Should We Be Concerned About False Teachers?

There seems to be much talk about whether we should spend time on false teachers or not. Many will clamor and say that we need to focus on the essentials, and as long as they love God it’s ok. Non-essentials are trivial things such as what do we wear to church? Or what time should church be at? Included in essentials are false teachers and their teachings.

Pragmatism is saying that the ends justify the means, so as long as God’s Word is being proclaimed, its ok. But if it were a false teacher, Jesus and the apostles would have nothing to do with a demon promoting Him or their message.  

In Acts 16.16-18 we see an example of a demon acknowledging that Paul, Timothy and Dr. Luke were “bond-servants of the Most High God”.

Acts 16.16-18 “16 It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.”

Paul was greatly annoyed because although the statements made by the demon in the slave-girl were true, it would cause all the people who heard what the demon said through the slave-girl to think that Paul and the disciples were united with a demon-possessed girl.

For if you have a demon-possessed person united with those who proclaim that Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19.10), it will cause people to doubt the power of Jesus and show them that Jesus does not have power over the demons.

Jesus all throughout the Gospels rebuked demons and told them to keep silent, not allowing them to proclaim that He was the Messiah the Son of God (i.e. Luke 04.34-35),

God can save anyone, and use different methods, but light and darkness are not to mix (2Corinthians 06.14-16) and nowhere in Scripture are we told to use the work of Satan to proclaim the truth of God’s Word!

People who follow false teachers and their teachings are in danger of going to Hell! HELL! Hell is not a pleasant place, and yet many in the Christian Church call out for us to “just love one another”.

Biblically, we are not to partner with false teachers who preach a false doctrine (Psalm 50.16).

Psalm 50.16 “16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?”

We see examples of this all throughout the Bible, and especially in the New Testament. When Paul was trying to hurry to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost, he stopped in Miletus and sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20.17-38), he declared that he was bold in proclaiming the Gospel of God and gave them a warning about false teachers, telling the leaders of the church are to teach God’s Word and be on guard (pay attention) for the savage wolves who will arise from inside of the church.

Acts 20.27-30 “27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Paul gives a warning in his letter to the church at Rome to “keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Romans 16.17-18)

That phrase “keep your eye” in Romans 16.17 is the Greek word (G4648) skopeo and it means to spy, to look at, observe, to mark, to fix one’s eyes upon, direct one’s attention to.

So what Paul was saying in Romans 16.17-18 that we are to scope out false teachers who teach what is against the Word of God and turn away from them!

Paul told the church at Corinth that false teachers are from Satan, taking their cue of deceit from him by saying that they are sent from God, but in all actuality they are false teachers (2Corinthians 11.12-15).

2Corinthians 11.12-15 “12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

Paul warned the church at Ephesus not to be immature like children and be easily deceived  “by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men” (Ephesians 04.14).

Paul told Timothy that the times will get worse, and that false teachers will become more relevant, but he wanted Timothy to continue in the teaching of the Word of God (1Timothy 04.01; 2Timothy 03.13-17).

1Timothy 04.01 “1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,”

2Timothy 03.13-17 “13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

2Timothy 04.03-04 “3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Peter warned that false teachers will arise from the household of faith, and he warned what their teachings will be about experiences and sensual (2Peter 02.01-02).

2Peter 02.01-02 “1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”

John warned that false teachers (antichrists) will come, and that we are to test them to see if they are from God (1John 02.18; 1John 04.01).

1John 02.18 “18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

1John 04.01 “1 Beloved, do not believe (literally: to have faith in) every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Paul warned Titus about the dangers of allowing false teachers in and that false teachers are to be publicly rebuked (Titus 01.10-16).

Titus 01.10-16 “10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind & their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

Paul told Timothy that false teaching spreads rapidly like gangrene (2Timothy 02.17) which if not treated properly can spread quickly and lead to amputation and even death! Paul mentioned false teachers by name (1Timothy 01.20; 2Timothy 02.17), specifically Hymenaeus who said that the resurrection at the end was already past (2Timothy 02.16-18), and Hymenaeus led Philetus astray. Alexander was another false teacher that Paul mentioned, for Alexander stood up against Paul and Timothy and the sound teaching of the Word (2Timothy 04.14).

This is why we as CHRISTians are encouraged by John to “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.” (1John 04.01) for “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.” (1John 04.05)

The Bible forbids CHRISTians from listening to these false teachers;  (Titus 03.10-11)

Titus 03.10-11 “10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.”