Beware of False Teachers
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Jesus gave us a grave warning in Matthew 24:4-6, “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
He was talking about the last days.
Indeed, many false teachers have come and gone, and many are here now, preaching a false gospel.
- A works-based salvation
- A gospel of prosperity and wealth
- A gospel of celebrity and fame
- A social justice gospel
- An inclusion gospel
- A universal gospel that says all religions lead to heaven
Sadly, many today are deceived because we have not heeded Christ’s words to “take heed.”
“Take heed that no one deceives you”
“Take heed” in the Greek means more than just beware. It means to see, behold, discern, and understand.
This means that doctrine needs to be enough of a concern for us that we are watching out for those who are abusing it and using it for their own agenda because our souls matter.
We wouldn’t leave our homes unlocked and vulnerable to a robber.
Why would we leave our souls, which are eternal and of far greater importance and value, to be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”? (Ephesians 4:14)
False teachers in the Early Church
Interestingly, when we speak of the early church, we often hold her up as an example of the type of church we should strive to become.
In reality, the early church had issues that were not unlike the ones we face today.
We see this throughout the book of 2 Corinthians – that Paul is fighting a faction of the church that he sarcastically calls “Super Apostles” 2 Corinthians 11:5).
They are also referred to as Judaizers; the same type of faction that had also infiltrated the church in Galatia. (Galatians 1:6-8)
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:2-4
The church in Corinth was tolerating false teachers.
He was even concerned that when he came to visit them again he would find rampant sin still tolerated in the church.
For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; est, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced. 2 Corinthians 12:20-21
This was the work of Judaizers – a faction in the church that questioned the Apostles’ teaching and authority, often teaching that grace wasn’t sufficient for salvation while at the same time stirring up rebellion and refusing to turn away from sinful behavior.
Modern-day Judaizers
The church is being hammered by these false teachers – modern-day Judaizers who preach tolerance and modern social justice.
This teaching has been slowing taking over the pulpit for the past couple of decades and is no longer silently whispering its doctrine, it is shouting it from the pulpits.
And now we have an entire generation of Christians who believe that unless you are tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community and vocal about social justice, you are a XINO (Christian In Name Only).
No, you’re worse than a XINO, you are a bigoted, uncaring, white-privileged, evangelical fundamentalist.
They would have us believe that our faith is proven and validated by our acceptance of alternative lifestyles, or at the very least tolerance to them, and our vocal support of modern social justice.
“O foolish church, who has bewitched you?”
I want to echo Paul’s words to the church in Galatia: “Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?” Galatians 3:1
The level of our dedication to Christ, our justification, and our level of sanctification are not validated by our level of tolerance or alignment with social justice causes.
Our justification and sanctification rest in Christ’s blood alone.
Then, our Christian walk is further lived out by grace on a day-to-day basis with the Word of God as our foundation.
If we seek to justify our faith in Christ through political correctness, tolerance, and social justice – just so the world will see that we are not the white-privileged fundamentalists they think we are, we have come under a new kind of law that trumps God’s Word.
This law demands that God’s Word bow the knee to its message.
This law demands that we morph our theology to the issue at hand.
How can we tell if someone is a false teacher?
There is only one way we will ever tell if someone is a false teacher because there is only one standard of truth.
We must know the true gospel – we must understand the Bible.
Does this teacher spend more time telling personal anecdotes than preaching from the Bible? Beware.
Does this person spend more time stirring up emotionalism? Beware.
Does this person try to interpret Scripture through the lens of culture, explain away standard doctrines that have always been part of the church, or tell us that portions of the Bible are not for today? Beware.
“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” Psalms 119:89
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17-18
A true teacher refuses to allow levity and personal anecdotes to detract from the beauty of Scripture.
He recognizes that the Holy Spirit is sufficient to draw hearts to repentance and doesn’t rely on emotionalism or atmosphere.
A true teacher of God’s Word believes every Word in the Bible, teaches every word of the Bible is for us today, and lives his life in total submission to the authority of Scripture.
Conclusion
Let’s say with David: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97
Loving the law, knowing God’s Word, meditating on it day and night, and submitting our lives fully to it will protect us from the trap of false teachers.
