may take time to pinpoint the error of a false teacher’s words or ways, but it is time well spent to avoid being duped.
Once we have exposed an error, the Bible lays out a process for attempting to restore the errant Christian in a Christ-like manner. But if they reject those efforts, then they are to be publicly identified as teachers of false doctrine. (Titus 3:10-11) We are to mark them.
The second step of the spiritual quarantine is to avoid them. We are to separate from those who have been infected by Satan’s lies. While separation from other believers may not be popular, it is still Biblical, and the goal ought always to be restoration. (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15) If one is not in agreement with God’s Word, then I must not agree with them.
Paul provides us with several examples of how this kind of spiritual quarantining looks in practice. He withstood Peter for causing divisions in the church at Antioch. (Galatians 2:11-14) He publicly identified Hymenaeus and Alexander for making shipwreck of the faith. (1 Timothy 1:19-20) He let us all know that Demas was a worldly Christian who abandoned him. (2 Timothy 4:10) The Apostle John also publicly identified Diotrophes as a trouble maker. (3 John 1:9) In so doing, these men were following the example of our Lord, who publicly called out the scribes and Pharisees who were teaching false doctrine, and He instructed people to keep their distance. (see Matthew 6:1-18; 23:1-39)
Whenever one practices this kind of separation, others will likely hurl accusations of ungraciousness. Those who make such baseless claims do not understand what grace is. The most gracious thing we can do for someone who is in error is to point out that error and refuse to be a partaker in it. They have been taken captive Satan and infected by his lies. Our goal should be to be an instrument that God can use to bring them to repentance. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)
In Romans 16:18, Paul reveals that carnal, selfish lusts motivate those infected with false doctrine. Sometimes they are motivated by the desire to obtain a life of ease and comfort. (Titus 1:10-12) Sometimes they are in it for financial gain. (Jude 1:11) Sometimes they are even motivated by immoral lusts. (2 Peter 2:14) They may have the pretense of serving God. They might assure you that they want to help you. They may claim they are only doing what they do for the good of others. But they are motivated by selfish desires to build their fan base, pad their bank account, or satisfy some despicable desire of their flesh.
The second half of verse eighteen reveals to us the method of the false teacher. They use “good words and fair speeches [to] deceive.” Satan does not usually pick the ignorant sounding or socially awkward individuals to spread his lies. He likes to use people that are eloquent, engaging, personable, and convincing. The teacher of false doctrine is going to use every tool in his fair speech toolbox to get you to listen. He doesn’t care if you believe right away, as long as you listen, because the longer you listen, the more likely you are to believe him. Be very wary of those whose primary qualification as a teacher is that people like to listen to them. (Jude 1:16) You will be deceived if you have the heart of a simpleton and continue to listen.
No loving Christian enjoys enacting this kind of spiritual quarantine, but we must realize that it is necessary to protect those who have not yet been infected with false doctrine. It also helps those who are infected by challenging them to rethink their beliefs and repent of their errors. Sometimes we must quarantine false teachers because God wants all of His children to be free from Satan’s infectious lies.
