BiblicalInsights.net

A contemporary commercial from Spectrum uses a variety of descriptive terms to indicate words that are vain, empty and meaningless.  Words like:  hooey, balderdash, flimflam, flapdoodle, jibber-jabber, hemming and hawing, and hogwash.  Hooey is nonsense.  Balderdash is senseless talk or writing.  Flimflam is “deceptive nonsense.” Flapdoodle is nonsense, silly or stupid.  Jibber-jabber is senseless talk.  Hemming and hawing is to speak in an evasive, vague way to avoid the truth.  Hogwash is nonsense.  The terms are colorful and make a distinctive point.
In the New Testament, there are a variety of descriptive terms and phrases that indicate false doctrine.  Since all false doctrine is untrue, it is meaningless and vain.  What follows is a survey of some of these terms.
The traditions and commandments of men.  “But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” And, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:3,9.  See also, Col. 2:8 and 22).  In religious conduct and action, it is vain to follow the traditions and commandments of men.  Vain worship is the result of such blindness.
Vain jangling.  “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling” (I Tim. 1:5-6).  Vain jangling is foolish talking.  When a person attempts to teach another person what they themselves do not understand, the result is vain jangling.
Blasphemy.  Paul speaks of Hymenaeus and Alexander whom he delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme (I Tim. 1:20).  To blaspheme is to speak against God or that which is holy.  Paul, before his conversion, describes himself as a blasphemer (I Tim. 1:13).  At the time, Paul did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  He spoke against Christianity and persecuted the Lord’s church.
Seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4:1).  Seducing spirits are working through men who are filled with hypocrisy and speak lies.  Lies are pure vanity or hogwash.  Lies cannot save.  Only the truth saves!  Doctrines of devils describes the source and content of the lies delivered by men.  Satan himself is the father of lies (John 8:44).  When men lie, they do the work of the devil and his cohorts.
Lies.  “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:2).  Some examples of lies:  (1) the first lie in the Bible, Satan said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4); (2)  Hymenaeus and Philetus taught that the resurrection is past already and overthrew the faith of some (II Tim. 2:17-18); (3) Some Jewish Christians were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses which was not true (Acts 15:1, 24).  The apostles and elders wrote a letter to be distributed among the Gentile churches which, in part, said, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24).  Yet, there are still religious teachers today who affirm that Gentiles have to keep the law of Moses (the Ten Commandments are part of the Law of Moses).  The Mosaical Law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ and, upon His death on the cross, a new law or testament went into force (Col. 2:14; Heb. 9:15-17).  Today, we are living under the law of Christ, not the law of Moses. All men are amenable to the law of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20).
Profane and old wives’ fables.  “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (I Tim. 4:7).  The word “fable” is translated from the Greek word muthos.  A fable or myth is an account that does not align with the facts.  It is not grounded in historical reality. Hence, it is the opposite of the truth. These fables are profane, i.e. without sacred merit.  Superstitious stories such as are told by old women to children.  Timothy was to avoid these and reject them.
Profane and vain babblings.  “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and opposition of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen” (I Tim. 6:20).  Profane babblings are worldly chatter or godless speaking.  Timothy is to hold to the gospel of Christ and not forsake it for such flapdoodle.
Oppositions from science falsely so-called.  This phrase does not refer to modern science as we know it.  The word “science” in this sense is not found in the New Testament.  Rather, this phrase refers to those who claimed a knowledge inaccessible to others (proto-Gnostics). This type of knowledge was a “falsely named” ideology.  It was not knowledge at all.  If you do not know the truth, you do not know anything. All false doctrine is classified as ignorance and is part of the darkness of this world.  Only the knowledge of God will dispel this darkness (I Cor. 15:33-34).
Folly.  In a list of nineteen sins which would characterize the last days (Christian Age), Paul names folly or senselessness.  These men were without understanding.  Consequently, they opposed the truth as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses.  The content of their teaching was flimflam.
Fables and Jewish fables.  Paul warns Timothy of Christians who would be turned away from the truth unto fables (II Tim. 4:4).  In Titus 1:14, he warns against Jewish fables.  As we have already seen, a fable is a myth and does not comport with the truth.  Jewish fables were likely stories based upon perversions of the Old Testament incidents. A current illustration of a myth would be Darwin’s theory of the origin of humanity or organic evolution.
