Romans 16:17-20
The Bible commands us to mark certain people. Put a mark on them. And there’s a reason to put a mark on them. Some pastors, churches, and cults like to mark anyone that doesn’t agree with something they say or do.
And then they will attempt to use the Bible to mark someone for a reason that isn’t in the Bible. So, let’s actually look at the Scriptures and see what they say.
Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Mark Them Which Cause Divisions?
This is a commandment from the Lord God Almighty. This is directed to brethren or saved people. “Now I beseech you brethren.”
“Brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences.”
Some people like to stop there. “Mark them which cause divisions and offences.” Pastors like to accuse people of causing division and offences over things that they did themselves. For example, if a pastor preaches a false doctrine and you say something, they like to say that you are causing division in the church.
So then they put a mark on you with the rest of the church. And they believe themselves to be justified.
Let’s say someone is in a church and the pastor does wrong. Let’s say the pastor lies, but he thinks he is justified in his lies because he’s the king, I mean pastor, of the church. Let’s say he believes himself to be the Lord’s anointed and that whatever he does is correct.
Many Pastors Believe Themselves to be the Lord’s Anointed
He can lie. He can do things wrong. But he’s justified in his lies because he says so. He’s the ultimate authority and he has no fear of God at all. In his own eyes, that’s what he believes.
When a person makes the decision to leave, that pastor marks that person and says that he has caused division and offences. And he uses Romans Chapter 16 as his justification.
But he forgot to read the entire Scripture. The entire Scripture is actually speaking of that lying pastor. But he thinks it speaks of the person who doesn’t agree with his lies and his ways of doing things.
That verse says, “Now I beseech you (or ask you urgently), brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
Why do you mark someone? You don’t mark someone because they leave your church because you are the liar. You don’t mark someone to protect you and your lying ways. That’s what a man who has lost his way would do. That’s what a man that lacks honesty and integrity would do.
Don’t Misapply the Scriptures
You don’t mark a man, leave out all the details, and then attempt to use Romans Chapter 16 while telling lies to the church.
You mark a man because of the reason the Bible gives. You don’t make up your own reason. You only use the reason given in the Bible. And what is that reason? The Bible clearly states the reason. Don’t twist the Scriptures to serve your own belly and to protect your small little kingdom of people that you deceive over and over again with lies.
The reason to mark someone according to the Holy Scriptures, the perfect word of God, is given right there.
“Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
You mark someone that preaches and teaches false doctrine. For example, let’s say a pastor teaches that Jesus can be corrupted by Mary Magdalene. “If Mary only would have touched Jesus in his resurrected body, a perfect and incorruptible body, she would have corrupted the sacrifice Jesus made.” That’s clearly false doctrine.
False Doctrine = Jesus Can Be Corrupted
Jesus can’t be corrupted. Your pastor preaches that. You go to that pastor and show them truth in the Bible. That pastor doubles down and calls you names in a sermon. How dare you question the great man of God? How dare you question the Lord’s anointed one? How dare you touch the Lord’s anointed?
The man believes himself to be something he isn’t. He’s just a man from the dust of the earth. But, in his own eyes, he’s special. He’s anointed. He couldn’t be wrong. No chance. No way. Everything he does is right. The lies he tells is right. The promise he broke is okay since it’s him. Whatever he does is good and right because he’s special.
He’s a pastor. And the other man is just a lay person. He’s higher class. The other man is lower class.
Hey, Jesus Christ is God. He can’t be corrupted. If you believe Jesus can be corrupted at any moment in time, then Jesus ceased to be God. The body of Jesus was never corrupted. “Neither his flesh did see corruption.” At no point in eternity was there ever a chance of Jesus being corrupted.
Lies and false doctrine from a pastor. Broken promises. Lies. Corruption. So, it doesn’t surprise you when a pastor uses a Scripture to mark another person who didn’t teach false doctrine. The pastor teaches false doctrine, but uses that passage to mark the person who didn’t teach false doctrine.
Mark Those Who Cause Division Because of False Doctrine
The laws of God tell us to mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them.
So, we teach doctrine straight from the Bible. For example, today, we are teaching the truth about marking someone. As a pastor, you don’t get to mark someone just because they leave your church and you think they will take others with them and you will lose money and have to get a job.
