Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 4

In Part II we learned:

• The reasons Christians should be concerned about false teachers and false teaching in our supposedly more enlightened modern times
• The definition of False Teaching
• Not all who disagree with us on some biblical doctrines and other interpretations of Scripture are false teachers
• Identifying marks of false teachers

Examples of False Teaching and False Churches & Movements

Before we name false teachers in the evangelical church or claim some association therewith, it seems appropriate that we identify many of the teachings that are being taught, more or less, by various false teachers. This list of false teachings include (1) specific teachings that are false and (2) movements and denominations that teach false doctrines and practices based on the philosophies that are diametrically opposed to, placed above, or are substituted for the truth of God’s Word. Any church that teaches false doctrine is considered a false church.

Not included in this second group are religions that do not claim at least some association or connection with Christianity (e.g., Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism). By their denial of Christianity altogether, these religions are without doubt classified as being false religions. The list below is not meant to be inclusive of all false teachings found in the evangelical church. Also, many of the false teachings identified have various subcategories or variations not listed here.

False Teachings:

• Doctrine of a Divided Christ (Christ is accepted as one’s Savior but not followed as the Lord of his or her life, i.e., does not lead a pure and holy life.

• Cheap Grace (Non-judgmental love and acceptance without the requirement of repentance).

• Universalism (There are many paths to God other than through Jesus.)

• Prosperity gospel

• Dominionism (Dominionism, Kingdom Now, Latter Rain theologies, and similar philosophies.)

• Ecumenism (Merging of Christian denominations and doctrinal persuasions. Unity overrides doctrine, i.e., truth. Unity is supposedly achieved through compromise and consensus and not truth.)

• Replacement theology (The belief that the Christian church has replaced Israel, and Israel no longer has any significance from a biblically prophetic point of view.)

• Mind over matter (Power of positive thinking, possibility thinking, positive confession.)

• Contemplative Prayer (Various New Age techniques of meditation in which the mind becomes thoughtless, empty, silent in an attempt to draw closer to God. Similar to centering prayer.)

• Grave Soaking or Grave Sucking (A process by which someone lays on the grave of a deceased Christian in order to absorb their mantle or anointing which supposedly still resides in their physical remains.)

• Emergent Christianity (Churches that promote a redefinition of Christianity. They focus on social justice, cultural relevancy, and mysticism among other non-biblical practices.)

• Progressive Christianity (Beyond Emergent. An advanced “Christian” who has shed the old stale ways of traditional Christianity.)

• Toronto Blessing (One of several false revivals that focus on one or more counterfeit manifestations of God’s presence but which are not inspired or poured out by the Holy Spirit, e.g. holy laughter.)

• Social Justice (Shifts emphasis from repentance and righteous living to humanistic concerns of equality/racism, entitlement, empowerment, esteem-building, the environment, socialism, etc.)

• Seeker-friendly (More emphasis placed on making people comfortable in church and less on salvation and discipleship. Practical Christianity.)

• New Age Spirituality (Elements of the beliefs and practices of the occult and mystical religions that have been incorporated into various aspects of Christianity and the church.)

• Spiritual Formation (Non-scriptural disciplines and practices used to supposedly become more Christ-like.)

• Spiritual Awakening (Awakening the God within, i.e., pantheism.)

• Interspirituality (God is in all things, and the presence of God is in all religions, i.e., pantheism and universalism.)

• New Apostolic Reformation (Apostles and prophets in the church today are equal to or greater than the apostles and prophets who wrote the Bible.)

• New Thought (Merger of classic occult concepts and practices with Christian terminology, e.g., Christian Science and Unity Church.)

• Mindfulness (Buddhist meditation technique adapted to many areas of human endeavor, e.g., stress reduction, education, medicine, religious practices, etc.)

• Alpha Course (Evangelistic course designed to bring an easy-going method of exploring the “big questions” of life from a Christian perspective. Very emergent, ecumenical, and mystical.)

False Churches:

• Christian Science Church
• Church of Scientology
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Most Liberal-Progressive Protestant Churches
• Roman Catholic Church
• Seventh Day Adventists (denial of an eternal Hell)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church)
• Unitarian Universalist Churches

Naming names — Identifying and marking false teachers, both present and past, in the 20th and 21st centuries

In these three articles about false teachers in the church, the author would have been remiss, if not hypocritical, in failing to obey the numerous New Testament commands to expose false teachers. This list generally includes men and women that have some degree of affiliation or connection with the evangelical church as loosely defined. For each false teacher named herein, there are hundreds of others that could have been added. In this list I have included many that are widely known in Christian circles and/or whose names are widely known in in the secular world.

