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How does the Bible describe Weak Women? Strong Women? Part 2

Posted on October 19, 2023November 21, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

By Elizabeth Prata

Yesterday I wrote about what the Bible calls weak women, though the world insists these are in fact strong ladies. They are not. Tune in or read here to see what is really a weak woman in God’s economy.

To summarize: weak women are the ones described in 2 Timothy 3:6, women made weak by their sin and vulnerable to false teachers or false doctrine, led away by their various lusts. When women fall for false teaching, whole households are upset. (Titus 1:11). Weak women are the ones who preach, because women preaching or pastoring in a church is a sin. Strong women kill their sin. Weak women indulge it. They then play the victim.

These women, you notice, focus on their wounds, their offenses, their hurts. They are dissatisfied with their life experiences, and use that as a platform for their ministry. They focus on their gender, and what they can’t have because of their gender, setting aside that God knows best. Jen Wilkin, Beth Moore, Aimee Byrd, Rachel Green Miller, women like that, who preach and teach men, are weakly cooing doves instead of victorious women busy mortifying their sin and exulting in the work Jesus gave them to do for His name.

Who is a strong woman?

Strong women are applauded in the Bible. These women are not strong because they bucked the denominational system and broke their church’s glass ceiling, elbowing the men aside in order to preach or teach. No, these women are strong because they dwell inside the strength of Jesus, content to work for His name in HIS strength and within the sphere He gave them.

Proverbs 31:17, She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.

Proverbs 31:25: Strength and majesty are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.

Gill’s on Proverbs 31:25, “Strength, not of body, but of mind. … for though she is the weaker vessel, and weak in herself, yet is strong in him; and is able to bear and do all things, with a fortitude of mind to withstand every enemy, and persevere in well doing“

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Power? What power is this we are given? Barnes’ Notes: But of power – Power to encounter foes and dangers; power to bear up under trials; power to triumph in persecutions. That is, it is the nature of the gospel to inspire the mind with holy courage

So let’s take a look at some of these women who labor for her Lord without complaint. They don’t nurture wounds and complain. They get on with things, setting aside their sin and circumstances, to focus totally on Jesus and the work He has set before them.

Who is a strong, wise, faithful, courageous woman in the Bible?

The Proverbs 31 Woman

This woman is strong. She’s strong because she is strong in the Lord. She remains faithful to her sphere, which is the home. Everything she does is at the home or for the home. She is wise, industrious, hard working and above all, gentle and kind. She has earned the respect of her husband and her family (Proverbs 31:28-29), and also her community and beyond (Proverbs 31:31). She is strong because she fears the LORD. (Proverbs 31:30).

ANNA. She is mentioned in Luke 2:36-38.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna saw her widowhood as an opportunity. She chose to dedicate her unexpected and likely unwanted sudden singlehood to the LORD. Despite that era being of high apostasy in the people, and religious hypocrisy in the leaders, Anna retained a strong faith. She overcame her dire circumstances (as widowhood was in those days), trusting totally in the Lord. She proclaimed Him constantly, and taught the women around her faithfully.

Susan Heck is doing the same in these days. She is a modern Anna.

The Woman with a Blood Issue. She is mentioned in Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34.

In Palestine during Bible times, a woman who bleeds is considered unclean. She must separate from all people, for anything she touches is then considered unclean. She was in a precarious position- separated for 12 years, likely prime childbearing years…either she had a husband and children and could not be with them, (sad!) or she was seeing her potential for marriage and kids dwindle away (also sad!). She was also broke- she spent all her money on doctors and nothing helped. In fact, her bleeding got worse.

Yet she was faithful in waiting for her Messiah. She had heard of Jesus and followed him in the crowds that day. Not even wanting to confront him face to face, she thought, ‘If I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed”. And she was.

Jesus told her that her faith had made her well. He tenderly called her “Daughter”, something no other woman was called in the New testament by Jesus.

She hadn’t given up despite her infirmity, and despite the fact that doctors had let her down and she might have even felt seemingly God had let her down. She didn’t complain, but had faith to pursue her Messiah, and humility to just touch His hem. She was strong.

In modern days, Helen Howarth Lemmel was born in 1863. She showed a talent for music and singing and her parents had means to nurture this talent. In her adulthood, Helen toured with Gospel musicians, then became a vocal music teacher at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She married a wealthy European, but then Helen’s charmed life took a tragic turn. She became afflicted with blindness. And, her husband abandoned her as a result.

It is here that Helen’s strength in the Lord showed through.

Retiring from Moody she settled in Seattle. She then became a hymnologist, writing over 400 hymns. She was full of life and hope and love for the Lord, and this reflected in her music. If you ever sing, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth shall grow strangely dim, In the light of his glory and grace”, that was Helen’s lyric. Far from settling into maudlin moaning about abuse or not being acknowledged in a car (as Beth Moore wrote), Helen surmounted her circumstances in His strength, and wrote hymn after hymn extolling her savior Jesus. She died in 1961, just before her 98th birthday. Her earthly life might not have turned out the way she had wanted, but she pivoted and praised the Lord as long as she had voice.

Joni Eareckson Tada is infirm, in a wheelchair and battling bouts of recurring cancer, but uncomplaining and praising her Lord with all her strength and soul. So was DebbieLynne Kespert, who is in glory now, but persevered through her severe infirmities to praise the Lord constantly. She was strong in the Lord. They were not victims of their disease nor victims of their life circumstances. They are/were strong women in the Lord.

