Pharisees & Sadducees

Taken from False Doctrine

by J. C. Ryle

(1816-1900)

Let us be on our guard against the "insidiousness" of false doctrine. Like the fruit of
which Eve and Adam ate, at first sight it looks pleasant and good, and a thing to be
desired. Poison is not written upon it, and so people are not afraid. Like counterfeit coin,
it is not stamped "bad:" it passes for the real thing because of the very likeness it bears to
the truth.

Let us be on our guard against the "very small beginnings" of false doctrine. Every
heresy began at one time with some little departure from the truth. There is only a little
seed of error needed to create a great tree. It is the little stones that make up the mighty
building. It was the little timbers that made the great ark that carried Noah and his family
over a deluged world. It is the little leaven that leavens the whole lump. It is the little
flaw in one link of the chain cable that wrecks the gallant ship, and drowns the crew. It is
the omission or addition of one little item in the doctor's prescription that spoils the whole
medicine, and turns it into poison. We do not tolerate quietly a little dishonesty, or a little

cheating, or a little lying: just so, let us never allow a little false doctrine to ruin us, by
thinking it is but a "little one," and can do no harm. The Galatians seemed to be doing
nothing very dangerous when they "were observing special days and months and seasons
and years;" yet Paul says, "I fear for you" (Galatians 4:10, 11).

Finally, let us be on our guard against supposing that "we at any rate are not in danger."
"Our views are sound: our feet stand firm: others may fall away, but we are safe!"
Hundreds have thought the same, and have come to a bad end. In their self-confidence
they tampered with little temptations and little forms of false doctrine; in their selfconceit
they went near the brink of danger; and now they seem lost forever. They appear
given over to a strong delusion, so as to believe a lie. Some of them are praying to the
Virgin Mary, and bowing down to images. Others of them are casting overboard one
doctrine after another, and are stripping themselves of every sort of religion but a few
scraps of Deism. Very striking is the vision in Pilgrim's Progress, which describes the
hill Error as "very steep on the farthest side;" and "when Christian and Hopeful looked
down they saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall they had from the
top." Never, never let us forget the caution to beware of "yeast;" and if we think we
stand, let us "be careful that we don't fall!"

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