5 Quick Ways to Recognize False Teaching

A couple of Sundays ago, March 30th to be exact, I preached a sermon entitled “God’s Word In The Last Days” from 2 Timothy 3:1-4:8. This text is a great challenge to, not only pastors, but to all Christians. Paul was warning Timothy about the kind of people he would face in the last days (days between Christ's ascension and return). Paul then goes on to describe these people:

^"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!" - 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

What is truly amazing to me is that I have always thought Paul was describing the state of lost, unchurched  people however Paul is describing false teachers who claim to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! For these, Christianity was just an outward religion and they had not truly accepted Jesus as Savior thus there was no inward change. They looked like a Christian, but they acted like the world! These heretics held a form of godliness but they denied the truth of Christianity.

Knowing this, that there a false teachers and false professing Christians that Satan uses to draw others away from the truth of the Gospel, I offer for you "5 Quick Ways to Recognize False Teaching."

#1 The Trinity

Even thought the word trinity is not used in scripture, it is described in scripture. Simply stated, the doctrine of the trinity states that God is One. Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims "Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One." However, at the same time that God is One, He is also revealed in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God reveals His triune nature to us at the very Beginning in Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." He also commands us to baptize according to the trinity "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19). Our Baptist Faith and Message describes the trinity this way: The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

The trinity is biblical and anyone who adds to the trinity, takes away from it or substitutes one of the members is perverting the scripture. If a teaching puts adds another member to the trinity, that is false teaching. If a teaching subtracts members from the trinity, even if they call them "god" or "jesus", that is a false teaching and they are worshipping something other that the God of scripture. If a teaching substitutes any of the members of the trinity for anyone, anything else, that s a false teaching.

#2 The Scriptures

As Christians, we are so fortunate to have the Word of God, the Bible! I truly believe we as Americans take for granted our access that we have to the Bible. God's Word has existed since the beginning of creation. John 1:1 tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word has always existed! The Word is preserved by God and will not change. "For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished," Matthew 5:18. Also, God's Word is eternal. " but the word of the Lord endures forever,"  1 Peter 1:25. Also, the scripture will instruct us and lead us to be complete before God: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work," 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The Bible is the only authoritative Word that God has given us! False teachers will tell you that you need the Bible but that they have another holy book for you as well. False teaching will say that the Bible is not enough. A modern day example would be putting the teachings of a church or traditions on the same level as the scripture.

#3 Salvation

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is John 3. Why is that?  because here Jesus gives us the instruction that we must be born again. Not only that we see a beautiful explanation and picture of the love that God has for us! Jesus Christ is the only way that we can have a right relationship with God and be saved! In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Also, if we do not accept Jesus Christ, He does not condemn us because we have condemned ourselves! "Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God." So how can one be saved? "This is the message of faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation," (Romans 18:8-10)

Paul experienced problems with a group of people called the Judaizers. These people wanted to added the Jewish ritualistic customs to the salvation process. Unfortunately, people like the Judaizers still exist today. If a teaching adds additional requirements to the salvation process, then it is a false teaching. Some modern day examples are having to exhibit a certain spiritual gift, have to dress a certain way, abstaining from certain things, having to be forgiven of sins through a human agent, etc. Also another danger is the popular thought all people will be saved in the end anyway. This is a dangerous teaching and entirely false. Revelation 20:14&15 gives us the chilling truth about those that are not saved through Jesus Christ: "Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

#4 Sin

Humanity is in need of a Savior because sin entered the world through the sins of Adam and Eve. Because of their sin, humanity is cursed. We need a Savior! We are all sinners, none of us are perfect. Romans 3:23 states "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." What does it matter if we sin? Why is it so important? Simply put, Sin is in direct opposition to God.  Psalm 5:4 reveals to us God's nature in regards to sin, "For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You." Sin is in direct opposition to God and as unforgiven sinners, we are separated from God.  Isaiah 59:2 states "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen."

All throughout scripture God reveals His standard for righteousness and what He considers to be sin. Any teaching that states that any sin or a certain sin is acceptable is a false teaching. Start with the 10 Commandments and see what that teaching has to say about those things. If the teaching says sin is ok, then that teaching is in direct opposition to God's will.

#5 Fruit

Finally, You can know a real Christian or a real teaching by their fruit. Paul gives us the fruit of a Christian in Galatians 5:22&23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, self-control." A lot of people have memorized those verses however we would also do well to pay attention to the fruit of the flesh that he lists before it in Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  Any teacher or teaching that produces the fruit of the flesh is a false teaching!