During the centuries that followed after Jesus established His church, it has been assailed almost constantly by various false teachers. It is just as relevant today that we guard ourselves against the false teachings of those who would deceive us as it has been at any time during the past 2000 years. Man may sin by failing to do what God has said (we call this the sin of omission). James 4:17 tells of it, but man may also sin by doing what God forbids. First John 3:4 tells of this. Both are disobedience to the will of God. God had made His will clearly known to Adam and Eve. When the devil ask Eve what God had said, she knew. When Adam ate the fruit, he knew he was transgressing the will of God. It is no wonder, then, that God dealt so severely with both of them. Even though Eve was deceived at the time of eating, she was responsible for allowing herself to be deceived. She knew the truth, and she should not have forsaken it just because of the good words and fair speech of the serpent. It was a turning from God's word to false doctrine. Many people have the idea that sin must be some act of drunkenness, thievery, fighting, or immorality. They emphasize only the moral and social responsibilities of man. Many think that doctrine is a matter of little consequence. Many totally reject any preaching that insists that all things be done according to God's Word. While the incident of Adam and Eve's sin is well known, yet many have not stopped to realize that the first sin ever committed was not drunkenness, robbery, war, or immorality - as bad as those are. No, it was listening to false doctrine instead of the truth of God, believing false doctrine instead of what God had said, and a following of a false doctrine instead of the Word of God. In Eden, the devil turned preacher. He posed as a possessor of the truth and as one who had the welfare of humanity at heart. He preached, actually violating what God had said. God had said that man would surely die if he ate of the fruit (Genesis 2:17), but the devil said to the woman something else, he said: "You will not surely die." (Genesis 3:4) It was a false teacher in his first attack upon the human family. And, he is pulling that same deception upon men today - getting them to believe things contrary to the Bible, to obey the commandments of men instead of the Word of God, and to line up with religious institutions that do not preach the true Word of God. Indifference is the Devil's tool to use upon the irreligious, but false doctrine is his tool upon the religious. In this book I strive to do two things. I hope to shed some light on some of the false teachings that abound today. I can't cover every one of them in this book simply because that would take more space that is feasible in a book of this nature. However, my hope is that the reader will come to realize that he or she must take care and think for themselves when listening to any teacher of the Word or reading any book, magazine article, pamphlet, newsletter and the like that professes to teach the truth. Also, within the pages of this book, I hope to inspire my readers to be true followers of Jesus Christ and to look forward to a life in eternity with Him. Therefore, not all chapters are about false doctrine. Some chapters are, but others are meant to inspire and encourage your daily walk with Christ.
About the Author: Stephen Kingery is the founder of Home Bible Study Institute, and author of many of the articles found on our site. Mr. Kingery is a retired educator having spent over forty years in public education serving districts in Ohio and West Virginia. Mr. Kingery served as an elementary teacher for three years in Ohio then moving on to become an elementary principal for the next seventeen years. After his tenure as an elementary principal be became assistant superintendent for the district holding that position for ten years. He closed out his career in Ohio serving as superintendent for four years. All of the previous positions were in the same school district. However, before moving to his career home, he spent two years as an elementary teacher for a neighboring district. After a few short months in retirement, Mr. Kingery decided that retirement was not for him. He moved to the neighboring state of West Virginia and became the director of a four-county Head Start Program. He held this position for three years. Missing the life in public education, Mr. Kingery moved on to a county school district in West Virginia where he spent the next seven years. He held the positions of elementary principal, secondary principal, director of professional development and school improvement, and assistant superintendent. Mr. Kingery is now retired from public K-12 education but remains active in education as a university instructor and supervisor of administrative interns and student teachers for two universities. Mr. Kingery also has served as a Sunday School Teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Deacon, and Elder of a Christian church in Ohio for over twenty years. He has also served Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in the Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia as a supply minister for over fifteen years.