Marie Durand: Arrested in 1730 (unknown specifically why, but for a religious reason) and placed in the Tower of Constance, Marie Durand stayed jailed for 38 years. Every day the jailers came in to her cell and asked her to abjure (renounce her faith) and every day she said NO. She scratched RESISTER on the stone wall of her cell with her knitting needles. Marie ministered to other ladies in jail, helping them write letters home, and encouraging them in the faith. Marie was eventually released in 1776, and given a 200 livre pension- which she shared with a neighbor. She resisted claiming victimhood, resisted caving in to another Gospel, resisted complaining about her surroundings. She stayed strong in the Lord to the end.

There are so many women who are Godly-strong in the Lord. Mary mother of Jesus, Phoebe, Dorcas…Gladys Aylward, Corrie ten Boom, Elisabeth Elliot. And Erin Coates.

In the winter of 2021 when the alleged “pandemic” hit in Canada, churches were ordered to enforce masking procedures and place attendance limits. Pastor James Coates refused and was jailed for 35 days. The church was fenced by police and locked. Members of GraceLife church simply met in another, secret location.

Meanwhile James’ wife Erin, became The Persistent Widow. (Luke 18:1-8). She stood on a truck bed outside the jail, and with a megaphone, spoke of Jesus, urged people to open their churches, and advocated for the Gospel.

It was a tense time. Nobody knew how the tyrants would react- would they jail her too? Would they fine her for lots of money? How would the news outlets portray her? None of that mattered. Erin Coates stood on that truck bed with a megaphone calling for justice. Calling for people to know her Savior. She wanted the Gospel to go out in open churches. She was no victim, no wounded bird moaning about being oppressed or belittled. She was a lioness, strong in the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Take heart, sister. We are already strong in the Lord. We have His indwelling Spirit, His power, His Bible. We have the mechanism of prayer, honed discernment, and an eagerly awaited place in heaven at the Banquet. Our strength comes from Jesus, and our efforts in His strength for His name.

None of the women mentioned in this essay woke up one day thinking they would be mentioned in the annals of the Bible or Church History. They simply took one step at a time, obeying His commands and working within their sphere, doing the next thing.

A strong women in the Lord kills her sin, is diligent in her spiritual disciplines, and stays in her lane. Jesus gave us everything in totality, because He gave us Himself.

Part 1-

How does the Bible describe Weak Women? Strong Women?

theology

How does the Bible describe Weak Women? Strong Women?

Posted on October 18, 2023October 18, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We need godly examples of women who are strong in godly ways. These women who are strong in the right ways aren’t seen by many. This is either because the culture tries to hide them from us, or because they are truly godly, and thus are doing their work in humble, background ways and don’t seek promotion or limelight.

There are many weak women in Christianity too, and many of these ARE seen.

Weakness: A lack of strength, whether physical or spiritual. Scripture attributes weakness to human sin and foolishness and urges believers to find their true strength in God alone. ~Dictionary of Bible Themes

The weak women I am referring to we see raised up on influential platforms are paper tigers, these are not the actual strong women of God. They are in fact weak women. They use their influence to publicly nurse wounds and have navel-gazing psychology sessions they call Bible lessons. They have confounded the sisterhood with an errant notion of what “strong” means.

But how to tell the difference? Let’s have some biblical clarity on what these terms mean in God’s economy.

These are not strong Christian women. These women are what the **world** says is a strong woman.

“But I do want to say that I have always been strong-willed.” Beth Moore

Weak women give in to what they want, whether God wants it for them or not. Weak women give in to sin. In many of the cases, these weak women want to preach- which is sin.

The Bible declares one type of weak woman:

For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, (2 Timothy 3:6).

The context here is that Paul is writing to Timothy that in the last days difficult times will come. Then Paul lists an astonishing array of sins which will come to characterize the era, including false teachers who insinuate themselves into the church and capture weak women. The false teachers do this because it is a help to satan to have weak women doing his evil bidding. These women are easy to capture.

Different translations of the verse verse also use the words gullible, vulnerable, idle, or silly. What makes these women weak, idle, silly, vulnerable or gullible? SIN.

Titus 1:11 says the same, these false teachers aim directly for these women. In the Titus verse, they do so successfully and “disrupt whole households”.

Warning for Christian women: Sin makes us silly, weak, and vulnerable to false teaching. Repent often!

Barnes’ Notes explains about these weak women who are ‘laden with sins’ – “With so many sins that they seem to be “burdened” with them. The idea is, that they are under the influence of sinful desires and propensities, and hence, are better adapted to the purposes of deceivers“. … Led away with diverse lusts – “With various kinds of passions or desires – epithumias – such as pride, vanity, the love of novelty, or a susceptibility to flattery, so as to make them an easy prey to deceivers.”

Their sin has made their mind weak and their morals corrupt. These weak women have given in to pride, ambition, flattery. I liked Barnes’ note that these weak women are also ensnared by “novelty“. How many religious trends do we see women jumping onto? Blue bracelets, Prayer rugs, Contemplative prayer, Promise Keepers, Purpose Driven, Daniel fasting, Lectio Divina, direct revelation … anything new comes along and these weak women leap onto it as if it’s the Second Coming.

Before I move on to describing a Godly strong woman, I would like to mention that the weak women, especially those in the preaching pack, do two things that are offensive. The first is that rather than ensure their behavior or their worldview is not borne out of sin, these women co-opt God Himself into their sin and assign Him as the cause of it. I am highly offended by this.

Here is one example: Beth Moore said of the early days of her preaching to men, back when she had two young children at home by the way, “I didn’t have some big plan,” Moore said. “I just knew God was calling me to take one step of obedience, and that’s all I’ve been doing ever since.”

Strong women stay in their lane, content with their God-given roles. Weak women stray from their lane, then complain about the wreck in the road hindering their progress.

