How to Spot a False Teacher in the Church-
There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute- 2nd Peter 2:1-2
Last week, I was scrolling a social media site, and I happened upon a post entitled “twelve false teachers to avoid”. There were a couple of people on the list I had never heard of but for the most part it was a “who’s who” of popular Christianity. The poster (not someone I know) did not give a list of reasons for placing those folks on their list. It was just a list of names. The comments were passionate. Many disputed the posters conclusions; others felt the poster was spot-on.
I am not opposed to the notion of identifying false teachers the Church. The New Testament frequently warns readers to be on the lookout for false teachers (Matthew 7:15, Acts 20:28-30, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, Jude 4). False teachers mislead and sometimes even entice people to sin (2nd Timothy 3:1-8). This makes all Christians look hypocritical, causing unsaved folks to reject Jesus because of the behavior of Christians (2nd Peter 2:1-2).
Not good.
Nonetheless, I don’t love the idea of publicly calling out false teachers. Such tactics lack grace, teach nothing and hurt those who may have made a mistake in their teaching and have since repented. All human leaders are fallible. Punishing anyone for immaturity or a mistake is worldly rather than Christian (Titus 3:11). Moreover, it seems to me it is more important for the average Joe or Jane Christian to be able to identify false teachers rather than be given a list of people to avoid. So, in the interest of education I am providing a list, not of people to avoid but of characteristics to lookout for. The list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start.
First and foremost:
They are almost always squishy when it comes to sexuality-
This is the most glaring red flag for false teachers today. Most (not all) false teachers take a worldly stand on sexual issues. Oftentimes they openly promote LGBTQ lifestyles in the name of “love” or “grace”. It is neither loving nor gracious to celebrate any behavior God explicitly forbids (Acts 15:29, Romans 1:24-27, 1st Corinthians 6:18, 2nd Corinthians 6:9-11, 1st Thessalonians 4: 3-8).
Their ministry is about something besides Jesus or living for Jesus-
Many false teachers center their ministry entirely around the “prophetic word”. These self-proclaimed “prophets” have a fresh “word from the Lord” nearly every day and their predications typically have a very low rate of accuracy. Other false teachers focus mostly on politics or psychology. They tend to make the Bible secondary in their teachings. False teachers often blend politics or psychology with the Bible explaining away sin in psychological terms or making patriotism a standard of holiness. For the record, I am not opposed to patriotism or psychology as long as we put God first and keep the rest in perspective. I also believe God speaks to and through people, even today (Hebrews 12:25). Furthermore, the New Testament explicitly cautions readers not to become contemptuous or dismissive of prophecy (1st Thessalonians 5:20-21). That being said, a healthy Christian teacher focuses MOST of their teachings on living a victorious Christian life, understanding the teachings of the Bible and glorifying Jesus, NOT on politics, psychology or the prophetic word.
They resist authority including scriptural authority-
Most (all) false teachers resist any kind of authority and are rarely (if ever) under a denominational covering. Furthermore, they tend to become angry and belligerent when told that their teachings do not measure up to biblical standards. Truth-be-told there is little real spiritual authority anymore, even in many denominations (Judges 21:25). Therefore, it is critical Christians study the Bible for themselves so they can spot erroneous teaching when it is presented (Acts 17:11, 2nd Timothy 2:15).
The fruit is bad-
Most false teachers do not have (for the most part) good fruit. They don’t lead a lot of people to the Lord and when they do those folks tend to fall away. They also tend to lack the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, 2nd Peter 1:3-11, Colossians 3). Be on guard for those who make salvation secondary and/or talk about Christian virtues but do not walk them out.
They lack the character required for Christian leaders-
The Bible sets clear standards for those in Christian leadership. Anyone can have a bad day (or even a bad season) but for the most part a healthy Christian leader should be mature and tested (1st Timothy 3:6). They should also set a good example, be kind, clear minded, able to teach and patient with difficult people. They should not be pugnacious (fighty), greedy, gossipy or given to drunkenness (Ephesians 4:11-15, 1st Timothy 3:1-13, 2nd Timothy 2:4). If a Christian leader is dishonest, lacking in virtue and/or cannot live in peace with most people most of the time, he or she should not be followed.
They are motivated primarily by money and attention-
There is nothing wrong or sinful with having a big ministry or lots of followers, nor is it wrong to raise a lot of money for godly causes. However, a lot can go wrong when a teacher or preacher tailors their teaching to gain a huge following and raise a lot of money (Mark 8:36, 1st Timothy 6:3-6, Titus 1:10-11). If a teacher or preacher talks a lot about money but very little about sin and living a righteous life, chances are good they are more interested in a personal following than seeing souls saved and people sanctified.
Ultimately, false teachers are a lot like the fig tree in Matthew 21:18-19. They tend to be all style with no real substance. They profess to believe all the right things but the more you look the more obvious it becomes that their lifestyle and teaching is a little “off”. The era of podcasts and YouTube has made it possible for false teachers to thrive with little or no real accountability. It’s on the individual Christian to choose who they follow wisely and practice discernment in all things.
