I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
To what doctrine does Paul refer? Scholars are uncertain as to who Paul is referring to when he references these false teachers.* The doctrine that Paul refers to, however, is not so uncertain. The doctrine that Paul refers to is no invention of his own, but it is the staples of Christian belief (Christ as the only Son of God, crucified and risen again).*
We live in a world of smooth talk. There seems to be more influencers, communicators, and spokespeople than ever in history. These smooth talkers, though gifted, may use their gift to flatter or woo us into beliefs contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, Paul doesn’t say, “hear them out and take the good and leave the bad.” He doesn’t say, “some of what they say makes sense on some level.” He doesn’t even say, “well, at least they’re encouraging.” Paul says to avoid them completely.
Why? Because they serve themselves and their own desires, deceiving those eager to believe and eager to learn.* In this sense, they are false teachers who are opposed to Christ Jesus.
There are two warnings for us as believers in this admonition of Paul. The first, we just discussed. The other is for us to be sure that we are not becoming one who gets caught up flattering and smoothly talking to others for the sake of our own appetite. We live in a world that threatens to define us by the number of likes and views and praise that we receive. This addictive cycle can propel us to tell people what they want to hear rather than the truth. The truth is not always popular. The truth is not always liked. But the truth sets us free.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to embrace truth with new fervor. Perhaps God wants you to weigh the voices that you are listening to against His Word. Maybe today God wants you to make a change and embrace the doctrine of the Gospel anew. Perhaps today God wants you to repent for caring more about what others think than about what He thinks. Maybe today God wants you to repent for valuing likes more than truth.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 576–578). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 411–414). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 538–540). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 510-516). Zondervan Publishing House.