As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work – which is by faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

One of the main duties of a Christian minister is to combat false doctrines. Paul likely has something definite in mind as he writes to Timothy. It is possible that the church is threatened with a precursor to Gnosticism, or some form of Jewish mysticism, or a mixture of the two. The exact historical context is not essential to the understanding and application of this passage, since Paul first states a broad principle, that Timothy is to put a stop to men who teach “false doctrines.” He does not intend to say that these particular false doctrines should be stopped, but that all others are permitted. All false doctrines must be stopped.

A Christian minister who is unwilling or unable to do this is a liability, and introduces a dangerous vulnerability to his church. He might be unwilling to oppose false doctrines because he does not consider doctrines as essential. But they are essential, since they provide definition and guidance regarding every aspect of the Christian faith. There is no Christian faith, and thus no knowledge of God and of Christ, no salvation, no justification and sanctification, no worship of God, no fellowship with saints, and no hope of eternal life, without Christian doctrines. Without doctrines, there is nothing. Then, a minister might be unable to oppose false doctrines because he is afraid to confront heretics, or because he lacks the knowledge and intelligence to refute them. Whatever the reason, this is a serious deficiency in a minister, and it must be addressed with the utmost urgency.

We must not allow the world to teach us how to deal with false teachers. Some ministers have more respect for non-Christian standards of academic courtesy than for the Lord Jesus Christ. If they want to appear intellectual and respectable before the world, and polite according to the world’s standard, then they are unfit to be preachers of the gospel. Paul does not tell Timothy to dialogue with false teachers, or to learn from their perspective, but to command them to stop.

Some people think that the best way to handle false doctrines is to put them up for debate in a public forum, so that Christians can hear both sides and decide for themselves. Again, this view comes from the world, and imposes democracy and freedom of speech upon church policy. The Church of the Living God is not a democracy. Jesus Christ is King – his opinion is truth, and his command is law. No one has the right to oppose him or to express alternate views. Of course his ministers can debate false doctrines, showing in what ways these teachings are wrong, but they are not to do this endlessly, and they are to speak with authority, commanding the false teachers to cease their heresies.