EP 08: The Threat of False Teachers & How to Identify Them

Are you listening to a sugar-coated gospel? False teachers are not new, but their threat is still great. Tune in to learn how to be on the lookout for them.Before we hop to it, I want to share the review of the week with you! 

Featured Review of the Week

The reviewer has a username I can’t really pronounce because it’s a bunch of letters jumbled together, but whoever this person is made my heart smile big with their words! “Love, love, love! This podcast is one of the most uplifting and refreshing things my heart needs! The amount of truth that is evoked in each episode further motivates my Christian faith!” To the sister who took the time to encourage me in such a sweet way, thank you! Thank you so much! I hope you are listening to this episode so that you can hear just how grateful I am for you!! To any of my sisters listening who have not left a review, please consider doing so. In doing so, you will help the podcast reach more people. And I’m all for sharing the good news of God’s Word with as many sisters as I possibly can! 

What are False Teachers?

Okay, so let’s talk about false teachers. In this episode, I am going to focus on what a false teacher is and how to identify one according to Scripture. Simply put, false teachers are those who preach messages that contradict the true, infallible Word of God.  As Paul says in Galatians 1:9, “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (ESV). 

The Threat of False Teachers

False teachers either neglect or distort vital truths concerning God’s Word, which is in turn kept from the ears of sinners. And that’s us!Many false teachers speak feel-good messages designed not for the glory of God, but rather the glory of their own self. If you pay close enough attention and consider the things I’m sharing with you in today’s episode, you will be able to better determine whether or not Jesus Christ is truly central to their message. Paul speaks to the danger of false teachers in Romans 16:18, which says:“Such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (ESV)Sis, false teachers are a great threat to the church and we must be careful! They may call Christ their Lord, but they are far from serving him. Like Paul says here in Romans 16, they care more about serving their own belly rather than they do feeding the body of Christ with the very things it needs. Although they may call themselves Christians, false teachers do not truly serve Christ. Their central aim, again, is not the glory of God but rather their own interests. That being said, I do want to clarify that those who teach false messages are not always doing it intentionally or with ill-motives. Our preachers are human, and they will make mistakes. But it’s so important that we stand on guard and be on the lookout for those who are in this for the wrong reasons. And the best way to do that is from a solid understanding of God’s Word. 

Know Why You Believe What You Believe

This is one reason why it is SO important for us to really know God’s Word. Simply hearing a message about it on Sunday is NOT and will never be enough. We cannot rely on sermons to be the sole source of teaching us what we need to know. In fact, the Bible must be what we benchmark everything by. In order to be changed by truth, we must know truth. And rooting yourself in the Word of God once a week is not enough for this true change to occur. We have to water our roots for them to grow strong. Every single day! When we find ourselves changed by truth...when we show up and get to really know God through His Word, we will be able to know what we believe and why it is we believe what we believe instead of leaving it up to who could very well be a false teacher. 

Don’t live naive to the Word of God. Live as a native of it. 

Peter also talks about false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1. Listen to this: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (ESV)Peter literally says “there will be false teachers among you”, sis. This includes our local churches. Whether members of the flock or shepherd’s of the sheep, false teachers are among us. And they’re dangerous. And we must be careful. 

An Example of a False Teaching

Perhaps you have heard of the health and wealth gospel, also known as the blab and grab gospel but most popularly referred to as the Prosperity Gospel. Anyone who teaches this type of gospel is a false teacher. The Prosperity Gospel teaches that wealth and holiness are weaved together. It teaches the more holy you are, the richer you will be in all aspects of life. It thrives itself on the false truth that to be a faithful follower of Christ is to expect all our dreams to come true from Him. Teachers of the Prosperity Gospel distort the orthodox view of the Abrahamic covenant in the sense that, because of it, we are entitled to material gain. Because of this, followers of the Prosperity Gospel live with a give to gain mindset. Meaning, they believe the more they give God, the more He will give them. The Prosperity Gospel portrays a terribly unbiblical view of the relationship between God and man. I could do a whole podcast episode on this -- and maybe I should -- but for now I just want to use it as an example of false teaching. 

How to Identify False Teachers

Moving on, I want to take a look at what Jesus says regarding false teachers in Matthew 7, starting in verse 15:“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (ESV).Did you notice that Jesus tells us we will recognize false teachers by their fruits not once, but twice? And, immediately, He tells us how deceptive -- how appealing -- messages of false prophets are. They will come to us “in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves”.  Jesus makes it clear here that time will tell whether or not a teacher of God’s Word is a true teacher or a false teacher. We will be able to determine this through the ways in which they live and treat others. 

The Beginning of False Teachers

Did you know the threat of false teachers goes all the way back to the exodus generation? In Deuteronomy 13, we see Moses warn the Israelites against those who would claim to be prophets while leading them to worship other gods. We see warnings of false prophets and teachers weaved all throughout Scripture! They are not new to us, but their threat is still great. Here is the fact of the matter, sis: the way to identify a true teacher of God’s Word is by their orthodoxy- that is, being theologically sound in their doctrinal beliefs.Truth is, I was once in this same spot- for years- listening to those pep-talk sermons that constantly fired me up and placed me on cloud 9 for God. But, at the end of the day, that’s all it was. I was in love with who I had perceived Him to be based on all the good things I had heard instead of being in love with the God of the Bible. They were two different Gods, sis! My listening ears were naive and the reality of my sinful nature became more and more clouded to me because of it.

