Paul said in Galatians 5: 6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

He said this because some people in church were teaching believing Gentile men that they needed to be circumcised to be saved. But Paul said only faith expressing itself in love counts to be saved.

Faith that saves must be rooted in the love we express to God by obeying the teachings and commandments of Jesus.

We also need to remember that faith is given to us in a measured amount by God.

Romans 12: 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

So, when you first believed in God it was with a measured amount according to God. Some will receive more faith than others. And when you receive this faith, it will be your responsibility to make it increase.

Jesus teaches this in his parable of the different number of talents he gave to each of his servants based on their ability and gave them the responsibility to increase it.

The amount of faith God gives us is based on our ability to increase it. This ability is how much your heart seeks God to know and love him.

The servant that received just one talent of faith refused to invest it because he feared God as being harsh with his laws and did not seek to love God. This made the servant hide his faith keeping his from bearing fruit and God took the servants faith from him and sent him among the unbelievers.

Paul teaches what will happen to those whose faith does not increase and how it will be taken away.

1 Timothy 4: 1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy about 2000 years ago, so we are in the later times. So, we should be aware that there will be those who will abandon their faith in Jesus’ gospel and follow teachings of deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

1 Timothy 4: 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

Paul warned Timothy that false teachers in church were going to teach OT laws not to marry a foreigner or to abstain from eating eat food that was unclean.

Paul said these teachers were hypocritical liars because they say the follow Jesus as the Lord and Savior but teach obedience to the law that Jesus freed them from.

In Galatians Paul teaches how we receive the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our salvation.

Galatians 3: 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing- if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

I have heard people teach their own laws telling people to be saved you must be water baptized or speak in tongues which is not true to Jesus’ gospel. They rather keep people in fear of their salvation by work and not by faith alone. Those who follow these false teaching is unable to hear the Holy Spirit recall to them God’s truth as a disciple and know that they are following the teachings of men.

We all must be on guard and recognize false teaching in church by maturing in God’s truth.

That is why John said we must test every spirit.

1 John 4: 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

To test someone’s spirit is to know what is true to Jesus.

1 Timothy 4: 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Paul said that everything God created is good which was marriage and food.

In Acts 10, Peter received a vision from God showing that everything he created has become made clean through his Son’s sacrifice on the cross and his shed blood that covers it.

This reassured Peter to enter a house of a Gentile to preach the gospel which was forbidden by the law and saved all who believed in his words.

1 Timothy 4: 6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

Paul tells us as disciples of Jesus we should know what is true faith in Jesus and know his teaching to be ministers of Jesus and pointing it out to brothers and sisters when something false is being taught.

1 Timothy 4: 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

Being disciples we are ministers of Jesus truth that does not teach godless myths and old wives’ tales but only what is godly.

Myths are taught by prosperity teachers, by those who sell ointment, holy water and relics saying they will heal or prosper you.

Old wives’ tales say that you will be blessed by God when you pray every day, go to church every Sunday, and tithe to the church. When people teach rituals, you can do to receive God’s blessings.

Jesus said Matthew those who will be blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hungers and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of righteousness and those who are insulted, persecuted and falsely accused of all kinds of evil against you because of your faith and love for Jesus. This is how you will be blessed by God.

Paul teaches how to identify someone who teaches false doctrine.

1Timothy 6: 3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

People will abandon their faith because they do not know the sound instructions of Jesus which is the doctrine that will save them. They will not recognize these bad characteristics of someone who is teaching false doctrine.

In 2nd Thessalonians 2, Paul said the anti-Christ will set himself in God’s temple which is Christ church, and he will deceive those who have not grown in their faith by knowing the sound instructions of Jesus and making it their doctrine. They are the ones who will abandon their faith in Jesus and follow the anti-Christ.

Be safe in Jesus! Your brother in Christ, Glenn.