A Final Warning

This morning we come to the end of the book of Romans, and I want to focus on one last passage from Rom. 16 in which Paul gives a final warning to the Roman church. Let’s read Rom. 16:17-20 together. From this passage I want you to see three points: The Sins of Deceivers, the Signs of Deceivers, and the Simple Rules of Faithfulness.

First, let’s consider the sins of deceivers from verse 17. As Paul ends his letter to the Romans, he wants to give them a final warning in regard to a pattern that has developed in every faithful Christian church. In every church that Paul had established, after a few years, divisions would arise because of the influence of some new teaching. In Galatia, Jewish leaders had come into the church teaching that Gentile believers had to be circumcised before they could be full members of the church. In Corinth and Ephesus, Gnostic philosophers came in claiming that there was a deeper spiritual knowledge to be discovered. Paul recognized that these heretics and charlatans could usually be identified by the sins that they commit, and so he warns the Romans to “watch out” for them. The Greek word that he uses for “watch out” is skopeo, from which we get our word “scope”. It means to spy on or mark out. Believers are to diligently watch for those who show a pattern of sin.

Paul gives us two specific sins that these deceivers commit. First, they “cause divisions.” The idea of “division” here is to sew disunity or rebellion. Now, sometimes division and disunity are necessary for the sake of the Gospel. Sometimes, we have to stand for what is right in the face of culture, and that’s OK. But, the person Paul has in mind here is not a Martin Luther, who stood against the corruption of the Gospel message, but rather a Jerry Falwell Jr., who is always finding fault, always stirring up negativity, always driving a wedge, even between brothers in Christ. Let this stand as a warning to you, if you have a tendency towards the negative, or if you just generally find fault in anything and everything. It is wrong to sew division within the body of Christ. It is wrong to think poorly of your brothers and sisters, of your deacons, or of your pastor. It is wrong to complain just because things aren’t perfectly the way you’d like them to be, or the way they’ve always been.

Second, Paul warns to watch for those who “create obstacles.” The word “obstacle” means “scandal.” So, where “divisions” deal with beliefs and practices, “obstacles” deals with accepted sins. This is the idea of a church member who flaunts his or her sin, forcing the church to either implicitly accept it by ignoring it, or to even endorse it explicitly. We see this form of deception played out in the church on almost a daily basis now, as church after church, denomination after denomination, either cowers in fear of the LGBT community or openly endorses its message. Just the other day I saw a video on Twitter of an Episcopal church’s children’s sermon. For the children’s sermon, the pastor invited a transgendered drag queen to come talk to the children. The pastor used Romans 12:2, which says, “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed…” as an endorsement of the sinful delusion of transgenderism. It is obvious how that could be an obstacle to those children. Everything about Christianity was scandalized right before their eyes.

But these obstacles don’t have to be so radical as that. Churches, for years, have looked the other way as couples within the church have pursued “no-fault” divorces. We have looked the other way as couples have lived together without even the thought of marriage. We have turned a blind eye to abuse. We have pretended as though racial hatred is just a cultural thing. We create obstacles in our condoning of sin wherever we allow it to fester out in the open.

So, Paul directs that we are to “watch out” for these deceitful sins, but that’s not the extent of what we are to do. No, we are also to avoid or shun them. This is a reference to church discipline, a practice that the church of our day is afraid to talk about, but is commanded everywhere in the NT. Of those who create scandal in the church, Paul commands in 1 Cor. 5:2 – “Let him who has done this be removed from you.” With respect to the person who would stir up division in the church, Paul instructs in Titus 3:10 – “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.” Even on a personal level, church members shouldn’t even show hospitality to the deceiver who stirs division or creates scandal. In 2 John 10, John directs – “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.” We are to take seriously the doctrine of the church and the lifestyle of faithful Christian living. We are to watch out for those who sew divisions and create scandal, and we are to shun them for the sake of clarity and unity in the church.

So, how do we recognize these deceivers when they come into the church? That question brings me to my second point: the signs of deceivers, from verse 18. Paul gives three signs of a deceiver that are helpful for us even today. First, he says that “such persons do not serve our Lord Christ.” The simplest measure of the truthfulness of some new teaching or fresh word is this – does it magnify Jesus Christ, or does it magnify the speaker? If a pastor, evangelist, teacher, church dignitary, or whomever comes in claiming to rightly understand the word of God, but this man or woman never talks about Jesus, never mentions the cross or the resurrection – run!

Second, these deceivers are led by “their own appetites.” This term “appetite” literally means “belly”. So, you can always identify a deceiver by his cravings. Most often, these cravings are revealed in three ways: sexual desire, wealth, and power. A deceiver is going to make himself known in one of these three ways. Does he talk too much about sex, make crude jokes, or seem too sweet on women (or men, for that matter)? Does he hold his hand out after the sermon, expecting to be paid? Does he whine about his salary or seem overly concerned about budgets and tithing? Is he domineering and belittling? Does he talk a great deal about the authority of the pastor? Does he make much of himself and his calling? I warn you now, watch out for people who show a pattern for any of this in their lives.

Finally, a dead ringer for a deceiver in the church is his smooth talk and flattery. You know, Christians have a certain language. We talk about heaven and hell, salvation, fellowship, and we call each other brother and sister. Deceivers pick up on this language, and they exaggerate it. The theological words drip off their lips like honey. Everything is “brother” this and “sister” that. They use constant flattery, especially with the vulnerable and naïve. They do all of this so they might gain support and a foothold within the church.

So, how are we to defend against such deception? Paul gives two simple rules for the faithful, which I want you to see from verses 19-20. First, we are to be “wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” In other words, the practice of our own faith should emphasize the good and minimize the evil. We should not dwell on those things that cause us to stumble into sin. We should avoid those things that would lead us into evil. But, when it comes to that which is good, we should know all we can about it. We should understand how best to live in faithfulness. We should devote ourselves to understanding Scripture. We should devote our lives to faithful worship. We should commit to using our gifts for the good of the church.

Second, from verse 20, we should rest in the promise of God and wait for its fulfillment. Paul reminds the Romans that God will one day crush the head of Satan, and they are to patiently wait for that day. Look, most false teaching and deception that rises up in the church does so because people get tired of waiting on God and instead take matters in their own hands. In the 1820s, a 14 year-old boy named Joseph became frustrated with the denominational divisions of his day. So, he struck out into the mountains of New York to ponder the true religion. He came down from that mountain claiming to have received a revelation from the angel Mormo. He led a band of followers west to Missouri, where he established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – the Mormons. Joseph Smith checked all the boxes for a deceiver. He was good looking and a smooth talker. He could talk his way out of most situations. He created scandal wherever he went. He was a known womanizer, and conveniently developed a doctrine of polygamy for the Mormon church. And, he sewed division. His answer to the differences in denominations was to break entirely from the Christian church and develop his own set of Scriptures. All of this developed because men could not wait for the Lord to fulfill his promises.

So, brothers and sisters, we must wait on God to do what he has promised. While we wait, we should be watchful of those who would deceive and lead people astray. And, we should be ready to discipline those who would deceive the naïve and weak.