Detecting Dangers

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Romans 16:19-20 In this lesson we continue to consider Paul's warning to the Roman Christians about the dangers of false teachers disrupting the unity of the fellowship and causing individuals to falter in their walk with Christ. What are the three tools or flags which the scriptures give us for detecting when someone is a false teacher? What do false teachers look like, according to Jesus? Is it possible for a false teacher to produce good fruit in the church? How does Paul's concern here differ from his concern in chapters fourteen and fifteen about people with different teachings? What are some characteristics of the manner in which false teachers go about their destructive work? What is one way to detect what the outcome of a teaching will be before it even begins to take root? If the Roman church was doing as well as everyone, including Paul, had heard, why was Paul so concerned? What was Paul confident that God would do if the Roman believers heeded his admonition? (59 min)

Danger

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Romans 16:17-18 In this passage Paul makes a rather abrupt shift in his subject matter. What has prompted him to interrupt his greetings to interject this warning about danger to the church? Paul mentions two impacts that these kind of peoples have. How are these impacts different? What is a scandal? Against what is the teaching and influence of these people contrasted? How did the New Testament era church know what was the faith "once for all delivered to the saints?" How can we know today? What is to be the relationship of the believer to the kind of people Paul is describing? Where does the motivation of these people fall short, and what actually motivates them? How do these people get Christians to overlook the faulty content of their teaching and to follow them? What kind of Christians are particularly vulnerable to these tactics? (61 min)