DON’T BE SO NAÏVE IN MATTERS OF YOUR FAITH
SCRIPTURE:
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you, but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” (Romans 16:17—20)
OBSERVATION:
Sometimes, people’s images of the Apostle Paul seem to be that he is very stern and strict. However, in this chapter, Paul’s whole letter is quite relational and reveals how he thinks of people and his relationship with them. Paul wrote to the Roman believers to receive one of his co-workers, Phoebe, as someone worthy as one of them and to lend her a hand with anything she might need.
Paul’s message to the Roman believers is clear unity is crucial within the body of Christ. He encourages them to greet his co-workers in the gospel, who are present among them, with a sense of shared purpose and love. His call to greet one another with a holy kiss symbolizes this unity.
Equally important to Paul was the sense of unity among the body of Christ. He also issued a strong warning, ‘I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.’ This warning is not to instill fear but to encourage a sense of caution and discernment.
Such people are not serving our Lord Christ but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you, but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.
Paul’s words are not just a command but a call to action. He says, ‘I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.’ This is not a passive request but an active call to take responsibility for our spiritual discernment. Not everyone in the church is about unity and serving the Lord but serving their own interests. Paul made it clear that these people are not there for the purpose of Christ but for their own appetites. They are smooth talkers and flattery and thus deceive the minds of the naïve.
Paul warned believers to stay away from such folks. These folks are workers of Satan. But soon, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. We, as believers, must always know how to discern who we hang around with in fellowship. Not everyone who comes to church comes with a sincere motive to serve Jesus but to be a problem and cause disunity in Christ’s body. We must learn to discern who these people are and disassociate ourselves from them. We as a church or the body of Christ must never be so naïve to continue associating with people who sow discord among the body of Christ. In other epistles that Paul wrote, he instructs believers to stay away from those who sow discord and expose their works. Paul urges believers to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in their way, contrary to the teaching they have learned.
APPLICATION:
I want to apply this alarm that Paul wrote here in my ministry. Many believers are affected and shipwrecked in their faith because they associate with people who teach things contrary to what they have learned from sound teaching. I will continue disassociating myself from those who seem to bring disunity, but I will also do as Paul said to expose them and help protect others from their teaching.
PRAYER:
Father, I ask that you give me a sense of strong discernment and sensitivity to your Holy Spirit so I may be able to discern those who seek to sow discord and disunity in your church. Please help me not to get off guard by the craftiness of Satan and his angels of light working against your church. I thank you for you can crush the works of Satan. I look to you today as you lead and guide me. Amen!
