Identifying False Teachers & Teaching: Part 4
Here are two more traits of a false teacher, described a bit more in detail. These next two look beyond what the teacher is teaching to what is produced by the teaching.
7. Rather Than Feeding Sheep, They Feed on Sheep (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Pet 2:3)
The role of the pastor is to lead, feed, and protect the flock. He does this by rightly teaching the Word of God, drawing on the whole counsel of God’s Word. This kind of teaching strengthens the church to endure in faith. It guides the church to follow after Christ alone by faith alone. And it keeps the church from being led astray by “every wind of doctrine.” Good teaching equips the saints, matures the saints, and is used by God to conform us to the image of Christ.
In contrast to faithful pastors and teachers, false teachers lead people to themselves. They wouldn’t say it this bluntly, it would give them away, but false teachers want to say “follow me” instead of “follow me as I follow Christ.”
Paul called false teachers wolves when he addressed the Elders in Ephesus to highlight the danger they pose to the flock. But the metaphor goes a step further. They weren’t just leading the flock away from Jesus. They were using the flock to satisfy their own wicked desires. Peter highlighted their greed and exploitation of the church. The point is that rather than striving to be good for God’s people, the false teacher sees the church as a means to satisfy some selfish desire. Rather than pour themselves out for the church, they pour the church out for themselves.
So, beware of a teacher with a following of people absolutely devoted to him; he might actually be a cult leader. Beware of teachers who divide members of the flock off to follow their own brand of Christianity; they may not actually be Christian. Beware of teachers who exalt themselves at the expense of others, they aren’t trying to feed you but feed on you.
8. They Preach/Teach for Popularity and Selfish Gain (Luke 6:26; 2 Tim 4:3-4)
Just because someone has a popular Christian ministry doesn’t make them a false teacher. John Piper has a hugely popular ministry. He isn’t the only preacher/teacher or the first that has amassed a large following. In his day, Charles Spurgeon was extremely popular. Today, he might well be one of the most quoted preachers. So, though he is dead, he still has a very large following.
Popularity isn’t the immediate problem. Jesus himself grew a pretty large following and still has one. He calls out popularity as a problem because when popularity is the motive or the end goal, it gives way to self-exaltation. In his words to Timothy, Paul highlights the other side of that issue. People will look for a teacher who will “tickle their ears.” Another way to think about this is that when a teacher is popular with everyone, their message may be more people-pleasing than God-honoring.
The combination of a teacher who pursues popularity and a people who want to be pleased is extremely dangerous. On one side, you have a group of people who run after a leader who says what they want him to say and doesn’t say what they don’t want to hear. Pairing that group with a teacher who lives for the accolades and loves being revered by his followers is a recipe for destruction. When a bible teacher panders to his hearers the way a politician panders to his base, the result will not be good.
As we close this out let’s look at one caution on this issue of popularity. Often, when we think of popular preachers/teachers, an assumption can be made that they teach light, fluffy, feel-good messages. This may be true, but I wouldn’t classify Piper or Spurgeon as light, fluffy, feel-good preachers. However, many ministries have been successful in worldly terms because the leaders of those ministries were more concerned with pleasing their consumers instead of the Lord they claim to serve.
But in a world that loves conflict and controversy, the light, fluffy, feel-good preachers are just one version of selfishly motivated false teachers. Look at Paul’s words in his first letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:3–5 (ESV) — 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Notice, in the minds of some false teachers, conflict and controversy resulting in constant friction are a path to selfish gain. Just because you don’t like conflict doesn’t mean false teachers won’t leverage it to draw people to themselves. So yes, beware of the pandering preacher, but also watch out for the one who creates conflict and benefits from constantly stirring his controversial pot.
7. Rather Than Feeding Sheep, They Feed on Sheep (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Pet 2:3)
The role of the pastor is to lead, feed, and protect the flock. He does this by rightly teaching the Word of God, drawing on the whole counsel of God’s Word. This kind of teaching strengthens the church to endure in faith. It guides the church to follow after Christ alone by faith alone. And it keeps the church from being led astray by “every wind of doctrine.” Good teaching equips the saints, matures the saints, and is used by God to conform us to the image of Christ.
In contrast to faithful pastors and teachers, false teachers lead people to themselves. They wouldn’t say it this bluntly, it would give them away, but false teachers want to say “follow me” instead of “follow me as I follow Christ.”
Paul called false teachers wolves when he addressed the Elders in Ephesus to highlight the danger they pose to the flock. But the metaphor goes a step further. They weren’t just leading the flock away from Jesus. They were using the flock to satisfy their own wicked desires. Peter highlighted their greed and exploitation of the church. The point is that rather than striving to be good for God’s people, the false teacher sees the church as a means to satisfy some selfish desire. Rather than pour themselves out for the church, they pour the church out for themselves.
So, beware of a teacher with a following of people absolutely devoted to him; he might actually be a cult leader. Beware of teachers who divide members of the flock off to follow their own brand of Christianity; they may not actually be Christian. Beware of teachers who exalt themselves at the expense of others, they aren’t trying to feed you but feed on you.
8. They Preach/Teach for Popularity and Selfish Gain (Luke 6:26; 2 Tim 4:3-4)
Just because someone has a popular Christian ministry doesn’t make them a false teacher. John Piper has a hugely popular ministry. He isn’t the only preacher/teacher or the first that has amassed a large following. In his day, Charles Spurgeon was extremely popular. Today, he might well be one of the most quoted preachers. So, though he is dead, he still has a very large following.
Popularity isn’t the immediate problem. Jesus himself grew a pretty large following and still has one. He calls out popularity as a problem because when popularity is the motive or the end goal, it gives way to self-exaltation. In his words to Timothy, Paul highlights the other side of that issue. People will look for a teacher who will “tickle their ears.” Another way to think about this is that when a teacher is popular with everyone, their message may be more people-pleasing than God-honoring.
The combination of a teacher who pursues popularity and a people who want to be pleased is extremely dangerous. On one side, you have a group of people who run after a leader who says what they want him to say and doesn’t say what they don’t want to hear. Pairing that group with a teacher who lives for the accolades and loves being revered by his followers is a recipe for destruction. When a bible teacher panders to his hearers the way a politician panders to his base, the result will not be good.
As we close this out let’s look at one caution on this issue of popularity. Often, when we think of popular preachers/teachers, an assumption can be made that they teach light, fluffy, feel-good messages. This may be true, but I wouldn’t classify Piper or Spurgeon as light, fluffy, feel-good preachers. However, many ministries have been successful in worldly terms because the leaders of those ministries were more concerned with pleasing their consumers instead of the Lord they claim to serve.
But in a world that loves conflict and controversy, the light, fluffy, feel-good preachers are just one version of selfishly motivated false teachers. Look at Paul’s words in his first letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:3–5 (ESV) — 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Notice, in the minds of some false teachers, conflict and controversy resulting in constant friction are a path to selfish gain. Just because you don’t like conflict doesn’t mean false teachers won’t leverage it to draw people to themselves. So yes, beware of the pandering preacher, but also watch out for the one who creates conflict and benefits from constantly stirring his controversial pot.