Last Fall, I preached a sermon series examining commonly misunderstood and misused biblical passages. You can listen to that series online at http://www.fbcbonham.com/#/media-links. Simply click on "Launch Sermon Player." This will bring up another small window where you can play the sermons by selecting the title of the sermon that you would like to hear. Look for the sermons from September 13th to November 1st (There are 8 sermons in all). Alternatively, you can subscribe to our Podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sunday-morning-service/id918223891?mt=2
Most of us find ourselves unwittingly taking the Bible out of context or falling for the “popular” conception of a particular passage’s meaning without considering whether the popular view is the correct view. Without doubt, even when we misuse or misunderstand the Word of God unintentionally, it is dangerous. However, what happens when people intentionally take the Word of God and twist it for their own purposes? This is called false teaching. False teachers and their deceptive practices are nothing new to the church. Even a cursory examination of the Bible on the topic of false teachers will illustrate how common and also how dangerous false teaching has been for the people of God from the very beginning (Deut. 18:15-22; Jer. 27:1-29:32; Matt. 7:15-20; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 Jn 4:1-3; Jude 3-11). Even today, false teaching is a dangerous and deceptive practice that must be discerned and combated.
What makes false teachers so dangerous?
They make a claim to be from God and speak for God so that the error of their teaching is difficult to detect without discernment. They are skilled actors who mingle with the true saints of God and win over many by the power of their positive and pleasant personality. They speak with compassion, charisma, and sincerity. In this way, they create an emotional and relational fog that obscures their true colors and the deception of their lies. The power of the false teacher is not in the truth but in the appearance of truth that covers the lie. It is not in the authenticity of character but in the charade of character. It is not in the exercise of true love but in the farce of sentimentality. This is why Jesus calls them “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They seem to bear the skin of the faithful but inwardly they are ravenous wolves who seek only to devour and destroy. They are Satan’s Trojan Horse which we often let in the gates without realizing that death and destruction lie in wait. This then is what make false teachers and their teaching so dangerous: they infiltrate to destroy the church secretly and seductively from the inside.
Peter confirms that this is the technique of false teachers: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:1–3, NASB95)
Therefore, we must heed Paul’s instruction on this matter: “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Romans 16:17–18, NASB95)
So, how do we detect this danger and protect our families, our churches, and ourselves from their deception?
- Know the truth: The foundational defense against error is a knowledge of the truth. By knowing the truth inside and out, you will recognize when something has departed from the standard of God’s true teaching (2 Tim. 1:13-14; 1 Jn 2:24).
- Test everything: Test the content of their teaching. Test the outcome of their teaching. If you know the truth and the teaching you hear doesn’t match up, then it has failed the test. Don’t let your ears be tickle but hold fast to sound doctrine (1 Jn 4:1-3).
- Watch the fruit: Just like you test the content of a person’s teaching, you must test the content of their lives. Indeed, a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, so you shall know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:15-20).