Weak women put the onus for their sin onto God. They are so weak they can’t or won’t take responsibility for their choices. They deflect, saying, “oh lil me was content stayin’ at home but God called me into this, who am I to disobey?’ I have seen this excuse from Jennie Allen, Beth Moore, Christine Caine (‘it’s a calling‘), and lots of other women in the pack. They don’t say what’s really going on: “I wanted to preach, so I did.” Weak women give in to their sinful desires. (Genesis 2:18; Genesis 3:16b). Weak women blame and deflect. (Genesis 3:13).

The second offensive thing to me that weak women do is harp on **”abuse”. Abuse would be anything to these weak women, from truly awful sexual abuse, domestic violence, to being ignored in a car (a complaint Beth Moore actually wrote about). Or of not being thanked for wearing flats so the men around her would feel taller. (Another one from Moore).

The **abuse focus is truly a grief to me. It’s awful how these weak women have twisted abuse to their own corrupt ends.

For example, have you noticed a lot of these women claiming to be ‘strong’ are in what’s known as the “Survivor Camp”? They constantly refer to men as abusers or oppressors, and constantly bring up their own abuse or others’. These women who preach & teach sinfully, insinuate that every man sitting in a pew is an abuser just waiting for his moment to become a violent oppressor against innocent women who unhappily meander into his proximity. Sometimes they accuse whole denominations! Beth Moore did.

And Aimee Byrd-

“She admits over and over in writing and interview that her impetus for writing has often been situations in which she feels offended as a woman, slighted, or personally neglected”… her teaching is ungodly: it does not arise from unreserved faith in God’s Word, but from dissatisfaction with her experiences.” By Shane D. Anderson

Rachel Green Miller worries about women who are “belittled…” Oy.

I hope and pray that if any of these Survivor type preaching platformed weak women reading this who are supposedly advocating for the “abused,” that tomorrow when I post what a TRULY strong Christian woman is, they would be embarrassed for their ridiculous and petty complaints.

They are weak females whose basis for ministry rests on a wounded dove cooing weakly in the dirt, or is saturated with nursing old wounds they love to pick over. These women do not base their ministry on the foundation of the transcendent Rock who endured all the abuse, pain, loneliness, neglect, rejection, hatred and reviling there ever was or will be.

These weak women laden with sins are just snowflakes, ready to melt at the tiniest offense

No one knows more than Jesus how it feels to experience all those things. Yet packs of women trade on their feelings as wounded snowflakes and exploit their hurts, for what? Attention, fame, power, and/or money.

Weak women are “led away”. It’s easy to give in to sin. It’s hard to subdue one’s sin, mortify it. It’s difficult to keep in the prescribed roles and bounds Jesus has for us. It takes a strong women to resist sin. A weak woman succumbs to them.

Tomorrow: What is a strong woman according to the Bible?

Further Resources:

Owen Strachan: Are Godly Men Weak or Strong?

**RE ‘abuse’: I am aware that true abuse exists. I am quite familiar myself with various kinds of abuse. Quite. I am sensitive to the hurts that various kinds of abuse cause. I know the impacts of true abuse are wide-ranging and long-lasting. I am not dismissing true abuse. I am offended by the USE of abuse as a cover for sin, as an excuse for behavior, or as a merchandising of a ministry.

The reason I don’t speak of the various kinds of abuse I personally have endured, is because it DOESN’T MATTER. It is of no consequence. It doesn’t figure in.

Why? First of all, Jesus took the wrath for anyone who abuses but later comes to faith. Abusers are usually not saved people, who can’t help their lusts. If they are saved people, we need to forgive, and remember that Jesus took ALL the abuse on the cross, including separation from the Father who turned His face away. How does my experience of abuse compare to that?

Secondly, these snowflake ladies turn any little bump in the road into abuse. They have abused the word abuse so that anything that offends them, they claim is abuse. It’s not.

Thirdly, others have suffered much more than me, and not because of another’s sin, which is to be expected in the world, but for the Name. Paul, for example, experienced abuse; physical and spiritual. Stephen was martyred. Silas went to jail with Paul. Mary mother of Jesus endured it. And many others in history. You will see some of them in tomorrow’s post.

So, ladies, let it go. Yes, you were hurt, so are MOST PEOPLE. You’re not special with your pet abuse you carry around. Lay it down at the cross. As Jimmy Buffett said, ‘Breathe in, breathe out, move on’.

encouragement, theology

Why didn’t God stop Eve from eating the fruit?

Posted on October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I was listening to a Grace Community Church Question and Answer session. I always appreciate how John MacArthur can sum up complex theological thoughts and issues so succinctly. I also enjoy the variety of questions. There came a question from what sounded like a very young boy.

Q. [W]why didn’t Jesus stop Eve at the garden of Eden when she ate the fruit? Like, I mean, pow, He can just stop it like that. Why didn’t He?

The audience laughed in delight at the boy’s voice, obviously filled with pique and awe, and the profundity of his query. The answer was equally profound. Follow the link above to listen or read.

I got to thinking more about that moment. We often field a question such as that one. We also tend to ask why didn’t God erase Adam and Eve and start humankind over again? But it occurred to me that this next question isn’t always asked, ‘After the Fall, why did God continue to reveal Himself?’

After the Fall He could have turned His back on humans, and returned to His perfect communion within the Trinity. He could have shrugged, left us to our own devices on earth all our lives and then pow, when we die we wake up in hell, not knowing it even existed.

God didn’t do that.

We often field the question, ‘If God is so loving why does he send people to hell?’ He does that so that His power and holiness and justice and righteousness can be magnified. But He doesn’t do so as a bait and switch or a trick. He has revealed Himself to us in His word, in His creation, in His Son, and in His elect through the Spirit. They know hell exists. They know they deserve to go there. (Romans 1:21-23).

Our God, your God whether you believe He exists or not, loves His world and continues to work His sovereign plan of salvation in it upon those whom He has foreknown. He will be glorified. (Isaiah 49:3, Ezekiel 28:22, Haggai 1:8, John 12:28).

