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of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and
fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, BY THE TRICKERY OF
MEN, in the CUNNING CRAFTINESS by which they LIE IN WIAT to deceive,
BUT speaking THE TRUTH IN LOVE MAY GROW UP in all things into Him
who is the Head—Christ— . . .”
The Apostle Paul also made known the needed qualifications of men who were to be
ordained into God’s ministry:
I Timothy 3:2-13 “A bishop (
minister
) then must be blameless, the husband
of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to
teach, not given to wine, not violent, not GREEDY for money, but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not COVETOUS . . . Likewise deacons must be reverent (
a
reverent fear of Jesus Christ
), not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not
GREEDY for money. . . .”
The Apostates Masquerading as True Ministers
However there are always the wolves with their COVETOUS ambitions that either have
or will come among the true flock of God to seek the properties, members, and their
tithes. Unless there is repentance there is a terrible fate awaiting them:
Jude 11 “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run
GREEDILY in the error of Balaam for PROFIT, and perished in the
rebellion of Korah.”
False ministers have no real feelings of guilt for what they do for they preach God’s laws,
including His Ten Commandments, have been done away by the New Covenant. This
leaves them free, so they think to break God’s holy and righteous law knowing where
there is no law there is no sin (
Romans 4:15; 5:13
).
Jesus Christ speaks of them as destructive wolves
who slaughter the flock through guile with their
COVETOUS and adulterous practices (
Matthew
7:15-20
).
II Peter 2:14-16 “. . . having eyes full of
adultery and that cannot cease from sin,
beguiling unstable souls. They have a heart
trained in COVETOUS practices, and are
accursed children. They have forsaken the
right way and gone astray, following the
way of Balaam . . . who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he was
rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice
restrained THE MADNESS of the prophet.”
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