Failure to launch
Engineers at NASA and Morton Thiokol warned about the dangers of launching the Challenger space shuttle in cold weather, mainly due to concerns about the O-rings. Their warnings were ignored, leading to the shuttle’s explosion just 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members while their families and millions of people watched in real-time.
The Challenger’s crew, their families, and our nation could have been spared death and tragedy if the engineers’ warnings had been heeded. At T+0.678 seconds, a puff of black smoke was observed near the right-hand booster’s lower joint, indicating O-ring failure. At T+73 seconds, the shuttle disintegrated, killing all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. The O-rings malfunctioned because of the cold weather, and the disaster, which could have been avoided by waiting to launch in warmer weather, followed.
The O-rings were rubber seals designed to prevent hot gases from escaping between sections of the solid rocket boosters. The cold temperatures on the launch morning (31°F/-1°C) made the rubber O-rings brittle and less flexible. When Challenger’s engines ignited, hot gases leaked past the faulty O-ring, burning through the external fuel tank, causing the explosion.
A timeless warning
The New Testament writers warned the early Christians against false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 2:1-22). A doctrine is a teaching or belief derived from the Bible. Wayne Grudem defines a doctrine as “what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic.” Since God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), anything that contradicts its teachings is false. These false teachings are worthless and deadly, for embracing them leads to eternal damnation (Acts 4:12; Galatians 1:9; 1 Timothy 4:16).
Just as the explosion of the challenger occurred because of the O-rings not being able to work correctly in the cold temperatures, allowing hot gases to leak through the external fuel tank, false doctrine can gradually leak into individuals’ lives, churches, and denominations almost unnoticed until the damage is done, people have been led astray from Biblical doctrine. The warnings given to the first generation against false doctrine are timeless as they are as relevant today as they were then.
A tearful parting and a warning of being torn apart
On his way to Jerusalem, Paul stopped at Miletus and sent word for the church elders at Ephesus to meet with him (Acts 20:13-17). Upon their arrival, he reminds them of his heart, ministry for them, and the truth he told them (Acts 20:18-19).
Acts 20:20-21
I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
As a result of telling them the whole truth based on the Hebrew Scriptures, the person and work of Christ, and the teachings of the apostles (Ephesians 1:1-3:21), Paul had a clear conscience concerning his efforts and ministry among them (Acts 20:26-27).
Paul warned them of a coming danger as he got ready to share a tearful goodbye with his friends and partners in the gospel ministry. The apostle warned the elders of false teachers who would propagate wrong doctrine. The servant of God told them that some within their group would distort the truth to gain a following. Paul likens these false teachers and their heretical teachings to vicious wolves among sheep wrecking terror and spiritual death (Acts 20:29-30).
To protect and shepherd God’s flock from these vicious wolves, Paul tells the Ephesians elders to guard themselves and God’s people by feeding and guiding them with the Word of God (Acts 20:28, 31-32). Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to stop those teaching things contrary to the truth (1 Timothy 1:3) and to bring up those under his care in the truths of the faith and good teaching (1 Timothy 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:13).
We have God’s truth today because Timothy, Titus, and many others throughout the generations heeded Paul’s warnings to guard themselves and others against false teachers and their teachers. If we allow the Scripture to be authoritative in our lives by allowing it to shape our worldview on all things by accepting what it teaches us today on a particular subject, we will grow into mature followers of Christ. As mature followers of Jesus, we will not be immature in our faith or understanding and will not be swayed by false teaching (Ephesians 4:1-13). Growing in our knowledge of doctrine leads to strong churches with members united in truth and love (Ephesians 4:14-16).
How do God’s people grow in their knowledge of doctrine?
God’s people grow in their knowledge of biblical truth (sound doctrine) through faithful Biblical preaching and teaching.
Ephesians 4:11-12
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Paul describes the gifts (people) Christ gave to the church to equip God’s people to do His work and mature or strengthen them in the faith. Faithful teaching and preaching are accomplished when one applies the science and art of hermeneutics.
Hermeneutics is both a science and an art of biblical interpretation. It is a science because it follows established rules, much like those required for driving a car—without understanding them, proper interpretation becomes impossible. However, beyond knowing these principles, one must also discern when and how to apply them, making hermeneutics an art. Since Scripture is diverse—containing multiple genres, written over centuries by various authors in different languages—it requires careful judgment to determine which interpretive rules best apply to any given text. Ultimately, hermeneutics aims to interpret Scripture accurately and uncover its intended meaning.
The foremost priority in biblical interpretation is discovering the author’s intended meaning. A common but flawed approach is to read a passage and immediately ask, “What does this mean to me?” While personal application is essential, it should not be the starting point. Instead, the first question should be, “What did the author intend to communicate?” Overlooking this crucial step can lead to misinterpretations and incorrect applications of Scripture.
When we begin trying to understand a passage of Scripture with the intent of discovering what God, through the author, intended to communicate, we start well. By asking ourselves questions such as:
- Who is the author?
- Who was this initially written for, and what did it mean for them?
- Where does this fit into the biblical narrative?
- Is there a timeless application for today?
When we approach studying the Bible in this manner, it is called exegesis. A faithful teacher or preacher will begin by considering context and studying the text to draw out God’s intended meaning for His people then and today.
We must remember a passage’s context to handle God’s Word rightfully. If we approach a text with a starting point in search of personal application or try to find Scripture to support our viewpoint, we open ourselves up to misinterpretation and the dangers of false teaching. Studying the Bible in this manner is called eisegesis. Eisegesis is when we make a biblical text say what we want it to instead of drawing its intended message out of the text (exegesis).
For the body of Christ to grow into maturity and not be swayed by false teachings, pastors, teachers, and other ministry leaders must prepare sermons, lessons, and devotions by allowing God’s intended message to come through during their preparation. After careful study, these gifts that God has given His Church must not shrink back from telling those near and far from God what they need to hear.
Closing Thoughts
When my mom catches me deep in thought, she sometimes says, “A penny for your thoughts.” I don’t know where the saying originated, but by saying it, she would like to know what I’m thinking. I know you didn’t ask for my thoughts, but I figure I’ll share them with you concerning all we have just covered.
As a pastor myself, I am at times overwhelmed with the amount of teachings available to Christ’s Church today. While it is a blessing that we live in a time when anyone can begin a blog, channel, or podcast to help people know and grow in their relationship with Jesus, the bad news is that anyone can begin one. What I mean by that is while we have so many great teachers and fellow believers producing solid content, it is just as easy for those propagating a message contrary to what Paul and the other apostles taught (Galatians 1:9).
With so many options available for our consumption, we must run a person’s teachings (including mine) through the context of the Biblical narrative and the passage itself. We must ask ourselves the questions mentioned earlier. We must be willing to converse with our brothers and sisters in Christ and make sure our understanding is correct (Galatians 2:1-3).
If you have the privilege of serving the body of Jesus through a teaching or preaching role, please humbly approach the text to discover what God intended it to say and draw from that application for today. Study and pray before you meet with those God has entrusted you to feed and care for with and according to His Word.
We will end with this. Why is sound doctrine so important? Correct belief is so vital because right living and eternity depend on it.
1 Timothy 4:16
Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
Unlike NASA ignoring the warnings concerning the cold temperatures and O-rings that caused the Challenger to explode, we cannot ignore the Bible’s warning of false teachers and their dangerously misleading teachings. We must grow in our knowledge of sound doctrine with personal study, humble reliance on the Holy Spirit, and faithful biblical teaching and preaching rooted in context.
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