He will be glorified. And He chose to do it starting with a snake, a piece of fruit, and a woman.

Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 24:15).

Aimee Byrd should be in your rear view mirror by now

Posted on October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I wrote 2 weeks ago that @aimeebyrdPYW seems to be apostatizing. You can read it here: We say Goodbye to Aimee Byrd

More bad news confirming Aimee’s drift has emerged. In her newest essay published October 10, Aimee lauds Catholic mystic Teresa of Avila. According to the Roman Catholic Church, Teresa was a bridal mystic; this is a woman who so intensely desires God she has bodily ecstatic experiences she later writes about, using language of erotic passion.

THE ECSTASY OF SAINT TERESA. RENAISSANCE: ITALY, this is a description of a sculpture from the artist Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini done in 1645-1652 AD.
“Saint Teresa’s love of God and her desire for spiritual union with him found expression in a vision in which an angel pierced her heart with a golden spear and sent her into a trance. The erotic intensity of her vision is vividly suggested in this image by Teresa’s swooning expression and languid pose, and by the deep folds of drapery, which convey her agitation.”

If that kind of language makes you uncomfortable, as it should, then by all means refrain from reading any of Teresa of Avila’s actual writing because the descriptions of her mystical and ecstatic unions with her Groom get more obvious.

Teresa was a female ascetic, and a female version of a monk, and a mystic bride. This means not only does she swoon with erotic passion for her god, but also has constant visions and visitations from ‘him’.

That Aimee Byrd is reading one of Teresa of Avila’s books and is entranced with the notion of this heretic’s outlook on religion is more proof that this once solid Bible teacher is apostatizing.

In her essay, Aimee promotes Teresa of Avila, says she is enjoying reading Teresa’s book, then Aimee talks of our ‘souls’ deepest longing’. No. Avoid Aimee!

Tim Challies wrote a series on the False Teachers, and included Teresa of Avila as one of the more famous false teachers of history. You can read his essay here. And let us not believe that the influence of these female mystics has waned. Challies noted, “We can also spot her direct or indirect influence in the works of bestselling authors like Sarah Young (Jesus Calling) and Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts).”

I wrote about Bridal Mysticism here: What is bridal mysticism?

And I did a 4-part series on some of these mystics, not Teresa, but others, including-

Introduction
Julian of Norwich (1343 – after 1416) Book: The Showings of Divine Love
Catherine of Siena (1347 – 1380). Book: The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179). Book: Scivias
Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 1373) Book: Celestial Revelations

As for Aimee, I read in her writings a longing, one that she herself claims to possess. That she longs for the One True God is obvious, and also obvious is that she does not have Him. If you feel led, please pray for Aimee, that her soul’s deepest longing will be satisfied by having been given the gift of repentance, that her soul will be saved, and that Jesus would get the glory.

theology

What to think about what is happening in Israel right now…

Posted on October 16, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We ALWAYS live with an expectation that in the leading up to that blessed moment of Jesus’ return, sin will heighten and grow worse- for all humans but especially for Israel.

What is going on in Israel right now is an expression of the always present, but not always seen, hatred satan has for Israel. Some horrific stories are coming out of that area, which I won’t repeat, but as Justin Peters said,

“This is not normal human animosity. The hatred Hamas and its supporters and enablers (a few of whom are in the US Congress) have towards the Jewish people is a demonic hatred. This level of barbarism and degeneracy is nothing short of demonic. Satan and his fellow fallen angels know the scriptures. They know God has a plan for Israel (Romans 11) and they hate it. They know their doom is sure… and it is.” –end Justin Peters

What people don’t often contemplate is HOW AWFUL sin is. We don’t often see visible expressions of it, or if we do, such as in a school shooting, or a serial killer unmasked, we think it is an anomaly. But horror of this kind is not an anomaly. It is normal, given man’s depravity. We either don’t see it, or we ignore it if it comes our way, or if we can’t ignore, we look away and explain it away.

God’s restraining Hand has kept the earth from tottering like a hut and collapsing under the weight of its sin. Once in a while He lifts his hand a bit and this is what happens. Chaos and violence on a wholesale scale.

We forget the Bible tells us over and over, HOW MUCH satan hates Jews and Christians. Eruptions like this in Israel are what can be called a blessed reminder, blessed because in His mercy, God shields it from us most of the time. Once in a while though, it is a blessing also, to be reminded that:

–satan is present on the earth igniting hatred passions of many,
–that things can and will get really bad in the end of the end. If people think THIS is bad, just wait,
–and God is still in control.

I believe that is how we should think of the events of the day happening in Israel. Pray always.

Further Resources

Should I pray for the peace of Jerusalem?

poetry, theology

Kay Cude Poetry: Crosses on a Hill

Posted on October 15, 2023 by elizabethprata

Kay Cude is a Texas Poet. Used with permission. Right click to open larger in new tab

theology

Heresy and false doctrine part 3: Can they repent? Will they repent?

Posted on October 14, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Heresy vs False Doctrine: What are they? Part 1
Heresy vs False Doctrine: What are they? Part 2

In part 1 I looked at definitions of false doctrine and heresy and whether they were two sides of the same coin, or totally different theological issues. In Part 2 I looked at heresy and named some examples of old and heresies coming around again repackaged, naming some modern people who teach them.

In this part I’ll focus on the issue of repentance for the false teacher and the heretic. Does a false teacher or a heretic ever repent? Can they? Should we even pray for them?

After our salvation, some of us become teachers. It’s a weighty and sober task, for teachers will be judged more strictly.

And because we are all human, sometimes even teachers of the Bible sin. They may sin by teaching error, or promote someone who is a false teacher themselves. It is here that the path diverges. Some of these teachers, when alerted to their error, repent publicly. I have read occasionally of these teachers publicly repenting of their false teaching and/or promotion of false teachers. It’s always encouraging to see this.