False Teachers, Great God

I don’t know about you, but I want to be fired up about a God I personally know- and the only way I can do that is through His Word. I don’t want the way I know my God to be based on a sugar-coated message. Instead, I want to pursue the heart of my Father concerning what He has very intentionally revealed to us within His Word. And yeah, that includes having to face some pretty difficult truths at times. But I would rather know and wrestle with these truths instead of attending a church that avoids them and centralizes its messages on self rather than the One who reigns above all. False messages concerning God's Word are everywhere we look. As sinners, the last thing we need is a sermon that blinds us to our utter need for God and His saving grace. We need the truth. We need a message that reminds us of our depravity, challenges us in our understanding of God’s Word, and places its hope in the Story of Redemption. In the God who saves, not because of anything we have or ever will do, but because of what He has done for us. This is the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, sis. Let’s place our time, efforts, and delight in it! 

My Transition from sugar-coated preaching to the great joy of sound doctrine! 

The transition that occurred from realizing the hard truth of my sugar-coated gospel days has been both hard and beautiful. Journeying out of this understanding required me to let go of a lot of pride that this teaching instilled within me. And it hurt. But in doing so, my eyes have been opened and my relationship with God is not just built on pep-talks and good feelings. I actually KNOW His Word and my relationship with Him is cultivated through what He has revealed about Himself through His Word. Since this transition, I have also become a part of a church body that values sound, God-glorifying and honoring theology. Does that involve asking questions and hearing the hard reality of His Word? You bet. Do I wrestle with some of those things? Absolutely. 

Grateful

But let me tell you, I am so grateful for the work God has done and continues to do in my heart. I may not understand everything concerning the Word, but I know that I belong to the One who does. I would rather get real and raw with my faith, than to base my faith off of superficial teachings. Although I get confused about His Word at times and ask questions I may never have answers to in this life, I still TRUST Him. Even when the teachings of His Word don’t seem good at times, I know that He is good. And this speaks volumes when I consider where I am in my relationship with and understanding of Him now compared to where I used to be. Years ago, I would have walked away. But because I water my roots with the things that make them grow -- like sound doctrine -- I can stand to wrestle with His.

Sound Doctrine Matters!

Which leads me to this. Sis, it is SO important for us to be able to recognize sound doctrine. Don’t you agree? This alone is one of the greatest ways to identify a false teacher. That being said, I want to share some helpful and important questions for you to ask yourself as you consider whether or not you are listening to the sugar-coated words of a false teacher. Again, false teachers can be very appealing and deceptive...so it can be hard to tell at times. Like Jesus tells us in Matthew 7, time will tell when their tree bears fruit. 

Are You Listening to a Sugar-Coated Gospel?

Okay, here are those questions! 

• Does sound doctrine matter here?
• Is the preacher in love with the glory of God in the Gospel?
• Was the Gospel preached?
• Is there a spirit of greed for money and material gain?
• Is there a system of accountability for leadership present within this body?
• Pay attention to the prayers. Do they force or declare God to grant things? 
• Did the sermon point me to Jesus or myself?
• Is this a church where God’s Word is faithfully taught?

Be On the Lookout

Sis, a true teacher of God’s Word is determined by the orthodoxy of what he preaches. Be on the lookout for those who pervert the truth of God’s Word. It does not matter how gifted someone may be or how large the organization they lead is. If their teaching is not centered on God and God alone, then you have found yourself in the presence of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.With that in mind, I do want to note that whether people accidentally preach false truths or if they purposefully preach false truths, God can still use these teachers because He is sovereign and He works together all things for good for those who are called according to His purposes. Let this truth give us confidence and assurance that those who have good motives in preaching the Good News are not wasting their efforts in doing so- even when they stumble. And it also gives us confidence in sharing the Gospel even if we are not biblical scholars. We may mess up -- we will mess up -- but God can and will still use us for His glory even when we do.  

Good News!

Finally, I want to wrap up today’s episode with some Good News. Jesus rescues and saves! We can take heart in the truth that He will rescue His people from the false teaching of false teachers. Should we take precautions and be mindful of the false teachers among us, and share these things with others? Absolutely. But let us also not forget that it’s really not up to us. That our Redeemer is in all the details. No matter how many wolves in sheep’s clothing there may be, God has the final say- not them. He will rescue His church, sis. And hallelujah to that!! 

Thanks for Tuning in!

Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode! I pray it opened your eyes to helpful truths for you to keep in mind when it comes to identifying false teachers of God’s Word. If you loved this episode, I would love for you to share it with a sister! And, if you’re loving this podcast, I would love for you to consider becoming a DOD VIP through Patreon. Partnering with me financially to help spread the news of God’s Word would be a truly invaluable gift! You can find more information about this in the show notes to this episode. Finally, I want to leave you with the precious words of Philemon 1:6:"And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ" (ESV).Have a blessed day, sis!

A Special thanks to Dwell

I want to give a very special shoutout to my friends at Dwell. Dwell is a new audio Bible app that is filled with helpful tools to help you dwell in Scripture. I cannot recommend this app enough! It has been coined as the Spotify of Scripture, and there is a good reason for that.There are all kinds of listening plans you can tune into, and you get to choose from 6 different epic accents. Be sure to check out Nigel and George, they’re my favorites! In addition, you also have the option to listen to music written specifically for this app as you listen to the narrator read your selected listening plan. I have said it before and I will say it again. As someone who prefers to read, this app has been a game-changer for me. Dwell cultivates such a special listening experience when it comes to hearing the Word of God and I’m so excited for you to check it out! I am also so excited to share that Dwell is generously giving the Daughter of Delight community 33% off an annual subscription to the app! Visit dwellapp.io/daughterofdelight to get your discount and start using your ears to renew your mind! That’s dwellapp.io/daughterofdelight for 33% off an annual subscription. I’ll be sure to link it in the show notes! 

Want More?

Check out last week’s episode, Faith in the Age of Social Media!Find more Gospel-encouragement on the blog, too!