T IS so simple, and, perhaps, so natural, to listen to the teachings of men, to receive instruction in life!  In fact, it’s wisdom!

But destruction comes when our teachers are wrong.  Salvation comes only through God, through the salvation that only God provides!  And when man goes astray through taking his eyes off God, even if it’s, “the church,” doing it, we lose sight of what God expects of us!

Usually such false teaching in the church comes from people who sincerely believe they are teaching the truth.  And when their students are sincere, but fail to receive the actual salvation they believed they had, they of course … will not have the God-given assurance of salvation which comes with the salvation itself!  God gives an assurance of salvation, along with the salvation itself; so when salvation is missing, so will the other one.

3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Is. 26:3

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

I Tim. 1: 5-7

  
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

II Pet. 2:1-3

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Col. 2:8-10

Jesus had to battle this problem when He walked the earth.  The established, “church,” had moved away from the truth they had been given by God, and had begun to teach a tradition that they had developed!  The Jews had been given the way of salvation by God Himself, but most of their leaders had developed and perverted that truth into doctrines similar enough to the truth to be deceptive, but far enough away from the truth to have missed the point entirely.

3 But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.

9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

12 Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But He answered and said, Every plant, which My Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Matt. 15:3, 7-9, 12-14

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

 Mark 7:7-9, 13

Salvation comes not from the church, but from God, and what He did through Jesus, on the cross.

Salvation is not accomplished by worshipping where or how a particular church requires; salvation is an individual act of God on an individual’s heart and spirit.

31 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:20-24

God doesn't save groups, nor does He save by the church; He saves individuals in the church, and, if that church is not teaching true salvation, He eventually removes those whom He has saved in truth, and brings them into a place where they will be fed.