False Teachers

Description.

Believers today must be aware that within the churches there may be preachers, pastors, and ministers of God's Word who are of the same spirit and life as the corrupt teachers of God.'s law in Jesus' day (Mat. 24:11,24). Jesus warns that not everyone vho professes Christ is a true believer, nor are all Christian writers, missionaries, Pastors, evanelists, teachers, deacons, and workers what they claim to be.

1. These ministers will "outwardly appear righteous unto men" (Matthew 23:28). They come "in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15). They may base their message solidly on God's Word, proclaiming high righteous standards. They may appear sincerely concerned for God's work and kingdom and show great interest in the salvation of the lost, professing love for all people. They may appear to be great ministers Of God, commendable spiritual leaders, anointed anointed by His Holy Spirit. They may perform great miracles and have great success, and multitudes may follow them (Matthew 7:21-23; 24:11,24; II Corinthians 11:13-15).
   
   
2. Nevertheless, these people find their spiritual ancestors in the false prophets of the Old Testament (Deut. 13:3; I Kings 18:40; Neh. 6:12; Jer. 14:14; Hos. 4:15) and in the Pharisees of the New Testament. Away from the crowds and in their private lives, the Pharisees were given over to "extortion and excess" (Matthew 23:25), "full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27),"full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Mat 23:28). Their lives behind closed doors involved such things as lust, immorality, adultery, greed, and self-centered indulgence.
   
   
3. These imposters attain a place of influence in the church in two ways.
   
   
   1. Some falseteachers/preachers begin their mmistry in sincerity, truth, purity, and genuine faith in Christ. Then because of their pride and their own immoral desires, personal commitment and love to Christ gradually die. Consequently, they am severed from the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5-6) and become instmmeats of Satan while disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness (II Cor. 11:15).
      
      
   2. Other false teachers/preachers are never genuine believers in Christ. Satan has planted them within the church from the very beginning of their ministry (Matthew 13:24-28,36-43), using their ability and charisma and aiding their success. His strategy is to place them in influential positions so that they can undermine the genuine work of Christ. If they are discovered or exposed, Satan knows that great damage will come to the gospel and that the name of Christ will be put to open shame.
      
      

Testing.

Jesus warned His disciples thirteen times in the Gospels to be aware of leaders who would mislead (Matthew 7:15; 16:6,11; 24:4,24; Mark 4:24; 8:15; 12:38-40; 13-5; Luke 12:1; 17:23; 20:46; 21:8). Elsewhere believers are exhorted to examine teachers, preachers, and leaders in tbe cburch (I Thes. 5:21; I John 4:1).

The following steps can be taken in testing false teachers or false prophets:

1. Discern the person's character.
   
   Does he have a diligent prayer life and manifest a sincere and pure devotion to God,? Does he manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), love sinners John 3:16), hate evil and love righteousness (Hebrews 1:9), and cry out against sin (Matthew 23; Luke 3:18-20)?
   
   
2. Discern the person's motives.
   
   True Christian leaders will seek to do four things:
   
   
   1. Honor Christ (II Corinthians 8:23; Phil. 1:20).
      
      
   2. Lead the church into sanctification (Acts 26.18; II Corinthians 6.16-18).
      
      
   3. Save the lost (I Corinthians 9:19-22).
      
      
   4. proclaim and defend the gospel of Christ and the apostles (Phil. 1:17; Jude 3).
      
      
3. Test the fruit of a person's life and message.
   
   The fruit of false preachers will often consist in converts not totally committed to all of God's Word (Matthew 7:16).
   
   
4. Discern the person's level of reliance on Scripture.
   
   This is a key issue. Does he believe and teach that the original writings of both the Old Testament and New Testament are fully inspired by God and that we are to submit to all their teachings (II John 9-11)? If not, we cam be assured that the teacher and his message are not of God.
   
   
5. Finally, test his integrity with respect to the Lord"s money.
   
   Does he refuse large amounts for himself, handle all finances with integrity and responability, and seek to promote the work of God in ways consistent with the New Testament standards for leaders (I Timothy 3:3; 6:9-10)?
   
   
6. It must be understood that in spite of all that a believer can do in evaluating a person's life and message, there will still be false teachers within the churches who, with the help of Satan, remain undetected until God determines to expose those persons for what they are.