How to Avoid Being Deceived by False Teachers
by Kim LintonPosted in Apologetics 12 Comments
As we draw closer to the return of Jesus Christ, it will become more difficult to discern who and what to believe concerning Christianity. Sound doctrine will be mocked as false teachers distort the truth with cleverly devised fables. It is vitally important to know what the Bible actually says, so when a time of testing comes, you will not be deceived.
1 John 2:18 says, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”
The Bible warns us that many false teachers will come in order to deceive believers until the Antichrist stands in the temple proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Spiritual deception comes in many forms, but for the sake of brevity we will discuss the main methods typically used to propagate false doctrine.
Deception is often cloaked in truth
Any person or group desiring to deceive will not reveal their true intentions. If someone says, “Let’s go worship Satan,” you would figure that one out pretty quickly. On the other hand, if someone says, “We believe Jesus was a wise teacher with a kind heart, but he was only a man,” you better know what you believe as a Christian because you have just been hit with false doctrine.
2 Corinthians 11:3 says, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
1 Timothy 4:1-3 also warns us of the dangers of deceptive teaching which is often cloaked in good intentions and man-made religiosity:
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.”
False teachers distort the truth about who Jesus is
If any person, group, or church tells you that Jesus was not God, that He was only a man, they are false teachers concerning Christianity. Many groups claim to be Christian, but if they deny the divinity of Jesus they are false teachers. The Bible makes it abundantly clear Jesus was and is God. Also, if any group or person says that we too can become a god someday, they are false teachers as well. For example, some “progressive” Christian groups have fallen into this trap, and their teaching can be very misleading. Here are a few important verses concerning the divinity of Jesus:
1. John 8:58 – “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (compare this verse to Exodus 3:14 which says, “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”)
2. Matthew 1:23 – The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.”
3. Hebrews 1:7-8 – In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
See also John 10:30-33, John 1:1, Micah 5:2, 1 Timothy 3:16, and John 5:18.
False teachers claim salvation is based upon works and not grace
Salvation is either by grace or by works, it can’t be both. Christians are saved by the grace of God and not by what we do. We have never, nor will we ever be able to do anything to earn salvation. That doesn’t mean we have a license to sin, or should not do good works, but we must understand it is only by accepting the finished work of Jesus on the cross that we are saved.
Anyone who says we must keep certain man-made laws to be saved is a false teacher, and unfortunately, there are many religious groups that impose legalism upon people in the name of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
False teaching is a serious offense against God
In Galatians 1:6-9 we are instructed by Paul not to be duped by false teachers. He goes on to say if anyone is teaching a “different” gospel than the one he preached they should be eternally condemned. What Paul was saying is “let them go to hell!” Those are pretty strong words. Here is Paul’s instruction to the Galatians regarding false teachers:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”
Paul doesn’t stop there. In Galatians 3:1-3 he says if we accept false teaching we have been bewitched. In other words, false teaching has the same effect on its victims as witchcraft. Here is Paul’s strong warning to the Galatians:
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (See also Galatians 5:4 and Romans 4:4-5).
Know how to defend your faith
I urge you to know what you believe and why. We are living in a time when many strong Christians are falling prey to deception and false teaching. Men and women of God who should know better are espousing teachings that are clearly departing from the gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the Bible.
I believe Christians are going to experience a time of testing like never before, and some are already bringing false teaching into the church and their homes. As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s imperative we be grounded in the foundational principles God has given us.
Remember, you are responsible for your own faith. You can’t blame anyone else for your decisions. It’s not up to your friends, your spouse, your parents, or your pastor to tell you what to believe – only you can discover God’s truths for your life.
About Kim Linton
Kim Linton began her writing career in 2001 as a contributor for Ministrymaker Magazine. Kim's work has since been published on a variety of websites including Woman's Day and Intel, and featured on several news sites including USA Today, Yahoo! News and The Wall Street Journal.12 responses to “How to Avoid Being Deceived by False Teachers”
To christians:-
Philippians 2-12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,….
Everyone must work out their own salvations…!!!
Why…? Because Faith without works is DEAD…!!!
James 2:26 — As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
NLT) James 1:22- But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Why…?
Because Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Beware of false doctrine…!!!
To all christians,
What is the true Gospel about…?
2ndly – Jesus say in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Does anyone know where is the Kingdom of God…?
Have anyone found it yet…?
How does it looks like…?
If don’t know, you may ask your pastor. If your pastor does not know, you can also ask me & I’ll shall reveal the answer.
the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the lord .
rest in the word my friends the battle is his and let us let him use our mortal bodies for his glory.
