Peter, Jude, and John have each left us sober warnings in the New Testament concerning Balaam. It is evident that God considers these warnings needed for Christians, even today!
Peter warned against “the way of Balaam” who loved gain from doing wrong (2 Peter 2:15). Balaam had a readiness to, for personal gain, use his God given high spiritual gifts and privileges to preach contrary to God's Word.
Jude warned against “the error of Balaam” who deceived people for money (Jude 1:11). He was willing to compromise, in his greed, his own standards of morality and truth to accommodate the standards of his pagan patrons.
And in Revelation 2:14, Jesus, through John, warned against “the doctrine of Balaam” “...who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.” Even in John's day this doctrine was already infiltrating the church, causing His people to compromise their standards and “to commit fornication” with their idol-worshiping enemies.
However, in the present day, the infiltration of Balaam doctrine is so common as to be unrecognizable without close scrutiny, leading those who genuinely follow God into following after the world and it's traditions, which involve many different false gods and the practices used to worship them, instead of God's ways of celebrating His festivals and Sabbaths, which are clearly outlined in the Bible. We must be diligent to study the Word of God, breaking with the ways of the world to live by the ways of our Creator and Savior.
In each generation, those who follow God have had to battle against compromising God's truth. It is no different for us today. What about your beliefs? Do they really measure up to God's clear instruction in the Bible? We are told by the Apostle Paul to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). If we are going to follow Christ, be true Christians, we must obey His commands. We are not doing that if we follow the traditions and imaginations of men. What about you? Where did you get your beliefs? I spent decades just repeating, “That's what my church believes,” when I was asked about my beliefs. Or, "That is what I was taught while I was growing up." I finally realized that I had not tested anything, but accepted everything as if it was all good without considering whether my teachers had been deceived. Not so anymore, I now follow the Bible and the doctrine of God. It takes time, prayer, and the study of the Word of God, but it is so worth it.
John wrote down everything the Lord Jesus revealed to him in the Book of Revelation. There is a warning about the doctrine of Balaam in chapter 2 for us to heed. Indeed, it is evident that these warnings against “Balaam-ism” are still urgently needed because of the well-known corrupt state of much that is counterfeiting true Christian ministry today. Is it any wonder that the faithful prophet Micah urges God's people to remember Balaam and his tragic end in Numbers 31:8?
Comments