Wednesday’s 333 Devotional: “A Cauterized Conscience”

From the pulpits of many of Christian denominations a move is taking place away from God’s word towards the standards of the world.

The Apostle Peter describes them as false teachers secretly bringing destructive heresies.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1)

Speaking of this very thing the Apostle Paul said, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

These false teachers are teaching what is contrary to Scriptures. “Lies in hypocrisy,” means these teachers know exactly what they are doing. They knowingly deny, refute, and ignore what the Bible says while claiming to be minsters of the gospel, looking godly on the outside, but inside they are full of it, that is, hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:28)

These ministers are the tools of seducing and deceptive spirits, and while they are speaking the words, it is demonic.

These false teachers have so hardened their hearts they’ve become insensitive to the truth of God’s word. Their consciences have been so cauterized they knowingly present their ideas as God’s without blinking and eye or shedding a tear.

In the end there will be those who listen to these deceptive doctrines and depart from the faith. The word “depart” is our English word for apostasy, meaning to depart or to fall away.

What can we do? We can be like the Bereans who checked out what was being taught by God’s word.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)