Philosophy, vain deceit, rudiments of this world.  “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” (Col. 2:8).  Worldly systems of philosophy must be rejected.  Acts 17:18 mentions Epicureans and Stoics at Athens.  These men were materialistic deists and pantheists.  Epicureans sought happiness through serene detachment.  Stoics sought salvation by aligning the will with the inherent Reason of the universe.  Happiness results when one does not want things to be anything but what they are.  Both forms of philosophy missed the truth of the gospel of Christ.  Paul called them to repentance in Acts 17:30.
Vain deceit is another way of describing lies.  The rudiments of the world were delusive speculations of Gentile cults and Jewish theories treated as elemental principles.  Both were devoid of truth.  A modern illustration of worldly rudiments would be the belief that the arrangment of constellations at the time of one’s birth makes you behave in a certain way or display certain characteristics.  This is a form of determinism and superstition.  It is pure hooey!
All of these words and phrases denote information that is contrary to the truth.  None of these things can save a person’s soul from eternal damnation.  Only the blood of Christ saves from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:8-9).  Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).  The doctrine of Christ frees the soul from the servitude of sin (John 8:32).  True freedom is found only in Christ and His truth.

On October 6, 1975, in a column by Ann Landers (really Eppie Lederer who wrote under the Ann Landers pseudonym in 1975) the importance of an education was emphasized.  Ann Landers replied to a questioner who was challenging having an education because of its expense, “If you think education is expensive–try ignorance.”  Truly, ignorance has its price. Ignorance of God’s will can cost you your soul.  Ignorance is simply not knowing some information content.  Ignorance of the truth (God’s Word, John 17:17) generally means an affirmation of some error.  Truth saves.  Error damns.  “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:11-12).  Some believe that there is some protection in being ignorant (Ignorance is bliss).  However, when we put this concept to the test of truth, it fails.
Ignorance of the Law Excuses Not
Ignorance of the law excuses no one.  A person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability (culpability) for violating that law merely because he/she was ignorant of its content.  The IRS holds you responsible to pay your taxes even if you are unaware of all the taxes that you may owe.  Penalties are assessed even though you did not know.  God also holds us accountable to know His will and He does not accept ignorance as an excuse.  “And the times of this ignorance God winked at: but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).  Repentance is a universal command of God’s Word and it must be obeyed by every accountable person.  The reason is stated in the next verse, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
Ignorance Does Not Imply Innocence
In Luke 23:34, Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  While Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for His enemies to be forgiven of the sin of ignorance.  The fact that Jesus prays for their forgiveness indicates that they have sinned by acting in ignorance.  Ignorance hides unbelief.  The unbelieving Jews rejected Jesus and disobeyed God’s Will. The fact that they acted in ignorance, betrays their unbelief.  Remember, the apostle Paul also acted in ignorance, but was not innocent.  Paul writes the following words descriptive of himself, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Paul was ignorant.  Because of his ignorance of who Jesus truly was, he manifested unbelief and so sinned against Jesus and God.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter (along with the other apostles) proclaimed the gospel of Christ.  Peter’s sermon is recorded in Acts 2.  Peter convicts his audience of the sin of murdering Jesus (Acts 2:23).  As Jesus said, they did this in ignorance.  Yet, they are commanded to repent of this sin and be baptized into the name of Jesus for the remission of sin (Acts 2:37-38).  Peter also preached the gospel to the Jews gathered together in the vicinity of Solomon’s porch near the temple.  In Acts 3:17, he declares, “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.”  What did they do?  “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you.  And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15).  These unbelieving Jews were unaware of the consequences of their own acts leading to the detriment of their own souls.  Ignorance is not bliss!
Some Consequences Of Ignorance
Ignorance produces spiritual and moral darkness. Paul states, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). Ignorance brings destruction to God’s people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).  Ignorance leads to sin which in turn leads to spiritual death.  In Acts 17:30, the ignorance referenced is idolatry.  God suffered all nations to walk in their own ways (Acts 14:16), but now, He commands them to repent of every type of sin.  If they do not repent, they will perish (Luke 13:3-5; Rom. 6:23).
The Cure For Ignorance
The gospel of Christ includes a universal call to repentance (Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning in Jerusalem”).  The church’s mission is to proclaim the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15-16).  Truth frees (John 8:32).  Ignorance enslaves to sin (John 8:34).  The commands of God must be honored by every person.  The conscience of man must be enlightened with truth.  The heart of man must believe unto salvation and the tongue confess Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10).  The spiritual status of each person must be changed by undergoing the new birth (baptism into Christ) John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:4.  Every step of obedience must be accomplished out of love for God (John 14:15).  Ignorance is ultimately conquered by obedience to the truth (I Pet 1:22-23).