False Teachers Can Be Believers Led Astray

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[Janet Easson Martin]

FALSE TEACHERS CAN BE BELIEVERS LED ASTRAY

Paul says in Acts that False Teachers both come into churches and rise up inside them.  Thus, implying they CAN be believers led astray.

There seems to be some misunderstanding as to what the New Testament calls False Teachers.  Some seem to think of them as Spiritual Teachers who teach religions other than Jesus.  However, Teachers under the Spirit of the Anti-Christ teach other religions.  The New Testament False Teachers teach about and proclaim "Jesus".  But it is out of their own imagination, and not revealed or inspired by God.  Unfortunately, they even quote scripture, but it is not at all accurate.  It is twisted ambitiously to manipulate their followers after their own vision, not God's.  It is a different Jesus.  These people may have even started out as humble and sincere in their faith, but have been slickly led astray through need and lust for power; unhealthy ambition for success, jealousy, or trusting in themselves or another more than God.  They end up being an agent of Satan to act as an enemy to his dear people.

False Teachers are those who pretend to be under God's authority and speak for him.  They say "God Says" when God has NOT said.  They demand "God Demands" when God has NOT declared such.  These are also the characteristics of the False Prophets in the Old Testament who were Israelites, not foreigners.  They may craftily carry an aire of spiritual authority, but they have none.  They may have the appearance and pretense of Teachers and Shepherds, but what they produce looks nothing like the Spirit's Fruit.  Even their speech may be smooth as butter, but their effect chokes like thorns.  Their teaching cuts and wounds the faith of their listeners.  It's very essence of briars and thistles entraps and isolates them from other truly gifted christians and from their real help, their merciful Savior.  These False Teachers are characteristically "superior" to other christians.  They are puffed up from keeping their "sacred" traditions and have turned away from the purity of the gospel.  They have been deceived into following adulterous doctrines that are actually labeled by the Word as "doctrines of demons".  Imitating the teachings of Christ, but pervertedly twisting them.

Starting to understand why the "Christianity" we learned seemed to loose it's hallmark of JOY?   Beginning to get why the lifestyle we were taught was actually a heavy burden and made "following Christ" boring, lonely, and rather depressing.  Lacking spontaneity and creativity and individuality.  It was lacking the abundant and dynamic living we were made for and intended to enjoy.  It was a false image of Christianity that was choked down our throats; and, thus, a false image of Jesus, replacing the intensely caring and compassionate personal Shepherd we once knew and were secluded from with a demanding, unmerciful, and hard-to-please "god".

[Janet Easson Martin]

LOOKING INTO The WORD on This

Although Surprising, Where Do False Teachers Seem to Be Found?

It is revealing to really look into what the scriptures say about the description and characteristics of a False Teacher.  Below are some questions the Bible addresses to help us keep alert, and warn us to avoid such people.  God seems to sound the alarm over and over in His Word, likely because it is one of the ways our precious faith may come to ruin.  Our eternity with Christ is and always will be secure. But, the presence and activity of our faith while on earth may suffer horrible damage.  Satan is in a war with us to wound and shipwreck our faith, and unfortunately he uses False Teachers to bring destruction to it.



According to each of the scriptures below, where are false teachers found?


Acts 20:29   "[false teachers like] ferocious wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;"  

Acts 20:30   "even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted
                              things"

Galatians 2:4  "some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks..."

2 Corinthians 11:4   "if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not
                                         preach..."

1 Timothy 1:30   "...so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer..."

Jeremiah 23:1    "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!"

Jeremiah 23:21   "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message."

Isaiah 56:11    "They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn turn to their own
                                  way, each seeks his own gain."

[Janet Easson Martin]

LOOKING INTO The WORD on This

Why Does God Identify Them As False?

"False Teacher" seems like a strange term for one who once made Christ his Savior and who at one time was walking in the Faith. But not only has this believer wandered from the faith, they are outwardly criticizing those who teach sound doctrine, and are making up their own "superior doctrine" to attract believers to follow them instead.  They are not a divinely sent or appointed teacher.  If they were, they would be helping the sheep (God's people) and nourishing their faith to increase; instead of attacking it, and hijacking their faith to be placed upon mere men.  



What specifically do they do that God identifies them as "false"?  See each verse below.


Matthew 15:9   "their teachings are but rules taught by men"

Matthew 15:14   "Leave them, they are blind guides"

2 Corinthians 11:2-3   "I promised you to one husband, to Christ...But I am afraid that just as Eve was
                                           deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led      
                                           astray"

1 Timothy 6:3    "he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest    
                                    in controversies and quarrels about words that result in strife, malicious talk,
                                     evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of corrupt mind..."

1 Timothy 6:20   "Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely
                                    called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have
                                    wandered from the faith."

Colossians 2:4   "that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments"

Colossians 2:18   "do not let anyone who delights in false humility...disqualify you for the prize"

1 Timothy 4:1,2,3   "...some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and
                                         things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars,
                                         whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid to
                                          marry and order them to abstain from..."

Colossians 2:18-19   "Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen
                                             [supposed revelation], and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with
                                             idle notions.  He has lost connection with the Head..."

2 Corinthians 11:5   "I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles"

Ezekiel 13:1-8   "prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying: Say to those who
                                   prophesy out of their own imagination... They say, "The Lord declares", when
                                   The Lord has not sent them..."

Ezekiel 13:9   "Because of your false words and lying visions..."

[Janet Easson Martin]

LOOKING INTO The WORD on This

What Would Motivate Someone to Use and Abuse God's People For His Own Purposes?

Spiritual abuse is not a new issue. It has been around since the day's of the ancient prophets.  It seems to be the most heinous sin among God's people in Paul's eyes. It definitely seems to qualify as one of the greatest offenses in God's eyes, as we see how furious Jesus appeared with the Pharisees' teachings.  It perhaps is a temptation in that it gives an elevated sense of superiority, power, control, and financial gain.  Though audaciously, it falsely represents the very authority of God!



What does The Word of God say are the reasons they teach such false knowledge as you examine each of the scriptures below?


Acts 20:31   "to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers]."

2 Corinthians 5:12   "those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the
                                         things they boast about. For such men are false apostles."

2 Corinthians 11:20   "You even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes
                                         advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face."

1Timothy 6:3   "among men of warped minds who have lost their real hold on the truth but
                                 hope to make some profit out of the Christian religion."

Galatians 1:6   "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you
                                 to live in the Grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel"

Galatians 4:15   "What has happened to all your joy? ...Those people are zealous to win you
                                   over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you
                                  may be zealous for them"

Colossians 2:8   "See to it that no on takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
                                   philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the    
                                   world rather than on Christ."

Jeremiah 23:30   "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly
                                     from me.. Yes, declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who wag
                                    their own tongues and yet declare, "The Lord declares'... They tell them and
                                    lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint
                                    them."

Ezekiel 34:4    "You have ruled them harshly and brutally."