I don't share all of the opinions on all counts offered by Pastor Bynum, but I don't know that there's a soul alive with whom I share all of the same opinions. :) He offers a great review of the Scriptures concerning behavior and discernment. It goes hand in hand with Dr. Paul Martin's material about noting behavior, fruit and motive of abusive ministers, and that only 10% of Scriptures that address spiritual abusers deal with doctrine.
Many today believe that it is wrong to
expose error and to name names. Liberals have always seemed to
believe this, but in recent times it has been widely espoused by
evangelicals and charismatics. Now we are seeing the same fatal error
being declared by those who profess to be Bible believing
fundamentalists. Those who are faithful in exposing error according
to the Bible are now being widely denounced, and are accused of being
unloving and unkind. In this tract we intend to present the teaching
of the Bible on this vital subject.
I.
It Is Right To Practice Biblical Judgment
One of the most misused verses in the
Bible is, "Judge not, that ye be not judged"
(Matt. 7: 1). Every Scripture verse should be read in its context, if
we are to properly understand the true meaning. In vs. 2-5 of this
same chapter it is evident that v. 1 is referring to hypocritical
judgment. A brother who has a beam in his own eye should not be
judging the brother who may have a mote in his eye. The lesson is
plain, you cannot judge another for his sin if you are guilty of the
same sin.
Those who cling to "Judge not,
that ye be not judged, " to condemn those who expose error
should read the entire chapter. Jesus said, "Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing... " (v.
15). How can we know false prophets unless we judge them by the Word
of God? If we know the false prophets, how can we fail to exam the
sheep of these "ravening wolves?" All through the Bible
we find proof that they should be identified and exposed.
"Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit" (vs. 16,17). Did the Lord mean
that we could not judge the tree (person), by the fruit of their life
and doctrine? Certainly not, for you cannot know without judging. All
judgment should be on the basis of Bible teaching, not according to
whims or prejudices.
"Judge not according to the
appearance, but judge righteous judgment " (John 7:24). Here
our Lord commands that we are to "judge righteous
judgment, " which is judgment based upon the Word of
God. If judgment is made upon any other basis, other than the Word of
God, it is a violation of Matt. 7:1. Webster's Dictionary says that a
judge is "one who declares the law. " The faithful
Christian must discern or judge on the basis of God's inspired law,
the Bible.
A fornicator is described in I Cor.
5:1-13. Paul "judged" (v.3) the man even
though he was absent, and he told the Church at Corinth that they
were to "judge" (v. 12) those that were
within. The Greek word for "judge" is the
same here as in Matt. 7: 1. Paul did not violate "judge not,
that ye be not judged, " in judging the man, nor in
instructing the Church to judge also. All of this judgment was
according to the Word of God.
A person who is able to discern between
good and evil, has at least one of the major marks of spiritual
maturity. "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full
age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). W.E. Vine says of
the meaning of discern, "a distinguishing, a clear
discrimination, discerning, judging; is translated 'discerning' in I
Cor. 12: 10 of discerning spirits, judging by evidence whether they
are evil or of God. " Strong also agrees that it means to judge.
Those who are unwilling or incapable of
discerning or judging between good and evil are in this manner
revealing either their disobedience or their immaturity.
II.
It Is Right To Expose False Teachers
False teachers are free to spread their
poisonous doctrines today because there is a conspiracy of silence
among many Bible believers. Wolves in sheep's clothing are thus
enabled to ravage the flock, thereby destroying many.
John the Baptist called the Pharisees
and Sadducees (the religious leaders of his day) "a
generation of Vipers" (snakes) (Matt. 3:7). Today, he would
be accused of being unloving, unkind, and unchristian.
Jesus said to the religious Pharisees,
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good
things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh"
(Matt. 12:34). To many evangelicals and some fundamentalists, this
would be unacceptable language today, but it is biblical language and
it came from the mouth of the Son of God.
Standing face to face with these false
teachers, Jesus Christ the Son of God, called them "hypocrites",
"blind guides, " "blind, " "whited
sepulchres, " "serpents, " and "ye
generation of vipers" (Matt. 23:23-34). Yet, we
are told today that we are to fellowship with men whose doctrines are
just as unscriptural as those of the Pharisees. Some who say they are
Bible believing Christians insist on working with Roman Catholics and
other assorted heretics. Yet, according to many, we are not supposed
to rebuke them for their compromise.
