As we race towards the End Times (whether they be 2 years from now or 200 years from now), the New Testament is filled with warnings that those days will be filled with false teachers and a turning away from the truth of God's Word.  One cannot help but sense that the stage is already being set.  One day Antichrist will have the entire world following him and giving their worship to him.  How do we get from where we are now to what will happen in that day?  Truth must be chipped away at.  Those who hold to the fundamentals of the Christian faith (especially the inerrancy of Scripture) will be labeled as the modern Pharisees with whom Jesus is now angry.  People must be convinced that the way to not be a modern Pharisee is to set the Bible on the shelf as a book of nice stories and good principles on how to live, but not the single, absolute, flawless authority for our lives.

In his new book, Dr. John MacArthur writes, "Much of the visible church nowadays seems to think Christians are supposed to be at play rather than at war.  The idea of actually fighting for doctrinal truth is the furthest thing from most churchgoers' thoughts.  Contemporary Christians are determined to get the world to like them - and of course in the process they also want to have as much fun as possible.  They are so obsessed with making the church seem 'cool' to unbeleivers that they can't be bothered with questions about whether another person's doctrine is sound or not.  In a climate like that, the thought of even identifying someone else's teaching as false is a distasteful and dangerously countercultural suggestion.  Christians have bought into the notion that almost nothing is more 'uncool' in the world's eyes than when someone shows a sincere concern about the danger of heresy.  After all, the world simply doesn't take spiritual truth that seriously, so they cannot fathom why anyone would...We have been given a clear message for the purpose of confronting the world's unbelief.  That is we are called, commanded, and commissioned to do (1 Corinthians 1:17-31).  Faithfulness to Christ demands it.  The honor of God requires it.  We cannot sit by and do nothing while worldly, revisionist, and skeptical attitudes about truth are infiltrating the church.  We must not embrace such confusion in the name of charity, collegiality, or unity.  We have to stand and fight for the truth..."        -The Truth War

The Apostle Paul was inspired by the Spirit of God to write letter after letter to churches refuting false teaching, defending the faith, and calling the believers to stand firm and not abandon the truth.  What strikes me is that Paul does not urge these churches to learn how to get along despite their differences of opinion.  He calls the false teachers divisive and dangerous to the body of Christ.  Why is it that, in our day, people who set aside the Bible are seen as the ones working for the unity of the Body, while the ones who are calling for unity around the truth of God's Word are the ones labeled divisive and modern Pharisees? 

I have had people call me out by saying that I am so obsessed with fighting against false teaching that I don't seem to have much joy - and Christians should have joy.  I have joy unspeakable!  I have been saved from the lake of fire, my sins are forgiven and I will spend all eternity at the feet of Jesus!!  Joy is too weak a word!!  But am I always happy?  Not always.  Someone once compared it to those in the lifeboats when the Titanic sank.  They had joy that they would come out of the disaster alive, but as the floated along the frozen grave of the water, happiness would have been inappropriate.  I have fun with my family and friends.  I love to laugh.  I have joy in the Lord.  But every day, 150,000 die - and most of them without Christ.  And it seems that many "Christians" are jumping out of the lifeboat in favor of the frozen waters of false teaching.  To sit back and ignore those realities and just sing happy songs would be unloving - and love is a vital quality of a disciple.