Others double down and continue teaching the false. Their path marches ever onward toward destruction. Purposeful persistence in error would seem to indicate a hardening of heart of that person. Repentance becomes more distant possibility, but it’s never out of the realm of possibility- because there is only 1 sin that is eternal, and that is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

But is there a moment on that path when a teacher who has taught falsely can return? At what point does God give them over to their error? We know God does this, Romans 1:18-32 describes a hardening process. We know He gave Pharaoh over to his persistent refusal to see or accept God’s truth. We know in the end, judgment comes upon the ungodly heretics (Jude 1:4).

Example: Hymenaeus

We read of Hymenaeus, who is mentioned twice in the New Testament. The first time is in 1 Timothy, written in about A.D. 62-64.

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1:18-20)

We learn that Hymenaeus rejected the faith, made a shipwreck of it, and didn’t keep it. Is he restorable? More on that question in a minute. We learn that Paul put him out of the church for his false teaching.

The second time we read of Hymenaeus it’s a couple of years later in 2 Timothy. This book was written in about 66-67 AD.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid godless and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their word will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. (2 Timothy 2:15–18).

Hymenaeus is lumped in with people who promote empty and godless chatter, and what he was teaching was poison (gangrene, other translations, cancer. The Greek word is literally gaggraina). He has gone astray from the truth and is teaching something totally false.

But in the first verse, Paul put Hymenaeus out of the church for a reason. The reason is always restoration. Paul said “so he may be taught not to blaspheme.” So it seems if one can be taught something, there is wiggle room. If someone can be taught something there is room for the light to come and error to be repented of. If he can be taught, the door to restoration isn’t shut, it would seem. Hymenaeus is being punished with a hope for restoration in mind.

Paul didn’t write, “I put him out so he may be condemned.” Excommunication was a last resort to be sure, a serious consequence of Hymenaeus’ error, but this punishment had the purpose of possibly Hymenaeus learning the truth and perhaps changing his ways.

To that end I have no doubt Paul prayed for Hymenaeus. Paul was a prayer, and a carer of souls.

The situation does not look to be improved a couple years later, Hymenaeus is not recorded as having been restored to the church, but is worse in his teaching. He is persisting in error. This is one of the marks of a false teacher and a heretic.

We also read in 2 Timothy 2:25,

with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may give them repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth,[underline mine]

This word “if” does not refer to God dithering about whether to grant repentance that a person is begging for. He is not in heaven saying, ‘Hymenaeus is repenting, hmmm, shall I accept it? He did make me pretty mad…’Maybe, maybe not…”

It is simply an acknowledgement from the writer that repentance is in the hands of God. (Acts 11:18). HE gives the person a spirit of repentance. We do not know on our side of heaven which false teacher will be given the opportunity to repent and which will persist unto death and condemnation. So we pray for the person who is in error.

“Repentance of the heart is the work of God the Holy Spirit.” ~Sproul

It is a weighty situation when we see someone sliding into error and then apostasy. We do know that at some point, God gives them over to their error. They will remain in their sin since that is what they have persistently and continuously striven for. God gave Pharaoh over. He gave Saul over. Perhaps He gave Hymenaeus over in between the Books of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.

And we know this too, Hebrews 6:4-6 LSB says it is impossible to restore some:

For in the case of those once having been enlightened and having tasted of the heavenly gift and having become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and having fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

These verses do NOT mean a person who is saved and has the Holy Spirit indwelling them, can lose their salvation. No. The New Testament is replete with assurances that faith, once given to a penitent, is of God and will never be snatched away by anyone or anything, including God.

You notice the words in the Hebrews verse- the person was enlightened (had cognitive knowledge) was ‘partaking’ of the heavenly gift, (around Godly events, but not indwelled), and ‘tasted’ (not digested, or consumed). These descriptions describe only a surface believer. Remember, many will say to Jesus on the Day, didn’t we do many works in your name? And He will cast them away because He never knew them.

It’s these people, the surface workers, not the committed believers, who will fall away. If a false teacher is genuine, they WILL repent. Same with a heretic. Of the sad people who ‘deconstruct’ their faith and make a once for all rejection of it, they are impossible to restore. They came close to the Light but turned away to darkness, never to see the Light again.

Should we pray for them?

So, if we accept that the spirit of repentance is a gift from above, and if we accept that some are impossible to restore, and we know that God gives some over to their sin, should we pray for false teachers, heretics, and apostates?

YES.

There is only 1 unforgivable sin, and that rejecting Jesus and dying in one’s sin. Jesus prayed to the Father for forgiveness of those blaspheming Him and mocking and spitting on Him on the cross. But if one blasphemes the Holy Spirit & dies outside of the door of Jesus, then…his sin is eternal. Until the person dies, we never know what his or her heart is doing, and we never know what God has in store for them. False teachers, heretics, and apostates are in SUCH danger, we should actually pray for them more!

Throughout his letter, the author of Hebrews warns his audience of this danger. In the past, they have professed faith in Jesus and claimed to embrace him. Now, because of pressure and persecution from unbelieving Jews, they are tempted to abandon Jesus to restore their peace and comfort. They have experienced remarkable measures of grace in association with the new-covenant people of God (Hebrews 6:4–5), but now they are nearing the brink of falling away from Christ — and Hebrews warns them of the peril: having known the truth, and rejected it, are they now coming into a kind of settled hardness of heart from which they no longer will be able to repent and thus be forgiven?

