THE SAD REALITY OF BAD INFLUENCE
Galatians 5:7-9, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Many people, in multiple churches of Galatia, had been wrongly taught and influenced by the erroneous teaching of Judaizers. They were teaching a form of covenantal legalism, attaching the keeping of the law of Moses to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Paul was amazed at how quickly they had been turned and attached to this error. "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" (vs. 7) The word "persuasion", in verse 8, speaks of deceptive persuasion. It was the type of outward influence filled with deception rather than sound and correct influence founded in Biblical truth. Many of our day have followed the path of unbiblical persuasion to stray from the path of truth and obedience to the Lord. The dangerous result of heeding this type of influence, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (vs. 9) The "Preachers Outline and Sermon Bible" states on page 1084, "Leaven stands for evil and corruption, fermentation and infection. It takes only a little leaven to permeate and influence the whole lump of dough. So it is with false teachers. One false teacher can inject his false teaching into the church, and it will soon permeate and influence the whole church. If the Galatian churches did not root out the false teaching, the whole would soon be corrupted, and the truth would be destroyed. Jesus Christ would no longer be the focus of attention. The church and its people would be focusing upon their rituals, ceremonies, and good works instead of Christ."
I want to encourage you and warn you to beware of bad influences. Without knowledge of Scripture and dedication to the truth, we can be wrongly persuaded and deceived. If you have been wrongly influenced by someone, I would encourage you to separate yourself from that influence and get back on track with the Lord, because the truth is, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. Have you ever been persuaded to do something wrong by someone else? What did you do? How did you handle it?
2. If “leaven” represents evil and corruption, how much does it take to thoroughly ruin you?
3. One false teacher is all that it takes to lead a church astray. How can we guard against this type of teacher?