I AM A CHRISTIAN THAT HAS COME OUT OF TWO MAJOR FALSE DENOMINATIONS.I NOW REALIZE I AM TO BLAME FOR BEING DECEIVED FOR THE BIBLE WARNS OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO WATCH OUT FOR FALSE TEACHINGS DON’T FOLLOW MANS RELIGION TRUST NO ONE WE MUST DECERN AND STUDY SCRITURE. GOD’S WONDERFUL POWERFUL SPIRIT TEACHES US TRUTH WHEN WE HONESTLY AND HUMBLY SEEK IT. I NOW HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO SO NOW THAT I AM NO LONGER ENSLAVED BY MAN MADE RELIGION. I NOW AM ABLE TO GET TO KNOW GOD AND HIS WAYS. I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR OUR AWSOME CREATOR. I AM CURRENTLY ASKING GOD TO HELP MY LOVED ONES THAT ARE BOUND BY CHAIN OF MANS RELGION. I NEED GOD’S HELP TO SHOW THEM HIS LOVE AND TRUTH. THE HEAVY BURDEN OF FALSE RELIGION IS KILLING THEM FROM INSIDE OUT. I CRY FOR THEM MANY MANY NIGHTS ASKING GOD TO REMOVE THE VEIL FROM THEIR MINDS AS HE DID FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED AND WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH THEM. THE BIBLE IS RIGHT ON WHEN IT STATES THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE. FREE FROM THE HEAVY CHAINS OF FALSE TEACHINGS. PLEASE IF ANY OF YOU ARE HAVING ANY DOUBTS ABOUT YOUR DOCTRINES EXAMINE THEM PRAYFULLY USING YOUR BIBLE ONLY. THIS IS WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS TO DO SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. DONT STOP TILL YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TRUTH. YOUR ETERNAL SALVATION DEPENDS ON IT. THERE IS NO TIME OR ROOM FOR SPIRITUAL PRIDE AND SO WHAT IF SOME OF OUR BELIEFS OUR WRONG DONT YOU WANT THE TRUTH NO MATTER THE COST. STOP POINTING FINGERS AT EACH OTHER AND POINT IT AT YOU BEGIN NOW YOUR JOURNEY FOR TRUTH BEFORE ITS TO LATE. I LOVED THIS ARTICLE IT WAS SIMPLE BUT FACTUAL BIBLE TRUTH. AND I THANK GOD FOR SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST STANDING FIRM IN TRUTH AND GETTING IT OUT THERE. GOD BLESS ALL YOU THAT LOVE AND SEEK OUR HEAVENLY FATHERS TRUTH MAY YOU GROW AND PROSPER IN TRUTH
I AM BORN OF THE FREE WOMAN…becaused of false brothern who come in secretly to spy out my liberty which i have in Christ Jesus thy try to bring me into bondage so that the truth of the gospel might not continue no matter to me for i know god except no mans person this grace was given to me from above and with all humbleness it will be declared.
renee it was nice reading your story. my story was what kept me encourgage as i sogurn for christ i use to think i was the only one on the planet who had the words to teach me experience. it was so nice to see others with this same experience god bless you
your sister in christ
At present I’m home bound due to health issues. I’ve been like this for about 2yrs or so. I’m a seasoned Christian. Have worked in Children’s Ministry. I’m 70yrs old. I’ve begun to listen to an evangelist on TV. His music and his service have always drawn me to God. When I was Baptize I was baptized into Christ not into a particular denomination. I can distingguish when a teaching is not correct and I check it out against Scripture. I don’t put my teachers on pedesitals. I know none of us are perfect, and I have not encountered a church where the message is 100% correct. It’s sad that the Church is so divided amongst themselves because the one I’ve attended agree the Jesus is the Son of God, is God, He died once for all and resurrected and is @ the Rt of the Father. God is 3 persons, one God. Salvation is a gift, we are saved by grace. What appears to divide churches are the day of worship, diet, gifts of the H.S.and interpretation of prophecy,state of the dead (soul sleep…). From my view it appears that these separations have no baring on ones salvation. Enough said. I have been up all night struggling with my problem which is, Can someone preach an imperfect message and still draw Christians to God? I do not want to name the evangelist I am listening to. He is well known and had once fallen 2-3 times but appears to have been lifted by our Father and it appears is being used. His ministry is runned by his family. As I’ve tried to be fair, this man does teach correctly in the areas of the Gospel which I mention above. Please answer so that I can get some sleep. I’ve been lifting this up in prayer.
I visited a Church of Christ and the preacher gave a message on the subject of being saved by grace and works. I new something was wrong and I did not go back to that Church anymore. I beleive we are saved by grace through faith, and not of works. I know we are created for good works, but not saved by our works.
Will God let us know if we have been deceived?
@venus: you have been deceived. You do not let God in. God comes in by grace through faith at HIS CHOICE NOT YOURS. His Grace is voluntary. Romans 9:15,16 I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16So then it does NOT DEPEND ON THE MAN WHO WILLS or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Our salvation does not depend on us – that is what God Holy Spirit says. Salvation is all of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). It is up to Him to give you grace through faith – NOT OF YOURSELF. Salvation is ALL of the work of God (monorgistic justification); sanctification is the cooperative work of us and the Holy Spirit (synergistic) only after justification. We cannot raise ourselves up from spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1) we are dead (nekros). Dead men cannot make a “decision” for Christ. Please – truly – know what you believe and why you believe it – Test ALL spirits against the Word – the Word says we are not saved because we will it or work for it. That is the Word. Anything else is a false teaching and working to deceive.
This is wonderful Kim. You are spot on the mark. These times we live in now are experiencing a new wave, almost a tsunami, of belief systems. But if we are grounded in the Word firmly, we can see from what the Word says, there is no other Name under heaven by which we can be saved. Simple enough. Jesus (Acts 4:12). No wiggle room. Either He is the Son of God, died and arrose, and paid our penalty, or it just doesn’t fly. If you deny these things, then it is a man-made religion; get out as quickly as possible. This article is so badly needed today. Thank you and I thank God FOR you.
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, NIV)
All Christians are saved by the grace of God and not by what we do.
After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted….
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
grace is received when youve let god in. when you let god in, your actions reflect it. there fore it is not wrong to say that in your human efforts you have been saved but through the grace of god , which youve accepted.
let not this be misinterpreted that you can do evil and still obtain the graces of god. and reading your words it misleads the reader to think that grace alone without any conscious human awareness is possible. imagine all the liars and the cheaters and the thiefs reading this and feeling saved by this grace above mentioned, which their ignorance will embrace.