For Christians today, we need not fear a specific moment of sin, but a kind of hardness of heart that would see Jesus as true and yet walk away — with a kind of hardness of heart incapable of repenting. Again, it’s not that forgiveness isn’t granted, but that it’s not sought. The heart has become so recalcitrant, and at such odds with God’s Spirit, that it’s become incapable of true repentance. ~Dave Mathis

Has one persisted so long in their sin that they have become seared to it? THAT person cannot repent.

But do WE know when that moment is? No. When Pharaoh rebelled after the first plague, was he unredeemable? No. Or the second, third, fourth? We do not know the exact moment when God gives a person over to their sin, so we continue to pray.

Prayer changes US. It acknowledges we are finite, helpless creatures who need God to do anything. It also puts the other person on our mind instead of our own selves, prayer in this way helps us be humble and other-centered.

If you see a person sliding into falsity, or someone who has been church-disciplined and put out, pray for them. It is a serious, serious situation with their eternal soul at risk.

theology

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 2

Posted on October 13, 2023October 14, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 1
Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 3

I’m often asked discernment questions, which pleases me because that means a woman is thinking about her faith, wants the truth of the Bible, and pursues holiness in her walk. I was recently asked ‘Are false teachers and heretics the same thing, and can they repent? Should we pray for them?’

In the first part, I looked at the question: What is the difference between a false teacher and a heretic? The 3rd part will look at the issue of repentance. CAN a false teacher repent? Can a heretic repent?

Now, in this part 2, let’s look at a definitions of heretic and heresy:

The Heretic is the most prominent and perhaps the most dangerous of the false teachers. … The Heretic is the person who teaches what blatantly contradicts an essential teaching of the Christian faith. ~Tim Challies

And so, heretic is worse than a false teacher: “I think we need to say that there are some absolutely non-negotiable truths that you are false to teach: if you deny the Trinity, if you deny the deity of Christ, if you deny His sinless life and substitutionary death, salvation by grace through faith, the gospel. That’s the drivetrain of truth, saving truth. Those are not negotiable.” ~John MacArthur

The main characteristic of a false teacher was their teaching springs of off the Bible but is twisted or wrong in some way. They might teach about baptism, but baptismal regeneration. They might teach about food, but introduce food laws. They might teach about fasting, but become legalistic in their teaching of this practice. They might teach about prayer, but slide in some Gnostic practices about prayer. And so on.

The main identification of a false teacher is that when their theological error is pointed out, they display an unwillingness to make a correction. Either when the Spirit points out in scripture, or when another person points it out, if the teacher refuses to listen and continues on teaching it, they are a false.

False teachers reject biblical correction and continue teaching falsely, refusing to repent or even listen.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

As for heretics, their teaching is not even IN the Bible, it is a doctrine of their own making, from their own mind, and is their choice to believe. They have shown they are divisive. (Titus 3:10) The word ‘division’ in the verse means heretical.

HERESY—from a Greek word signifying (1) a choice, (2) the opinion chosen, and (3) the sect holding the opinion. In the Acts of the Apostles (5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5) it denotes a sect, without reference to its character. Elsewhere, however, in the New Testament it has a different meaning attached to it. Paul ranks “heresies” with crimes and seditions (Gal. 5:20). This word also denotes divisions or schisms in the church (1 Cor. 11:19). In Titus 3:10 a “heretical person” is one who follows his own self-willed “questions,” and who is to be avoided. Heresies thus came to signify self-chosen doctrines not emanating from God (2 Pet. 2:1). Source for this definition of heresy- Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

In around 144 AD Marcion taught that the Old Testament should be rejected and that the God of the New Testament was the true God, the OT God being vengeful and false. This heresy is called Marcionism and it’s alive today. Kevin DeYoung wrote a great article about it and noted that some preachers today teach their followers to “unhitch” from the OT and reject it because Jesus is nicer… that old Marcionic heresy.

Sadly, thought is is 2023, many of the ancient heresies – which never disappeared – are making a comeback. Another one is Pelagianism, the heretical belief that denies original sin, and promotes that babies are born innocent. Lori Alexander “The Transformed Wife” believes and teaches this, for example. Lori’s mentor and idol, Michael Pearl, is also a Pelagian, teaching this heresy in these modern days.

Sadly, Alexander and Pearl are not the only heretics believing this, this heresy is more common than one may think. Pelagianism is believed by 71% of respondents according to results of the 2022 Ligonier State of Theology survey.

Another heresy that was surprisingly widely held according to the survey is Arianism. This heretical belief states that Jesus is not God. Whether someone says, “Jesus was a good teacher, but not God” or that “Jesus was a created being” (something the Mormons claim) or any statement that denies His divinity, it’s Arianism and a heresy.

Tim Challies “**The False** Teachers: TD Jakes“

In another modern example, TD Jakes is a heretic because he teaches and believes that God is One but is also ONE person, not three persons in one. Jakes says God manifests Himself in different modes. This heresy is called Modalism. This is a concept striking at the heart of the Trinity, and therefore is a heresy.

Challies: “Modalism has long been labeled as a heresy meaning that if you believe it in place of the biblical understanding of the Trinity, you are not and cannot be a true Christian.”

More here by Chris Rosebrough on the heresy of Modalism and modern people who teach it.

Phil Johnson has preached a 6-part series on old heresies that aren’t really old, they are alive and well today. Here is Phil Johnson’s introduction to his series A Survey of Heresies:

“It’s important for Christians to have a grasp of heresies that the church has battled over the centuries, because they often return with new clothing, and the unprepared Christian is likely to fall into these old pits. Phil does an excellent job of looking at some of the major heresies that are revisiting the church today: Socinianism, Arianism, Pelagianism, Gnosticism, and Judaizing. This is an excellent 6 part series that will shore up some weak points in the church today.”