Near the beginning of His ministry,
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those
that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money
sitting: And when he had made a scourge of
small cords, he drove them all out
of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the
changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that
sold doves, Take these things hence, make not my Father's house an
house of merchandise" (John 2:13-16). Our Saviour is
presented today as one who was meek, lowly, kind, and loving, even to
false teachers, but this is entirely false.
When dealing with false teachers
and prophets, His words were sharp and His actions plain.
Near the end of His public ministry,
Christ found it necessary to cleanse the temple once again. The
exposure of false doctrines and practices is a never ending job. At
that time He said, "Is it not written, My house shall be
called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den
of thieves" (Mark I 1: 17). Is it any different today? The
thieves come into the house of God, and rob God's people of the Bible
and peddle their perverted Bibles instead. At the same time this den
of thieves rob the people off the doctrine of separation and the
doctrine of sanctification. Then you can hardly tell God's people
from the people of the world. In all honesty, should not these
thieves (false teachers) be exposed?
In our day these false teachers have
come into the churches with their books, music, literature, movies,
psychology, and seminars, and have turned the Father's house into a
den of thieves. It is time that men of God stand up and expose their
errors for all to see.
The Bible Admonishes Us
To Expose Error
We are to TRY them. "Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of
God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world"
(I John 4: 1). All doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to
the Word of God. "To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them" (Isa. 8:20). Every message, messenger, and method is
to be judged according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus was
commended because they had "tried them which say they are
apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars " (Rev.
2:2). The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those
that held "the doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine
of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It is
never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be tried by
the Word of God, and exposed. Of course those who want to disobey the
Word of God will seek by every means to avoid this teaching.
We are to MARK them and AVOID them.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions
and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and
avoid them " (Rom. 16:17). Those whose conduct and teaching
contradicts the Word of God are to be marked and to be avoided. This
requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible. The
ecumenicalists, new evangelicals, and compromising fundamentalists
will resist any effort to obey this Scripture. They cannot be
marked and avoided, unless they are judged according to the Word of
God.
We are to REBUKE them.
"Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the
faith " (Titus 1: 13). This was written to Titus, because
there Were those going from house to house and subverting whole
houses with false doctrine (v. 10-16). Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller,
Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, and others are subverting whole houses
with their false doctrine today. Are we to sit silently by, while
they do this, without rebuking and admonishing people to avoid their
teaching? No, the faithful servant of the Lord is to be "Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers "
(Titus 1:9).
We are to have NO FELLOWSHIP with
them. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them " (Eph. 5:11). Reprove
means to censure, condemn, find fault, rebuke, and to refute. How can
we obey this Scripture unless we try them by the Word of God?
We are to WITHDRAW from them.
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh
disorderly, and not after the tradition which ye received of us "
(II Thess. 3:6). We are to withdraw from those whose doctrine and
conduct does not conform to the Word of God. The context clearly
shows that obedience to sound doctrine is what Paul has in mind, for
he says, "if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note
that man and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet,
count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother"
(II Thess. 3:14-15). Paul admonished Timothy to "withdraw
thyself " from those who "consent not to wholesome words
... and to the doctrine which is according to godliness " (I
Tim. 6:3-5).
We are to TURN AWAY from them.
Concerning the last days, he says that some will have "a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof. from such turn away"
for such people are "never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth" (11 Tim. 3:5,7). How can we turn away from them
if we do not identify them, and this requires that their message be
compared to the Word of God. It is the business of the true preacher
to: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine "
(II Tim. 4:2). This is usually an unpopular and thankless task but it
is the duty of the God-called man.
We are NOT to RECEIVE them into our
house. "If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed
For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds "
(11 John 10, I 1). There is no doubt about who John is speaking
about, it is " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in
the doctrine of Christ... " (v.9). By radio, TV, music
and literature, false prophets are brought into the homes of many
Christians today. Brethren, this ought not to be!
