Identifying False Teachers & Teaching: Part 1

Our most recent cycle of visions in Revelation brought us face-to-face with the Devil and his two beasts that would be used to spread lies and to perform "signs and wonders" that would deceive lots of people. Though the Lord will protect His people, we have still been warned to watch out for false teachers and teaching. Hence this series of posts. This is the third installment.

If false teaching is what we defined it as in the previous section — false teaching/doctrine is anything that contradicts, adds to, or takes away from the truths revealed in God’s Word — then we must not use any standard other than God’s Word to identify false teaching and teachers. Yet it seems in our digital age, with our ability to click on every enticing headline, we can often be guilty of determining a false teacher or teaching based on what our favorite heresy-hunter tells us we should think. Could they be right in their assessment? Yes, absolutely. Could they be building their position and utilizing Scripture as their standard? Yes, absolutely. But, could they also be basing their assessment, with the best of intentions, on a false teaching they hold themselves? Yes absolutely.

Let me illustrate this point. “King James Only” advocates (false teaching) deem everyone who doesn’t use the King James translation of the Bible a false teacher or one deceived by a false teacher. In addition, do a quick Google search, and you can find people who have determined that John MacArthur and John Piper are false teachers. One last example is Justin Peters. He started an organization that exposes false teachers. But in an ironic twist, you don’t have to look far to find people who suggest he is a false teacher. The point is the standard for identifying false teachers and teaching must be Scripture, not what he said, or she said.

We are not left helpless or at the mercy of the internet trolls. Paul calls the elders in Ephesus to be ready for wolves to come in among the sheep, not to scare them, but so they would follow his example and utilize the whole counsel of God’s Word to feed, lead, and protect God’s people from these wolves (Acts 20:26-27). So then, what are some Biblical identifiers of false teachers and their teaching? We’ll define these more fully over the next couple of days, but for now, here is a list with Bible references you can consider.