The Judaizers
The Gnostics
The Arians pt1, The Arians pt2
The Pelagians
The Socinians

https://theuncreatedlight.wordpress.com/2020/01/18/the-heresy-of-gnosticism/

Heresies are serious. Heresies are alive and well today. They are completely distinct from anything taught in the Bible and are dangerous because they draw the unwary into sinful teachings on the road to apostasy and/or condemnation.

False teachings turn to heresy when they lift off from the Bible and become a doctrine completely separate from anything that can be found in God’s word. You think it might not happen to you, but see how many millions of people believe today in Pelagianism, Modalism, Arianism, Marcionism, Modalism, and so on. There are many warnings in the Bible about not falling for myths.

People believe these dastardly things because there is some kind of sin in them that rears its desire (2 Timothy 4:3) and the sin attaches itself to the false doctrine with tentacles that can only be pried apart by repentance. Heretics would not have an audience unless their followers propped them up. Notice the phrasing in the 2 Tim verse, “accumulated for themselves” these heretics.

It’s one reason we need to stay ‘repented-up’ all the time. Sin desires to have us and it’s not only sinful actions but sinful minds that enjoy false doctrines and heresies.

In the next and final part, we will look at repentance. What it is, whether a false teacher can repent, and whether a heretic can repent.

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 1
Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 3

Sources consulted in researching this essay:

The Bible

John MacArthur Commentary on 2 Timothy 2:24-25

RC Sproul Critical Questions: What is Repentance?

Nathaniel Vincent: Puritan Treasures for Today: Turn and Live

Logos 9 resources such as The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Matthew Henry Full Commentary, etc.

theology

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 1

Posted on October 12, 2023October 14, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 2
Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 3

Should we pray for false teachers?
Are false teachers and heretics the same thing?
Can a false teacher repent?
Can a heretic repent?

I’m asked these questions now and then. Since I do a third of my ministry here as discernment, it’s logical I get asked discernment type questions. I’ve wondered the same thing myself. I’ll answer in three parts. I’ll look at false teachers, then heretics, then whether either or both of them can repent.

First, let’s look at the question:

What is the difference between a false teacher and a heretic? Is there a difference?

God’s truth, it is the only thing that matters, the sole standard by which we live.. Yet from the beginning, satan has energized people (or serpents) to pollute the truth.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

The distinctions between what makes a teacher false and what makes a heretic can be muddy. Suffice to say, both are bad, but heresy is worse. Here, Mark Jones at Reformation 21 wrote:

What makes someone a heretic? This topic may be more important than we might think, especially in the world of online discourse. There is a distinction between willfully committing a soul-destroying heresy and committing a theological error.

Yet also this:

To call someone a “false teacher” is to say they are unsaved (see 2 Peter 2:1). …

But then again, Jones said, All heresies are errors, but not all errors are heresies… I understand heresy in the way described by George Gillespie, a Scottish commissioner to the Westminster Assembly:

Heresy is a gross and dangerous error, voluntarily held and factiously maintained by some person or persons within the visible church, in opposition to some chief or substantial truth or truths grounded upon and drawn from the Holy Scripture by necessary consequence.

The key words above are “voluntarily” (not ignorantly) and “factiously” (not quietly, but “stubbornly” [see Ames]) in terms of the manner in which a heretic promotes his or her view(s). Conversely, we may hold to an error, but (thankfully) that error is not sufficiently severe enough that it overthrows the fundamental articles of the Christian faith. –end Mark Jones quote.

The Bible speaks a great deal on false prophets (Old Testament), false teachers (New Testament), and false doctrine. Every New Testament book except Philemon warns or says something about falsity.

As to the difference between a teacher teaching falsely and a teacher who is a heretic, for example, there’s Pelagianism (a notion that original sin did not taint human nature) which is a heresy, but teaching that one must eat or not eat certain foods is a theological error. It’s a false teaching but not necessarily a heresy that makes one outside orthodoxy.

A biblical example is Peter briefly ‘behaving’ falsely. Because his behavior had a teaching component, his behavior undermined the Gospel. Therefore, Paul said he must oppose Peter to his face. Denny Burk said, “In Galatians 2, Paul says that he opposed Peter for not being “straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14).”

As a side note I’ll mention here that Peter’s brief foray into falsity was a behavioral action. He was impacting the truth of the Gospel by his behavior- he withdrew from the Gentiles, not sitting with the Gentiles out of fear of man. Often when I write about a truly false teacher’s behavior, her defenders come out of the woodwork screaming that her behavior is an untouchable component because it’s (supposedly) ‘private’, i.e. separate from her teaching. No.

‘Stop judging our favorite false teacher’s behavior and lifestyle! It’s none of your business!’ Oh, yes it is, screeching harridans. Yes it is…

A Bible teacher’s or minister’s behavior is never separate from their identity in Christ, life AND doctrine matters, as Peter’s brief deviation into falsity shows and Paul’s immediate reaction to it.

Apollos briefly taught falsely. “Apollos was a man mighty in the scriptures who taught accurately about Jesus but who nevertheless was only familiar with John’s baptism. In Apollos’ case, his deficient teaching was an error of omission.” ~Denny Burk

Neither Peter nor Apollos could really be termed a false teacher because their theological error was brief and they immediately corrected themselves eagerly with open heart and with humility.

False teachers exist on a spectrum. They can be detected of course by examining their teaching, but if they have been confronted with truth to slay their error and they take some time to consider this, pray. If they take a long time and come out the other side with still believing and teaching the falsity, then they are false. If Peter and Apollos had continued teaching what they taught, after a while we must accept that they are not correcting their error and are false.

When is a false teacher a false teacher? It’s when he teaches falsehood. And the chief characteristic of his teaching is falsehood. ~RC SProul

In modern times, we have seen several known false teachers claim to repent. Naïve Christians should be wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove in these matters. Too many people take these claims of a false teacher’s supposed repentance at face value without a proper measure of wisdom and patience to see of they truly correct over time.