We are to REJECT HERETICS. "A
man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject
" (Titus 3: 10). We should reject those who deny redemption
by the blood of Christ. There are many who deny this or some other
doctrine of the Word of God. If they will not respond to being
admonished, then they are to be rejected.
We are to look out for those who
preach another gospel. Paul warned about those who preached
"another Jesus ... another spirit ... or another gospel"
(II Cor. 11:4). How can we know them unless we judge their Jesus,
their spirit, and their gospel by the Word of God? Paul called such
preachers "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ" (11 Cor. II: 13). He
explains in v. 14-15 that these preachers are the ministers of Satan.
The God-called man must be just as faithful today in exposing the
ministers of Satan.
Paul warned the Galatians about those
who "pervert the gospel of Christ." He also said,
"If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye
have received, let him be accursed." (See Gal. 1:6-9).
Multitudes today are preaching a perverted gospel. Those who teach
salvation by baptism, or by works, are teaching a perverted gospel.
Those who preach a salvation that you can lose, are preaching a
perverted gospel. The charismatics, Catholics, many evangelicals, and
many fundamentalists (?) are preaching a perverted gospel. Yet, we
are supposed to cooperate with them in evangelism and Christian work,
according to many today. If we fail to expose these false prophets,
then we have betrayed Christ and His gospel.
We are to SEPARATE from them.
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch no the unclean thing; and I will receive
you " (II Cor. 6:17). This makes it plain. God's people are
to come out of apostasy and religious error. How can any Bible
believer remain in the National Council or World Council of Churches?
How can they remain among compromising evangelicals and wishy-washy
fundamentalists?
III.
It Is Right To Name Names
Paul named Peter publicly. Peter
was guilty of unscriptural practice. "But when Peter was come
to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed
... But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the
truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou,
being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do
the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?"
(Gal. 2:11-14). The whole issue revolved around salvation by the law
or by grace. When the integrity and purity of the gospel is at stake,
then we have no choice when it comes to the matter of exposing error
and naming names.
Paul named Demas for loving the
world. "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this
present world" (II Tim. 4:10). Those who forsake the cause
of Christ for worldly living and pleasures should be named and
exposed. (Christian Rock!)
Paul named Hymenaeus and Alexander.
Paul told Timothy to "war a good warfare; Holding faith,
and a good conscience; which some have put away concerning faith have
made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have
delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme "
(I Tim. 1: 18-20). God's true servants should war a good warfare, and
name those who have departed from the faith that was once delivered
to the saints. Paul is not here discussing the faith of salvation but
the faith as a system of doctrine. These men had made shipwreck of it
and Paul exposed them and called their names.
Paul named Hymenaeus and Philetus.
He told Timothy to "study" that he might be able to
"rightly" divide "the word of truth. But shun
profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more
ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth as canker. of whom is
Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying
that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of
some " (11 Tim. 2:15-18). False doctrine overthrows the
faith of some, so those who are proclaiming it must be exposed.
Paul named Alexander the
coppersmith. "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil.
the Lord reward him "cording to his works: Of whom be thou ware
also, for he hath greatly withstood our words " (II Tim.
4:14-15). It is clear that this is not a personality problem, but a
doctrinal problem. Alexander had withstood the words and doctrine of
Paul. He was an enemy to the truth. Godly pastors face the same
problem every day. They stand and proclaim the truth, then their
members go home and hear this truth disputed by radio and TV
preachers. Often times these false prophets are sending their
publications into the homes of members of true churches. Then the man
of God is supposed to keep his mouth shut, according to many. Only
a coward will be silent when the truth of the Bible is under attack.
John named Diotrephes. "I
wrote unto the church; but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the
preeminence among them, receiveth us not" (III John 9). He
related how this man had prated against him "with malicious
words " (v. 10). He further said, "Beloved, follow not
that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of
God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God " (v. I 1). It
is not wrong to name those whose doctrine and practice is contrary to
the Word of God.
In fact, the whole Bible abounds in
examples of false prophets being named and exposed. All this modem
day talk about love, used as an excuse for not exposing error, is not
really biblical love but is really sloppy agape.
Moses called the name of Balaam.
(See Num. 22-25). Peter exposed "the way of Balaam
... who loved the wages of unrighteousness " (II Pet. 2:15).
