Overview of False Teachings/False Teachers
The Bible is our source for truth, and so it also defines for us falsehood. The Genesis account records the very first falsehood – the challenge of Satan to Eve with a lie that was contrary to the truth as revealed by God. God had commanded Adam:
Genesis 2:16b-17
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Satan’s lie directly contradicted God’s truth:
Genesis 3:4-5
“You will not surely die ,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan has and always will oppose the truth. Jesus said of Satan:
John 8:44
“the devil … was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
When Satan came to tempt Jesus, the battle was over the truth. Their encounter was not an intellectual debate, nor an all out physical brawl, nor a shoot-out with supernatural weapons. It was a fight over truth versus falsehood. Jesus responded to each and every of Satan’s temptations with the truth “It is written…”:
Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
While this event describes a personal lie v. truth encounter Satan had with Jesus, most of Satan’s lies are carried in the mouths and written teachings of men and women who reject Biblical truth – though they may claim otherwise – and listen to Satan and therefore obey him and not God. Thus, the Bible warns repeatedly about these persons who oppose the truth and speak contrary to the truth, as revealed by God in the Bible.
In the Old Testament, false prophets led the people of Israel astray and were condemned by God:
Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
Ezekiel 13:1-9
The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. … Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, “The LORD declares,” when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken? “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign LORD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations.”
The New Testament warns not only of false prophets, but also false Christs, false apostles and false teachers:
Jesus warned:
Matthew 7:15-16
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Matthew 24:24
“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive …”
The Apostle Peter warned:
2 Peter 2:1
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies…”
The Apostle John warned:
1 John 4:1
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The Apostle Paul warned:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.”
Acts 20:29-31
“…savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!…”
Jude, the brother of Jesus, warned:
Jude 3-4
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Falsehood is not easy to detect. False prophets/teachers “secretly introduce [their] destructive heresies”. They use Bible verses and stories but twist and distort the truthful meaning. Jesus warned his disciples about the false teachers in his day who were the religious leaders called Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus described their false teachings as the “yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees”:
Matthew 16:6-12
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” … he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Their false teaching was hidden like yeast in bread which is worked through the whole batch of dough. Their false teachings were hidden in their improper interpretation of the Bible (i.e. then just the Old Testament) thereby corrupting God’s Word. Therefore, false teachers use terms and ideas associated with God’s truth but mix error into it and, even though it might be a small deviation from the truth – like a very small amount of yeast – they produce heresy turning the truth of God into a lie. Falsehood always piggybacks truth concepts into the church.
There can be no compromise with the handling of God’s Word. A false teacher will say or write things which sound like the truth. But where they err results in a distortion of even the truth they seemingly express. Don’t fall for the excuse that it is OK to read a book, for instance, from a false teacher in order to glean the truth provided that which is false is shunned. The whole book is corrupted. The false teacher and their teachings are to be rejected entirely. Heed this warning from Galatians 5:7-9: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.””
What to look out for to detect falsehood:
- the twisting of scripture (by taking a verse or passage out of its context and/or interpreting scripture by an idea sourced from human philosophy or special ‘revelation’ unique to the false teacher)
- the elevation of some scripture above other scripture (for example, “Red-Letter” editions of the Bible)
- using an obscure verse to build an essential doctrine upon
Scripture should always be confirmed by scripture. In other words, truth is woven throughout the Bible. Its teaching is consistent throughout.
Jesus also advised in Matthew 7, that eventually the outcome of false prophets/teachers lives would prove their true nature:
Matthew 7:15-20
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
At first, a false prophet/teacher will appear to be an authentic representative of Jesus Christ. A fellow member of the ‘flock’ of Christ. But eventually, like the fruit which appears on a tree in season, their true nature would become evident.
What to look out for to identify a false teacher:
- gold – they are greedy for wealth (2Peter 2:3)
- girls – sexual misconduct (2Peter 2:14)
- glory – pride; their ambition is to be at the top and honoured by all. False teachers garner the support of political leaders. They want to be loved by the world and not hated (cf. John 15: 18-19; 3John 9).
Legalism and License
The two principal errors that are an ever present threat to the church are legalism and license. These errors were apparent very early on in the church and were directly addressed in the New Testament. For example, Galatians deals with the error of legalism while Peter and Jude confront the error of license.
(1) Legalism imposes religious requirements in order to satisfy the righteousness of God. For example, a false teacher may say that “It is necessary to perform the sacraments (i.e. church-defined religious duties) in order to be saved.” This sets aside the gospel by making it necessary for a Christian to justify themselves, apart form faith in the finished work of Jesus at the cross. It therefore empties the gospel of its power to forgive the penalty of sin.
The Book of Galatians was specifically directed at false teachers who promoted religious duty. They were instructing the Galatian church that to be really saved a person had to practice circumcision. The Apostle Paul admonished them severely:
Galatians 5:2-6
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
And pronounced a severe judgement on these false teachers:
Galatians 1:6-9
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”
If a Christian tries to justify themselves they are no longer in faith and are in danger of falling away. Their endeavour to prove their own righteousness forces them into the position of once again becoming a slave to sin, because personal effort to fulfil ‘the law’ does not free a person from the power of sin. The legalistic false teacher, in demanding religious observances rather than offering true freedom in Christ, remains themselves a slave to sin – though perhaps hidden from public view – and they lead their followers into the same tragic position.
(2) License permits a Christian to remain a sinner though they are ‘saved’. For example, a false teacher may say that “We are all saved by God’s grace. None of us is ever free from sin.” Again, this sets aside the gospel because it empties the cross of its ability to free a person from the power of sin i.e. their sin nature.
Jude deals with false teachers who “change the grace of God into a license for immorality”.
Jude 4, 11-13, 16, 19
“For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord…
“Woe to them! … These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
“These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage… These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
False teachers of this type teach that God loves everybody and accepts people regardless of who they are or what they do. They teach that God wants everybody to be prosperous and successful in life (or alternatively, that God wants equity and social justice for all people). They teach a gospel of universalism that everybody will go to heaven. And that all religions worship the same god/supreme being. Repentance from sin is absent from their preaching.
It is the latter form of falsehood, which is most evident in the church at present in the form of the “New Spirituality” which comprises the three elements of mysticism, ecumenism and universalism. Many principal evangelical leaders either directly or indirectly embrace the central beliefs and practices of the New Spirituality (i.e. that we can experience the ‘God’ within through “contemplative prayer” and we can grow spirituality through engaging in the “spiritual disciplines”.) It’s influence over the church world-wide is truly astonishing and marks a water-shed moment in the church era.
See Contemplative Prayer Spiritual Disciplines
(Nevertheless, you will find the former falsehood of legalism (i.e. salvation is obtained and secured only through observing religious rites and rituals), in older denominational Protestant churches (and of course the Catholic Church), and more recently the “Hebrew Roots Movement” teaches that to be an ‘authentic’ Christian a believer must embrace particular Jewish practices defined under the Old Covenant. Moreover, this Movement is also a backdoor for the New Spirituality as some of its advocates draw from the teachings of the Jewish sages and their form of mysticism called Kabbala.)
An old heresy called “Calvinism”, has also become a renewed threat because of the rise of certain high-profile teachers called the “New Calvinists”. Although Calvinism is distinct from the New Spirituality, New Calvinists are also promoting the New Spirituality.
See New Calvinists