The Bible warns that false teachers are among you. They’re not hiding out somewhere—they’re in your midst. Not everyone that claims Jesus as their God of choice is indeed Christian. False teachers abound, some with best-selling books, a large viewing audience, and/or convention-sized auditoriums.
False teachers and true teachers of the Word have equal access to the media and use the same channels to get their messages out: worship services, TV programming, internet, e-books, etc. The unsuspecting Christian assumes an uncorrupted, untainted message every time they hear a Bible verse. But buyer beware. Not everything in the sacred realm is sanctified.
Most false teachers use Bible verses. They love to cut-and-paste the Bible to create a god that is more appealing to a wide audience. Paul tells us that these false teachers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15), which means they look good on the outside.
Depending on your favorite-fifty Bible verses may not save you from their snare—they’ll have you nodding all the way into their trap.
Clever speech, lies disguised in half-truths, lure in the naïve and unsuspecting. Many fall prey to the insidious teachings of health, wealth and power.
Only the discerning who know their Bibles are able to separate fact from fiction.
Paul described false teachers as, “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18) and warned the Colossians not to be deceived by “fine-sounding arguments” (Colossians 2:4). False teachers don’t come with a warning sign on their foreheads, and not every John 3:16 placard preaches the same gospel.
So how will we recognize a watered-down gospel, less-than-sound doctrine, and teaching that is Bible-filled but not biblical?
We recognize false teachers by listening to their words and comparing them to what the Word of God says.
Example #1
• The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, died on a cross to pay the penalty on behalf of guilty sinners, and, those who trust in Christ as their substitute will be saved eternally. That is the gospel. Anyone who uses Jesus’ name to bring a different gospel is a false teacher.
Example #2
• The Bible tells us that the message of the cross is foolishness to the world—it is not universally appealing (1 Corinthians 1:18). If someone’s message has universal appeal it is not the gospel.
The government agency in charge of counterfeit money is the Secret Service. Those assigned to this task do not study counterfeit bills—they study authentic bills down to every minute detail. This is how they detect the fakes—by comparing them with the originals.
How did God intend for us to distinguish the true from the false? Study the original.
A huge benefit of memorizing the Bible, book by book, is that when a speaker (or author) throws around Bible verses, we recognize when it is out of context, and when their agenda has been inserted. We recognize the distortion.
Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” Matthew 7:15.
Have you had situations when you’ve spotted an imposter because you had memorized God’s Word?
Heard well known teachers say “you just need to forgive yourself” yet nowhere in Scripture does God say this. Forgiveness for our sins including shame, guilt, condemnation comes from the finished work of Christ who took the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross and rose from the grave giving us victory over sin, death, devil and we receive God’s grace through faith. See below article which explains further why “forgiving self” is Man’s way and not biblical, not what God says. So glad God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path.
http://wordtruth.org/PDF/Rejecting%20Popular%20Untruths.pdf
you are so right, Chris. Many ‘sound-good’ sayings are not biblical. The reason people feel guilty is because they are. Jesus’ blood paid for our sins, and we must accept his forgiveness.
Amen and amen. 🙂
I deal with this subject on a regular basis because of where I live. It is absolutely impossible to live here and not be acquainted with people who are members of a religion that preaches a false gospel worldwide. God has given me great compassion for their lost state to be sure—but the wolf in sheeps clothing picture for this post couldn’t be more appropriate.
When I memorized 2 Peter, I was blown away at the prophetic nature concerning this very religion I’m surrounded with. “Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.”
2 Peter 2:2-3a(NIV84)
“Prophetic” is actually an understatement as even though our Savior’s name is in the name of this religion, the founder and biggest “story-teller” since the creation of the world has his millions of followers convinced that Jesus’ death on the cross did not pay for our sin, but rather it was His anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane.
No. I’m. Not. Kidding.
In the sheep shearing industry, the fastest shearers are sought after— even entering competitions. An elite competitor can sheer a sheep in under 2 minutes. That’s us people! When we have the supernatural truth etched and engraved in our memory, we can sheer the “fluffy white fleece” off of a stinking wolf in seconds flat.
Wow Cherie, so glad you shared that with us. Millions are led astray by a positive message that feels good, but only the gospel is the power of salvation for all who believe. We’d better know the difference.
Chérie–
Thank you for this:
“In the sheep shearing industry, the fastest shearers are sought after— even entering competitions. An elite competitor can sheer a sheep in under 2 minutes. That’s us people! When we have the supernatural truth etched and engraved in our memory, we can sheer the “fluffy white fleece” off of a stinking wolf in seconds flat.”
You made me whoop a very loud “Amen!”
Some people came to our house for dinner and talked about this thing they had heard on the Paul Harvey radio show long ago that really gave them a clear picture of God. Because they went on and on about it, I googled it and played it at the dinner table. Here is the link:
Paul Harvey; Letter from God – YouTube
m.youtube.com/watch?v=aYEFkYtANVg
I was horrified and they were delighted as it played. I knew the truth and they thought they were hearing the truth. After it finished, I was able to refute the whole thing point by point from scripture that either I had memorized or was very familiar with. Thank God for his truth that is in me! I think I may have hurt their feelings, but at the very least, I knew not to fall for it.
Richie, that is a great example!!!! I too am horrified by what Paul Harvey said in that clip. It is so easy to assume that a respected person has the correct ideas about God. Beware, and be discerning, and know your Bible!
Wow, Richie. I wish I could have been a fly on that wall watching you defend the Truth by the truth of Gods word. Ya know, that Paul Harvey thing is such a perfect example of the oil-slick way of the enemy. My gracious!
“Only the discerning who know their Bibles are able to separate fact from fiction.”
Yes! And may the Holy Spirit breathe upon us and in us as we memorize true fact.
“How did God intend for us to distinguish the true from the false? Study the original.”
Love that! Agree! Amen! May God give us increased desire and perseverance to study to show ourselves approved.
It seems that many are rushing for profit into Balaam’s error (Jude). And Jesus would still overthrow money changers’ tables. He is alive and He will overthrow His enemies with His very heated and holy-holy-holy Breath.
Amen Holly. Good to hear your voice again.
Chérie–Thank you.