Stop Playin with Spiritual Spiders!

I have been dealing with the difficult subject of identifying false teachers, and as expected I have received both complements and criticisms for these columns. I have been encouraged by some and warned by others to “back off.” Many it seems feel that it is always wrong to say something negative about anything. They scream (literally), “Judge not, lest you be judged!” forgetting that they themselves are in fact making a judgment by their very cry of being non-judgmental.

In any case, I am in it, so let me finish my list of things that should always set off a flag of warning in the heart of anyone who is genuinely seeking to know truth. If your mind is already made up, just save yourself some time and skip this column today, you’ll only grow more upset.

Jeremiah 23:32 says, "Their made-up dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send them, and they have no message at all for my people, says the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:32, The Living Bible) and the prophet Ezekiel said, "Your ‘prophets’ describe false visions and speak false messages they claim are from God, when he hasn’t spoken one word to them at all. Thus they repair the walls with whitewash!" (Ezekiel 22:28, The Living Bible).

One of the major warning signs that a man is a false teacher is when he (or she) begins to claim that their personal perversion of Scripture takes precedence over the clear teachings of Scripture. I heard one such man declare, “People will tell you we are a cult. Don’t believe them! The only true preachers are the ones I have trained and ordained.” When I confronted one of this parishioners with this statement he responded, “Oh, yes. We may seem like a cult, but if you will only come and let the Bishop explain, you will begin to understand.” Really?

The Bible warns, " And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people." (Romans 16:17-18, NLT).

“Stay away from them” Paul warns. The reason false teachers are able to prosper and gain a following is because unsuspecting Christians are willing to put up with their teaching even when they know something is wrong. Here’s the trap. They say enough “good things” that undiscerning people are willing to put up with the questionable things. Before long, we find ourselves “understanding” the false as the gentleman mentioned two paragraphs above pointed out. Sadly, familiarity breeds compromise and that is why the Bible warns us over and over again to flee not flirt with that which is false.

Another tale-tell sign of false teachers today is their propensity to justify sexual sin. The Lord warned his church in Thyatira "“But I have this against you: You let that woman Jezebel spread false teachings. She says she is a prophetess, but by her teaching she leads my people to take part in sexual sins " (Revelation 2:20, NCV).

One final warning flag (there are many others, but I will end this series with this one), is the movement common today attempting to move believers today back into Old Testament practices. Galatians 2:4 warns of this dangerous trend and Paul gives this injunction, " As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith." (1 Timothy 1:3-4, NIV). He completes that thought in his second letter to Timothy, "They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people. These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.”" (2 Timothy 3:5-6, The Message).

Do you want to really know the true from the false? There is one sure way to do that. Familiarize yourself with the true Word of God and then you will be able to discern whether the teacher is telling you truth or leading you into a web of deception. And I plead with you, don’t play with spiritual spiders. Steer completely clear of them.