Balaam was a prophet that was in the work for money, just like some
of the TV false prophets today. They beg for money and live like
kings, while multitudes of innocent people send them their hard
earned money. They are always building colleges, hospitals, TV
network satellites, and amusement parks that have a water slide for
Jesus. And then we are supposed to keep our mouth shut about these
religious charlatans. How can we be silent and be true to God?
Jude exposed "the error of
Balaam " (Jude I 1). John exposed "the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a
stumblingblock before the children of Israel , to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication " (Rev.
2:14). This gets right to the heart of the matter, concerning the
doctrine of separation. Balaam never did curse Israel even though he
wanted the wages that he was offered to do so. The men of Israel
committed "whoredom with the daughters of Moab ... and bowed
down to their gods " (Num. 25:1,2). Why did they do this?
Because Balaam taught Balac how to break down the barrier of
separation between the Moabites and the Israelites. We know this to
be so because it is plainly stated in Rev. 2:14 and Num. 31:16. This
sin resulted in 24,000 men of Israel dying under the judgment of God.
(Another good example of Christian Rock)
False teachers are breaking down the
barrier of separation between God's people and false religion. There
is too little preaching and teaching on the doctrine of separation.
Balaam breached the doctrine of personal separation by causing the
men of Israel to commit fornication with the Moabite women. He
breached the doctrine of ecclesiastical separation by causing the men
of Israel to bow down to Baal. This brought a curse upon Israel .
Until we get back to teaching the truth about personal and
ecclesiastical separation, we can expect the continued widespread
havoc that we have today.
It seems to be believed by many that
some people are too high and mighty to be named or exposed. Men in
high places, pastors of large churches, and those with great radio or
TV audiences, are supposedly above criticism. Whatever they may do or
say, no matter how contrary to the Bible it may be, is supposedly all
right. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Nathan identified the man. There
was a man in a very high place who was a secret adulterer. Surely
this man who held the highest office in the land could not be rebuked
by a lowly unpopular prophet. Nathan went right into the presence of
David, revealed the sin in a parable form, and then told the enraged
David, "Thou art the man " (II Sam. 12:7).
Hanani named king Jehoshaphat.
In many ways Jehoshaphat was a good king, but he mistakenly forgot to
practice religious separation. He caused his son to marry wicked king
Ahab's daughter. (See II Chron. 18: 1; 21:1-6). He made an alliance
with Ahab and went to the battle of Ramoth-gilead with him (II Chron.
18). Hanani "said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help
the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? " (II Chron.
19:2). We have a question for those, "Shouldest thou help
the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?"
Yes, it is right to expose error and
to name those who are in error. It is right to "earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints"
(Jude 3). It was once delivered and it has never been recalled for
revision. We had better beware of "false teachers ... who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies " (II Pet. 2: 1).
Faithful messengers will warn the sheep of these heretics, and
identify them by name. It is not enough to broadly hint of their
identity, for the young lambs will not understand and will be
destroyed by the wolves.
E.L. Bynum
Tabernacle Baptist Church was first organized as an independent Baptist Church on March 12, 1933 in Lubbock, Texas. Brother E. L. Bynum accepted the pastorate of the Church in 1961. He had served as one of the pastors from 1953 through 1961, except for one year while he labored as a church planter in Manhattan, Kansas. It was there that he organized and then briefly pastored Manhattan Baptist Temple before returning to Lubbock to assist Brother Johnson.Under the ministry of E. L. Bynum, the church prospered spiritually in the Lord’s service. It was early in his pastorate that the church began to seriously undertake—and continue in—world-wide missionary endeavors. One of the highlights each year at Tabernacle Baptist church is the annual Bible/Missions Conference, first instituted in March of 1962. Pastors, preachers, and evangelists from around the world attend and preach at this conference.On March 20, 2005, nearing the age of seventy-nine, Brother Bynum announced to the church that it was time for him to resign. His resignation would take effect as soon as another pastor was called. He had served as Pastor for forty-four years, and had been in full-time service with the church for a total of fifty-one years. He made it clear, however, that though he was stepping down from the pastorate, he was not ending his ministry. Brother Bynum and his wife, Mrs. Betty Bynum, are still active members at Tabernacle Baptist Church.