You don’t get to mark someone because they won’t do whatever you want them to do. “But I told him he can’t have friends. And look, he’s making friends.” He’s getting ready to have a mark. Hey, listen, as pastors, you don’t get to control every aspect of someone’s life. Pastors like to put marks on people when someone doesn’t agree with them.
For example, let’s say a pastor preaches a false doctrine that isn’t in the Bible. And it’s a serious false doctrine. Let’s say they teach that the sacrifice Jesus made when he died, was buried, and arose from the dead in a glorified body would have been nullified completely if a woman touched him.
Or, let’s say a pastor teaches that you must keep working for everlasting life until you’ve earned it.
False Doctrine is Serious to the Lord God Almighty
In either case, these are serious false doctrines. Heresy. Jesus never ceased to be God. Jesus can’t be corrupted. And you can’t earn salvation. I’ve heard both of these things in churches in my life. Do I sit there and say nothing? If I say nothing, then I break the commandments of God.
Titus 3:10
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
You don’t continue to preach false doctrine when it’s so very clear that it’s false. If you think Jesus can be corrupted at any time, you shouldn’t be a pastor. If someone corrects you, but you can’t take it, you shouldn’t be a pastor. A heretic is someone who holds beliefs that go against the Bible.
The entire Bible is teaching that Jesus is God in the flesh. He died, he was buried, his soul was not left in hell, and he arose from the dead in a new and glorified body. One the day he arose from the dead, he was in a perfect body. Do not preach that Jesus can be corrupted. This turns into additional fairy tales that are also preached.
Do not add to the word of God. Do not take away from the word of God. If you think God is okay with you adding to his words, then you need to read the Bible again slowly this time.
Don’t Make Up Lies About People and Spread Those Lies
Do not teach that Jesus can be touched by anyone and be corrupted. The entire Bible teaches the opposite of that. And don’t make up lies about people and spread them to protect your own belly. That’s evil and wicked trash. And it shows who you are, but for some reason, others can’t see it. You tell him once. You tell him twice. Reject that man. Heretick.
That’s a clear commandment from God as well. If people would stick to the Bible, read their Bible, study their Bible, and take the law of God seriously, we wouldn’t have these issues with pastors continuing to spew lies out of their mouth. Paula White wouldn’t be the top “faith” advisor in this country.
Her church, who followed the Bible, would have kicked her out and showed her to be the disgrace that she happens to be. But her church doesn’t follow the Bible. They follow her. And that’s what happens. She believes herself to be the Lord’s anointed.
This other man who taught Jesus can be corrupted believes himself to be the Lord’s anointed while he teaches lies and spreads lies about people.
So, what does he do? A very, very, very dangerous thing. He takes the word of God, Romans Chapter 16, and applies it to make someone else look bad. When in reality, he is twisting the word of God, picking and choosing what he wants, and attempting to make himself out to be the righteous one. And he always does this. And his church just takes it and believes his lies.
Using the Word of God for Personal Gain is a Serious Offense
If you think that taking the word of God and using it for your gain is okay, you are in a very dangerous situation. You do realize God is real, right? You used his words to tell your lies. And this happens all throughout the churches by lifted up pastors. It’s everywhere.
Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
You mark someone who teaches false doctrine that is different from the doctrine you have learned in the Bible. The Bible is the source of truth. We are not to teach lies. We are not to copy other pastors who have taught lies in the past. We are not to continue spreading the lies.
For example, let’s say a pastor teaches that the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ was different than ours when he came to earth. Let’s say that preach that the body and blood of Jesus was divine at his first coming. This creates all kinds of false doctrine. And then let’s say other pastors in this new movement hear it from one and they just copy that man.
And then they start preaching the same thing. Instead of knowing their Bibles, these so-called pastors spread heresy. The pastors should know Hebrews Chapter 2 verse 17. “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren.”
The Flesh of Jesus Was Just Like Our Flesh
They should know Jesus was tempted with food. They should know Jesus didn’t get any advantage. They should know Jesus increased in wisdom and stature in Luke Chapter 2. They should know Jesus wept. He was tired from his journey. They should know Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. His flesh and blood was just like ours. He came like us to die for us.
