If we dont have access to their personal lives, or their doctrinal compromises havent yet been manifest publicly in their behavior, we may find it difficult to know whether they are true. Though they have knowledge of Biblical truths, they are, at best, in delusion, presuming to turn others to the Kingdom of God when, in fact, they are building the corrupt kingdoms of men. Though the details of the stories vary, all were men who had the right doctrinal content in their books and sermons. 3:16). Satans greatest ambassadors are not pimps, politicians, or power-brokers, but pastors, warns Tim Challies. . Satans greatest ambassadors are not pimps, politicians, or power-brokers, but pastors. John offered an urgent warning about him. What may begin as mere whispers in a private room will soon enough be proclaimed from the housetops (Luke 12:3). Homosexual Agenda 2:14).1. You make me sick Tim, maybe its long overdue you actually start carrying a cross for Jesus sake. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Therefore, he speaks much of happiness but little of sin, much of heaven but nothing of hell. 2:17). 1:8). Podcast: The False Messages Facing Women Today (Lydia Brownback). Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teaching focused on speculation displaces the sure and steady doctrine of Scripture. There were no cars or airplanes, and no printing presses, websites, or Facebook pages. With the same group of terms, Peter contrasts those deeply rooted in the truth with those who are not (astriktous), who are more susceptible to the deception of false prophets (2 Pet. In his admonition to Titus to avoid foolish controversies and quarrels about the law (Titus 3:9), Paul remarks, As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned (Titus 3:1011). The author of Hebrews warned his church of these strange teachings, while Paul told Timothy to protect the church against any different doctrine (Hebrews 13:9, 1 Timothy 1:3). All of these are what the Apostle John called anti-Christs (1 John 2). His life and ministry make clear that what we teach others includes both whats in our heads and what we do with our bodies. Please understand that this isnot a comprehensive list of every false teacher in existence (there are thousands of them, so that would be impossible),and do not assume that just because youdontsee a particular teacher, ministry, or trend listed that he/she/it must therefore be doctrinally sound. Much like: Baptism + Jesus = Salvation. Scripture speaks of the human heart, saying, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it (Jer 17:9)? In reality, though, he is commissioned and empowered by Satan for the purpose of misleading and disrupting Christs church. But this is not the only way to deny Christ. Thanks for stopping by! Well read bout some examples of these false teachers and their teachings which are slipping into congregations around the world. 16:18). The question is whether you can discern which messages are false. Poor leaders proclaim Christ in word but deny him with their lives. Please use them as teaching tools in the spirit of 2 Timothy 2:24-26 to help others understand the sin and false doctrine being promoted, keeping in mind that the people who follow them most likely simply dont know theyre following false teachers. In fact, in nearly every letter, some false teaching or heresy is exposed and dealt with. These false teachers do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites [or belly; koilia] (Rom. The emphasis made here is not on a particular method of interpretation or the difficulty of the texts themselves but on the type of people who distort the Scripturesignorant and unstable people (hoi amatheis kai astriktoi). He preaches an empty gospel to a packed out church. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. To be clear, Im not calling us to cancel anyone. Rhyne R. Putman (PhD, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate vice president of academic affairs at Williams Baptist University and associate professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Perhaps it makes sense, then, that Whitefield, Hudgins, and others kept doctrine and practice largely divorced from each other. This tendency is very apparent in the modern world, where faith-healing televangelists and prosperity preachers prey upon the underprivileged to finance their extravagant lifestyles, but the same kind of greed motivated false prophecy and teaching in the early church (2 Pet. They include the human part or the persons contribution to complete their salvation, and that is not what the gospel is about. The greatest defense against false teaching is a local church community that knows, enjoys, and lives the word of God and holds its leaders accountable. Word of Faith . Jonathan Leeman. There is a close resemblance between the true and the false prophet. And we must continue to do so, not in a mouthing-the-words way but in a conviction-of-the-heart-and-mind way. Like the false prophets of Jeremiahs day, he and the thousands like him say, Peace, peace, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). It was about God providing a lamb and He did just that; in Abrahams day and in our day at Calvary, God has provided the Lamb of God. Heres how Jesus prepares us in Matthew 7:1520: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. He preaches a partial gospel which is no gospel at all. Churches also find that having them in community with older members and answering their whys help them stay in the church. Another sign that will show that the doctrine or teaching you may be hearing in the church is false is that it will be sensual and very appealing to the flesh. We see this most clearly, perhaps, in the history of racism and American evangelicals. (Also, try typing the teachers name into the search bar.). Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. Too many false teachers in the church today distort the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, his sinless death on the cross, the gospel of Grace vs Works, eternal salvation, teachings on baptism, God's plan for Israel, when the rapture occurs, who God will punish during the Great Tribulation and more. In his head, he might have what many consider to be the right doctrinal content. As Paul defended his apostleship from this charge, We are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ (2 Cor. Not every spiritual work is from God. Fundamentally, orthopraxy and orthodoxy are inseparable. False teachings in the church. Recently we saw him obscuring the clear message of Scripture to search for hidden codes in Scripture. Today Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and a host of others peddle the prosperity gospel to enrich themselves from their followers gifts. Such false teachers "profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. Painful as they are, all our deaths and endings hold lessons we cannot live wisely without. Everything else is about their lives. To maintain his followers respect, he preaches only the parts of the Bible they deem acceptable. 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 (2 Peter 2:1). Scrutiny of my life would be difficult and even painful. As Jesus says, "False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), and not just a little short. 1:6; Col. 2:20; 1 Tim. He may, like Marcus Borg and other prominent scholars, deny the virgin birth or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God Isn't A Trinity. Any false teacher or false prophet telling you that you can't be sure of your salvation is lying to you because we are told in Romans 8:16 that you can be sure of your salvation as the Holy Spirit will bear witness that you are truly God's Child if you are truly saved of course. We are seeing the enormous consequences of this kind of heresy every day, but we dont always name it as such. Catholicism (RCC) History serves as a helpful reference point. Verses 1 and 3 mention the generalities destructive heresies and false words which indeed relate to teaching but then, nothing further in this chapter focuses on their teaching. But today just about every false teacher has a Twitter account. I provide information here largely in answer to questions from my readers. Those who cause division are worldly, devoid of the Spirit, and are relentlessly pursuing their own ungodly passions (Jude 1819). No matter how twisted the teaching, no matter how publicly shamed the church may feel over the expos of an unethical leader, no matter how dark the days become, no matter how helpless we may feel in guarding gospel doctrine and preserving gospel-worthy lives, we have this great sustaining hope: Jesus knows how to rescue the godly. Here is a list of of the more obvious heretics/false teachers to be marked & avoided: (not exhaustive) Angley, Ernest [Word of Faith] Armstrong, Karen [Progressive] Arnott, John [leader Toronto "Blessing", Latter Rain] Bakker, Jamie [Emergent Church] Bakker, Jay [Emergent Church, neo-liberal] Bakker, Jim [Prosperity Theology] The Doctrine Of Annihilation. Both Peter and Jude were aware of the Abusers lechery: And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed (2 Peter 2:2). In short, the false teachers Jude warns against are denying Christ not necessarily through their doctrine but through their behavior. Shepherds should smell like sheep, because they live and walk among the sheep, and are not sequestered from the flock. The Charlatan is only interested in the Christian faith to the extent that it can fill his wallet. We cannot have one without the other. It is critical to know both! In the nineteenth century he was Henry Ward Beecher, and in the twentieth he was Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Usually, he takes advantage of them to feed his sexual lust, though he may also desire power. What false teachers throughout history have shared in common is not the specific nature of their doctrinal error, but the inevitability of moral compromise in one of these three general areas. 2:14). Meanwhile, we hear sad tales of survivors who have been abused and cast aside by a leader craving power. He may reframe the doctrine of the Trinity, as Arius did in the third century and as Oneness Pentecostals do today. For from within arise the false teachers, the peddlers of error who masquerade as teachers of truth. He continues his evil work today, sometimes by contradicting the truth and sometimes by adding to it. Sensual. 1:3). The Speculator tosses aside the bulk of the Bibles content and the weight of the Bibles emphasis in order to obsess about matters that are trivial or novel. The Charlatan is the person who uses Christianity as a means of personal enrichment. 3:16 ). . He may slyly introduce unbiblical doctrines, or he may undermine the ordained leadership. False Teacher #1: Billy Graham - BG Evangelistic Association False Teacher #2: Robert Schuller- The Crystal Cathedral Church False Teacher #3: Joel Osteen - Lakewood Mega-Church False Teacher #4: Benny Hinn - Faith World Church False Teacher #5: Chuck Colson - Prison Fellowship Ministry False Teacher #6: Woodrow Kroll - Back To The Bible Program Anything less than a fully divine Christ; a sinless God-Man; and His Death and Resurrection from the dead, show that they really do not know God or Christ. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Dominionism (NAR) He is the author of When Doctrine Divides the People of God and The Method of Christian Theology: A Basic Introduction. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Image: Illustration by Mallory Rentsch / Source Images: Sindre Strm / Pexels. But to the person who feels theyre not a sinner anymore and stop calling them a sinner, is calling God a liar (1 John 1:8, 10). Our leaders need to be held accountable, and not held in such high esteem that we give them a pass on the normal Christian life. How so? As Peter observes, many will follow their sensuality [aselgeiais], and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed (2 Pet. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. New Age If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. And if youre not baptized in their church, then youre lost and headed to hell. Bill Hybels, founding pastor of Willow Creek, resigned in April 2018 after allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. All they are left with is a god of their own imagination, meaning one that does not exist except in their minds; whether they call Him Jesus or not. That rhetorical question is really saying, no one can even know the depths of wickedness residing in the human (unconverted) heart.