Costi Hinn here with a 1-minute tip on how to detect if a teacher’s repentance for teaching something in error is real or not. Remember, the chief characteristic of a false teacher is that their teaching is identified with error, i.e. “its chief characteristic.”

I would just add that I think there is in the New Testament a clear reservation of that title [false teacher] not just for one who teaches falsely but for one who is uncorrectable and who resists correction. ~Al Mohler

Next part: Heretics, what is heresy and what makes a person a heretic?

Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 2
Heresy vs false doctrine: What are they? Part 3

Sources consulted in researching this essay:

The Bible

John MacArthur Commentary on 2 Timothy 2:24-25

RC Sproul Critical Questions: What is Repentance?

Nathaniel Vincent: Puritan Treasures for Today: Turn and Live

theology

Little Known Bible Characters #3: Trophimus

Posted on October 11, 2023May 19, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Little Known Bible Characters #8: Tryphena and Tryphosa
Little Known Bible Characters #7: Salome
Little Known Bible Characters #6: King Chedorlaomer
Little Known Bible Characters #5: Harbonah the Eunuch
Little Known Bible Characters #4: Eutychus
Little Known Bible Characters #3: Trophimus
Little Known Bible Characters #2: ‘The List of Offenders’
Little Known Bible Characters #1: Iddo

Paul made three major missionary journeys. Acts 20 records the 3rd. He had spent 3 months in Greece, then planned to get on a boat in Corinth and set sail for Jerusalem via Syria, but he learned that some Jews were plotting to grab him for nefarious purposes on the voyage, so he decided to return to Macedonia by land. So Paul went from Corinth to Berea, Thessalonica, and Philippi, caught up with Luke again and observed Passover.

From Philippi, Paul and Luke set sail for Troas, arriving there five days later and meeting Paul’s traveling companions who had gone ahead of them: Timothy, Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Tychicus, and Trophimus. This is where we meet Trophimus.

And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. (Acts 20:4).

Miletus was about 36 miles from Ephesus. Map **source**

Trophimus was mentioned three times in the Bible, in verse above in Acts 20:4, and also Acts 21:29, and 2 Timothy 4:20.

For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. (Acts 21:29).

Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. (2 Timothy 4:20).

Trophimus was from the Roman province of Asia and was living in or was from Ephesus. He was a Greek Christian. As we saw from the first mention of him in the verse, Trophimus was one of seven disciples mentioned by name who accompanied Paul on his return to Macedonia (Acts 20:3–4), meaning, the others to whom Paul was writing probably knew Trophimus personally, or knew OF him. These seven men formed an envoy from the various churches at Asia. They protected Paul, as it was better to travel in numbers. They also helped deliver the contributions from the churches of Asia to the saints in Jerusalem at the end of Paul’s third missionary journey (2 Corinthians 8:2–3). The delegation left Paul in Macedonia and traveled to Troas to wait for Paul and Luke to join them (Acts 20:4–6).

When they met up again, the men, including Trophimus, stayed together for a week. Imagine the theological conversations they must have held! The joy of being together!

Next time we read of Trophimus, it isn’t so joyous. We read of poor Trophimus being accused of having gone into the Temple with Paul, which uncircumcised Gentiles were not allowed to do. The Jews at that time were insisting that one had to become a Jew first in order to become a Christian. They leaped on the opportunity to accuse Paul of bringing Trophimus into the temple in order to get to Paul. And they did as much, dragging Paul out to be murdered. Of course, the accusation was false, but Trophimus’ name was used for evil purposes and he was innocently at the center of this controversy.

The modicum of fact lying at the root of this false accusation was that they had seen Paul and T. in each other’s company in the city. On this slender basis “they supposed” that Paul had brought T. past the barrier or middle wall of partition (Eph 2:14; see PARTITION), beyond which no Gentile was allowed to penetrate on pain of death. They supposed that T., who was neither a Jew nor a proselyte, but a gentile Christian, had been introduced into the temple itself by Paul—which would have been profanation. Hence their fury against the apostle. Source: The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (ISBE),. 1915.

Sometimes being Paul’s friend was dangerous!

The third time we read of Trophimus is when he had become too sick to travel. Paul had to leave him in Miletus.

As a side note: IF the miracle gifts had still been ongoing, why didn’t Paul just lay hands on his friend so he could continue the mission? Why doesn’t the verse say “Trophimus was sick in Miletus but I laid hands on him and by grace of God he used me to heal my friend.” Or something to that effect. 2 Timothy was written in 64/65 AD, and the sign gifts were well and truly dying out by then. The were for a sign to authenticate the Apostles and since it was nigh on 30 years since Jesus had departed and at least 20 years since the first NT book was written, the need to authenticate the ministers of God was lessening by the day.

In the previous book, 1 Timothy 5:23 written a few years before, Paul had advised Timothy to take wine for his stomach ailments.

Anyway, Trophimus was sick a few years after we last read of him, we know not with what, but was serious enough to cause Paul to have to leave T. behind. But not alone. We read in Acts 20:17 Paul had previously sent for some elders to come from Ephesus, which they did. It was an easy travel jaunt. Therefore, Paul was not abandoning his trusted friend and traveling companion to the wilds,

“Trophimus, therefore, in his sickness, could easily reach Ephesus, or his friends from that city could quickly come to him at Miletus, and give him whatever attention and nursing he might require.” ISBE

Keep in mind that these people we read about in the Bible are real people. They are alive now. We will meet them in heaven and commune with them. We can sit with Trophimus and talk with him about his sickness, his association with Paul at the temple, his missionary journeys. That’s why I write about the ‘little known’ Bible characters. Someday we will fully know them, and they will fully know us. What a day that will be.