His body died. He didn’t have a divine body. His body died. His soul was not left in hell. He came as a man just you and I. We have a body, a spirit, and a soul. He had those just as we have them.
When someone preaches false doctrine, you are to go to them, because you have the Holy Spirit of God, and because you aren’t some lower class saved person, and kindly tell them the truth. When this happens, the lifted up man, the pastor with his title, the proud man, will not listen. And instead will move to mark you because you are causing division with him.
How dare you question the anointed man of God who could never be wrong? How could you question the man who lied to your face? How could you question the man who feeds his own belly? How dare you?
Pastors Believe They are the Bible Characters
Many of these pastors believe that the Bible speaks of them and that they can use the words of the Bible for whatever they need. Oh, it speaks of a king. It must be about that pastor. He’s the king. A lady once told me the book of 2 John was written to her and that she is the elect lady mentioned. She believes she is that lady. That book was written directly to her.
So, you take Romans Chapter 16 and you apply the Scriptures properly. You follow the Scriptures properly. You don’t use the Scriptures against someone trying to do good and right and follow the commandments.
If anyone preaches false doctrine, they aren’t above God’s words. But the way they act, shows different. They believe themselves to be above the word of God. They think it’s okay to tale a Scripture that is there for a specific reason and use it against someone who is doing right.
Romans 16:17-18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
The Evil Ones Double Down and Continue Without Repentance
The Bible says to mark them which preach false doctrine. Hey, we’ve all preached something wrong before because we aren’t perfect. The difference is realizing you were wrong, admitting you are wrong, saying I was wrong, and getting it right. You don’t double down and continue with false doctrine.
If a man does that, you mark them and avoid them. If someone continues to preach a works based salvation, avoid them. If someone continues to preach that Jesus came in a different type of flesh than you and I, making it not flesh because there’s one flesh, and you correct them kindly but they continue, mark them and avoid them.
We can work things out by using the word of God. If someone wants to tell lies and continue in those lies, mark them and avoid them. Why? Verse 18 tells you why.
“For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.”
They are more worried about themselves. For example, they care for their own well being. They want to make sure they are making plenty of money to support their lifestyle of excess. For example, they love to feed their own belly, literally. They love food. They order food constantly.
Evil Men Love to Get Others to Join in With Them
To make themselves feel better about their own corruption, they get others to join in with them. They feel better doing evil together.
They take the church money and invite everyone for steak and lobster and $75 meals. Sometimes they go for $100, $200, $300, $400, $500 meals as a pastor of a small church. That’s not being a good steward of God’s money. They feed their own belly.
They make up lies so they don’t lose money. They make promises to people and then break them to feed their own belly. And they think it’s okay. They think it’s right.
“And by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” This is what leaders of churches do. The simple need to wake up and actually see what’s happening. That pastor doesn’t care about you at all. He shows it over and over and over again. He uses you for his belly. He never cared for you. It’s a deception. And the simple continue to feed his ways.
The simple break the commandments of God by allowing this man to deceive them. Or allowing this woman to deceive them. The Bible says to avoid them. If a pastor is a liar, you should get out of there. Why would you continue to support him?
Romans 16:19
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
Good and Evil is Simple to See if You Open Your Eyes
You allow an evil man to trick you and deceive you. You know what he does and what he did. He loves his subtilty and his tricks to deceive people. It’s worked in the past so he continues with his subtilty.
But the Bible says, “But yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” Hey, it’s actually easy to see the difference between good and evil. It’s simple to see. You can examine the difference. You can see it.
A lie is a lie. It doesn’t matter who it is that told the lie. A promise is a promise. It doesn’t matter who told the promise. False doctrine is false doctrine. It doesn’t matter who it is that preached the false doctrine. It’s a lie. It’s evil. Get it fixed. Repent of your sin. Or continue in that sin. If a pastor continues in that sin, mark that man and avoid that man.
This is simple. Follow the law of God. Even if you lose money, you follow the laws of thy God. Even if you lose people at church, you follow the laws of thy God. Don’t lie about others. Don’t slander others.
Do good and right. And avoid those who don’t and won’t. If you continue with them, you are a partaker of their evil deeds.
Let’s pray.
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