10 - 5 Keys to a Biblical Response to Apostasy: Dealing With Scripture-Twisters

If you make the effort, motivated by love for Christ and His church, to expose and confront apostasy, often before very long something interesting happens: People begin quoting Scripture to you in an accusatory way -- and the accusations will be false.

They may quote Scripture to accuse you of being a schismatic: "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133) – or perhaps, "bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4).

They may quote Scripture to accuse you of being judgmental: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7) – or perhaps, “Why do you judge your brother?” (Romans 14) – or perhaps, “Judge nothing before the time” (First Corinthians 4).

They may quote Scripture to accuse you of being unloving: “[Love] bears all things, believe all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13) – or perhaps, “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4).

They may quote Scripture to accuse you of being unreasonable, unwilling to listen: “Come now and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1).

In today's church, many people, often including church leaders, are twisting Scripture to avoid obeying God's clear commands themselves, and to try to discourage or even prevent others from taking a Christ-honoring stand for the truth.

How will you respond to the Scripture-twisters? That's our focus this week as we continue our series, Christ Above All: Studies in Colossians.