I'm intolerant.....

So for those of you who dont know me, I’m gluten intolerant. If I eat the stuff, there are short term problems, like pain, nausea, headaches, brainfog, fatigue, irritability, stomach swelling etc, and there are long term problems, like if I continue to eat gluten, my risks of stomach cancer, lymph cancer, arthritis and neurological disorders increase dramatically. Over time, my body will become more and more stressed until eventually it will break down, like a car that is running on the wrong fuel. Oh sure, gluten-y stuff tastes good at the time. Cakes, muffins, mcdonalds, fish and chips- boy oh boy, they sure feel good going down don’t they? And easy too- its difficult to find a gluten free meal when out with friends, or at the beach, or when your searching for a quick snack. It can be hard to be gluten free successfully! But the consequences of the momentary joy or quick fixes are quickly snatched away by the immediate and long term effects of gluten consumption. So matter how good I think it will taste, no matter how easy it is to eat gluten, I simply don’t. It is not worth the damage to my body, its not worth the gluten hangover. I would rather not eat what is harmful to me, and live happy and healthy thank-you very much! The first 6 months on a gluten-free diet were hard, but as time has gone on, I have learned more and more about what foods contain gluten, and have flushed it out of my system. Now I can recognise gluten (even hidden) when reading the back of food packets, and have learned how to avoid cross-contimination of gluten in my food, because of course, even a little gluten spoils the whole meal. My body has never felt better.

So why am I telling you this? Certainly my purpose is not to warn you of the dangers of gluten? No- its to warn you of something else. Something that harms far more than me eating a bread roll. False teaching. Amazingly, there are some parallels between gluten intolerance and false teaching. Let me rewrite my last paragraph for you.

For those of you who don’t know me, Im a Christian and am false teaching intolerant. If I hear the stuff and start to take it on, there are short term problems like confusion, anxiety, pride, and irritability etc, and there are long term problems, like if I continue to listen to and believe false teaching, my risks of straying from the true gospel, trusting in my own ability to save myself and destruction of relationships through pride and idolatry increase dramatically. Over time, my spirit will become more and more stressed, until eventually it will break down, like a car that is running on the wrong fuel. Oh sure, false teaching tastes good at the time. Thinking I am in control of my salvation, making lists of rules to keep to please God, the accomplished feeling I get when I keep those laws- boy oh boy- it sure feels good doesn’t it? And its easy too- its much easier to think I can contribute to my own salvation, that I CAN do SOMETHING, rather than to simply trust in another for life and happiness and salvation right? It feels good to think I can be assured that God will bless me if I just make him know how obedient I am! And its easy in another way too- its hard to find a church that doesn’t serve up false teaching. It can be so hard to be false teaching free! But the consequences of the momentary joy or quick fixes to life problems are quickly snatched away by the immediate and long term effects of false teaching consumption. So no matter how good I think it will taste, no matter how easy it is to listen to and believe false teaching, I simply must avoid it. It is not worth the damage to my mind, heart and spirit. Its not worth the false teaching hangover. I would rather not take-on the teaching that is harmful to me, and live happy and healthy in the knowledge of the true gospel thank-you very much! At first, being false-teaching free is hard, but as time goes on, I have learned more and more about what teachers are teaching false doctrine, and I have flushed the false teaching out of my system. I can now recognise hidden sources of false teaching, and have learned how to avoid cross-contimination of false doctrine in my diet of ‘salvation by faith alone, through Christ alone’ theology, because after all, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have never been more assured of my salvation. It is well with my soul.

 

2 Peter 2:1: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Titus 3:5-7:   ³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.