6. They stray from or distort the Word of God.
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In 2 Peter 2:1-3, Peter warned the church: “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. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.” Later, in verse 12, he said these false teachers “blaspheme in matters they do not understand.” Those were harsh words about people who don’t preach the pure unadulterated Word of God.
Sometimes the most subtle way a wolf can dress himself in sheep’s clothing is to teach a gospel that sounds similar to the Word of God, but is not. The New Testament writers warned us to test leaders and hold them to a higher standard. Is your leader basing his teaching on the Word of God and backing up every proclamation with Scripture? If not, there could be any number of secular ideologies showing up in what you might believe is God’s Word coming from that leader’s mouth.
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul exhorted young pastor Timothy to do what all believers should be responsible enough to do: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” When you and I know the truth of God’s Word, we can more readily recognize substitutes of it or bad theology. If you know the Word yourself, you will know if someone is not teaching it correctly or completely. Many a cult begins with a shred of biblical truth and a whole lot of legalism and deception added to it. Watch for the wolves in sheep’s clothing who misinterpret, misconstrue, and mishandle the Word of God.
Related Resource: What Does “Test the Spirits” Mean in the Bible and How Do We Do It?
In this episode of The Truth Tribe Podcast, Dr. Groothuis walks listeners through a biblical step-by-step guide for recognizing false teachers and prophets. This is a must-listen for anyone who has ever wanted to understand what it means to test the spirits and recognize false teaching.
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