False Teachings in the World Today: Part 3
How to Respond
This is the final segment on false teachings in the world today. I hope it will be useful to you in combating false teachings in your worldview, and those you experience in your church and community. Let’s begin.
Wisdom is
the application of the truth of Scripture to our lives (James 1:5), and God
wants us to ask for wisdom. But
discernment (judgment) takes that one step further. Discernment is the ability to judge or
distinguish between two things using the wisdom of God’s Word. This kind of judging is not wrong. Indeed, it is crucial if we are to make wise
choices.
We learn to
distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, and truth and error through
the work of the Holy Spirit within us. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to
reveal and teach the truth that is from Him. (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:13–14)
In the New
Testament, Jesus told the Pharisees that they should be able to understand the
signs of the times, but because they were more concerned about adding to the
law, they were unable to discern God’s truth. (Matthew 16:1–3)
Adding to
God’s Word is always a sign of false teaching. Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation
22:18–19 tell us clearly that we are neither to add to nor take away from God’s
Word or else we will be found to be a liar. Whenever we incorrectly handle the Scriptures,
we will end up with deception and destructive teaching. It is the responsibility of every Christian to
be discerning, but our attitude in discerning and confronting error is also
important. We must not be hateful,
argumentative, nor angry, but we must instead expose false teachings with love,
kindness, and hope for change. (Ephesians 4:15) We must listen carefully to what is said (Proverbs
18:13), and then confront with the faithful Word (Titus 1:9), not our own
opinions. God hates evil, but He also
despises pride and arrogance, so our attitude in discernment matters to Him. (Proverbs
8:13)
To learn the
difference between real and counterfeit bills, FBI agents study real money so
they will recognize phony money. Similarly, if we want to recognize wolves in
sheep’s clothing, we must know what a true sheep looks like! Because evil disguises itself as truth—and
remember, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
We must study God’s Word so we can quickly
recognize error. Even in some
evangelical churches, people are not being taught the whole counsel of God.
It’s important to anchor our lives in God’s character (2 Peter 1:3), and know
His standards for unchanging truth, so we will not be left wandering aimlessly by
the empty, always-changing philosophies of the world. “Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
God wants us
to mature in Christ so we will not be “tossed to and fro” by foolish, crafty
schemes and teachings. (Ephesians 4:13-15) He wants us to grow in understanding and
discernment, because he hates “every false way.” (Psalm 119:104) If we
will meditate in the Scriptures, we will be less likely to fall for the counsel
of the wicked. (Psalm 1:1–2) It is
important to come to the Word of God in humility—as a little child—without any
ulterior motives and biases, asking our heavenly Father to teach us. (Matthew
11:25, 1 Corinthians 1:19–20)
It is also
important to sit under solid, biblical church teaching, and fellowship with
strong Christian believers. We need
daily exposure to the Word of God so we will be able to “discern what is best”
and live holy, blameless lives. (Philippians 1:10)
Truth is the
most powerful weapon against error. Once
we know the truth, we will want to share it with others who have fallen into
error, those who are deceived by false teaching. We must teach and live out the truth of God so
that we can help other believers stand in the freedom of Christ and, “…not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1b)
God also wants
us to defend the gospel and expose the sources of error that may be influencing
our lives, or the lives of those we love. Perhaps it is a cult, New Age thinking, or
theological errors. First John 4:1
instructs us 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.”
Whatever
their words, whether they are spoken by preachers, teachers, psychologists,
authors, talk show hosts, or radio speakers; all teachings are to be judged by
the eternal Word of God.
Listed here are some of the methods and
teachings that are exposed by the Scriptures:
1)
They preach another gospel and a different Jesus from the one revealed in
Scripture (1 Cor. 16:22; 2 Cor. 11:4; Gal.
1:6–9).
2)
They speak “visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.”
(Jeremiah 23:16) and “…who presumes to speak in my name anything I have
not commanded him to say…” (Deuteronomy 18:20–22)
3)
They “…call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for
darkness.” (Isaiah 5:20)
4)
They “…gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and
are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to
acknowledge the truth.” (2
Timothy 3:6b–7)
5)
They will “secretly introduce destructive heresies.” (2 Peter 2:1)
6)
They speak “empty, boastful words…they entice people…They promise them
freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity…and they are
worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” (2 Peter 2:18–21)
7)
“…watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that
are contrary to the teaching you have learned…” (Romans 16:17) False
apostles often appear as, “…deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of
Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13)
In the end
times, false prophets and false christs , “…will appear and perform great
signs and miracles to deceive even the elect…” (Matthew 24:24) Christians are warned to have nothing to do
with them and their “deeds of darkness,” but rather “expose them” (Ephesians
5:11) and be careful, ”…no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy…” by their false doctrines. (Colossians 2:8) False teachers are empowered by Satan, and we
must be courageous and vigilant against this cunning enemy who seeks to
“devour” us. (1 Peter 5:8–9)
Prayer is
often an overlooked element in the battle against false teaching. Beyond gently
and firmly sharing the truth, we can pray, from a heart of compassion and
concern, that God will correct those who are in disagreement with scripture,
that they will repent and finally understand the truth. We can also pray for those who have been
misled by these teachers, that they will recognize the error of false teachings
and embrace the truth of the Word of God. We must always, “…be alert and always keep
on praying for all the saints” that they will stand for truth and righteousness.
(Ephesians 6:18)
As I
mentioned before, there is no such thing as a safe dose of poison, so we must
be careful about what we allow to enter our lives. It is wise to surround ourselves and those we
love with a clear understanding of what God teaches in His Word. In fact, we should put on the whole armor of God, for our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against, “the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12–17)
To be proactive, we can learn to
correctly handle the Scriptures, knowing these truths about the Word of God:
1)
It is eternal and unchanging (Psalm
119:89)
2)
It is trustworthy (Psalm
119:137–138)
3)
It is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness
(2 Timothy 3:16)
4)
It originates in God Himself by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20–21)
5)
It will be fulfilled—unlike the prophecies of false teachers (Deut. 18:22, Matt.
5:18)
6)
It is understandable through the Holy Spirit’s teaching (John 14:26, 16:13)
7)
It means what it says and is not to be altered (Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5–6, 1 Corinthians 4:5–6, Revelation 22:18–19)
8)
It is unified, neither contradictory nor inconsistent (Psalm 119:160,
Matthew 4:4)
9)
It is the standard for testing all spiritual teaching (Acts 17:11, 1
Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1)
We test
teachings by asking questions. Does the
teaching present Jesus biblically? (John 10:33) Does the teaching represent truth from the
Spirit of God—as portrayed in the Word of God—or from another spirit? Is the message consistent with the Scriptures
that teach the physical death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and
salvation by grace alone? (Ephesians 2:8–9)
The
scriptures tell us that there will
be a great falling away from the true faith in the last days. It says men will not endure sound doctrine,
but will have itching ears and will heap to themselves teachers that will
fulfill their own lusts. In these
perilous last days, we must be bold to confront false teachers in confidence,
with compassion and wisdom.
We must know, share,
and live the truth; prayerfully asking God to use us to change the hearts and
minds of those entangled by Satan’s lies.
Don’t miss out on the complete series on False Teachings:
False Teachings in Today’s World -Part 2
False Teachings in Today’s World -Part 1
