brethren are not few , and they are always active when God is at work and His servants are rendering Him true homage . They will put a false coloring upon the words and acts of those who love and obey the truth . They will represent the most earnest , zealous , self-denying servants of Christ as deceived or deceivers . It is their work to misrepresent the motives of every true and noble deed , to circulate insinuations , and arouse suspicion in the minds of the inexperienced . In every conceivable manner they will seek to cause that which is pure and righteous to be regarded as foul and deceptive .
But none need be deceived concerning them . It may be readily seen whose children they are , whose example they follow , and whose work they do . " Ye shall know them by their fruits ." Matthew 7:16 . Their course resembles that of Satan , the envenomed slanderer , " the accuser of our brethren ." Revelation 12:10 . The great deceiver has many agents ready to present any and every kind of error to ensnare souls-heresies prepared to suit the varied tastes and capacities of those whom he would ruin . It is his plan to bring into the church insincere , unregenerate elements that will encourage doubt and unbelief , and hinder all who desire to see the work of God advance and to advance with it . Many who have no real faith in God or in His word assent to some principles of truth and pass as Christians , and thus they are enabled to introduce their errors as Scriptural doctrines .
The position that it is of no consequence what men believe is one of Satan ' s most successful deceptions . He knows that the truth , received in the love of it , sanctifies the soul of the receiver ; therefore he is constantly seeking to substitute false theories , fables , another gospel . From the beginning the servants of God have contended against false teachers , not merely as vicious men , but as inculcators of falsehoods that were fatal to the soul . Elijah , Jeremiah , Paul , firmly and fearlessly opposed those who were turning men from the word of God . That liberality which regards a correct religious faith as unimportant found no favor with these holy defenders of the truth .
The vague and fanciful interpretations of Scripture , and the many conflicting theories concerning religious faith , that are found in the Christian world are the work of our great adversary to confuse minds so that they shall not discern the truth . And the discord and division which exist among the churches of Christendom are in a great measure due to the prevailing custom of wresting the Scriptures to support a favorite theory . Instead of carefully studying God ' s word with humility of heart to obtain a knowledge of His will , many seek only to discover something odd or original .
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