It should be stated that the below named false teachers may fall anywhere on the wide spectrum between those who are generally faithful in correctly teaching God’s Word except for one or a two false teachings and those who teach multiple full-throated and wild heresies and outright lies. This last group may be so deeply involved in numerous false teachings that they have been given over to a reprobate mind (degenerate, debased, decadent, immoral, and perverted).

As noted above, some false teachers may be only peripherally involved with one or two false teachings; however, most false teachers fall into this category. Bear in mind the comment made in Part II that most people are deceived by Bible teaching that is 95% biblically correct and only 5% that is false teaching. A few former false teachers not given over to a reprobate mind have in subsequent years discontinued, disavowed, and/or repented of their false teaching.

Some readers may disagree with the author’s designation that one or more of the preachers and teachers listed below are false teachers. However, in naming a teacher as false, I have attempted to follow the standard as presented in Part II: False teachers are those who teach false doctrines that oppose or deny (1) some fundamental truth in the Bible or (2) some doctrinal truth that is essential for one’s salvation.

Space and time does not permit presentation of a detailed connection between the false teachings listed above and the names listed below. However, the author has studied and written about the false teachings listed above and most of the men and women named below. These writings which make this connection have appeared in various articles posted on CultureWarrior.net and in two of two of the author’s books: Evangelical Winter – Restoring New Testament Christianity and True Revival – Reviving the Church in Every Generation.

False Teachers – Past and Present (listed in alphabetical order by last name)

Todd Bentley, Ruth Haley Barton, Mike Bickle, Jack Canfield, Tony Compolo, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Tony Evans, Richard Foster, Bryan Furtick, Benny Hinn, Brian Houston, Rodney Howard-Browne, Bill Hybels, T. D. Jakes, Bill Johnson, Bob Jones, Rick Joyner, Carl Lentz, Bryan McClaren, Joyce Meyer, Thomas Merton, Beth Moore, Larry Osborne, Henri Nouwen, Doug Pagitt, Norman Vincent Peale, Eugene Peterson, Frederick K. C. Price, Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen, Priscilla Shirer, Andy Stanley, Leonard Sweet, C. Peter Wagner, Dallas Willard, John Wimber, Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Robert Tilton, Sarah Young, William P. Young

This list contains over forty names, but there are many more false teachers that could have been added. Also, the author believes there are several names that perhaps should be considered for inclusion on the list. However, the author did not believe his sole judgment was sufficient to make that decision because those teachings are so close to the borderline between false teaching and denominational differences.

Origins of false teachers

As mentioned in Part I of this three-part series on false teachers, we must remember that false teachers do not all have the same origins.

• Some false teachers started out as born again Christians who faithfully taught the truth of God’s Word. But over time their teaching gradually became questionable and eventually was unquestionably false.

• A second group contains those false teachers who never taught the unadulterated truth of God’s Word from the beginning of their careers. These cannot be said to be apostate (fallen away from the faith) because they were never a part of the body of Christ to begin with.

There is a third group of teachers who faithfully teach or have taught the truth of God’s Word throughout their entire careers but made their ministry a lie by their hidden, deep-rooted, and on-going moral failure. Upon exposure, they brought great shame to their followers, supporters, and admirers and great harm to the reputation of Jesus and the body of Christ. Since this series deals with inherent or basic false teaching, those that fall into this third group have not been named.

Reasons why the evangelical church tolerates false teaching in its midst

It appears that there is a deafening silence in most evangelical churches with regard to exposing and avoiding false teachers and false teaching. The following is not an exhaustive list of reasons and excuses as to why these leaders do not expose and avoid false teachers.

1. The evangelical church is in the time period of the lukewarm church as prophesied in the Bible.

The characteristics of the Laodicean period in the Church Age are found in the synonyms for lukewarm: tepid, warm, hand-hot, cool, unenthusiastic, half-hearted, unexcited, indifferent, subdued, apathetic, and uninterested. Because they are lukewarm, they aren’t excited about exposing and avoiding false teachers because such is disruptive and may interfere with their status quo of being comfortable, prosperous, and well-satisfied.

2. The evangelical church is also in the period of the Great Apostasy as prophesied in the Bible (the great falling away of many of the faithful at the end of the last days before the Rapture of the Church).

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. [2 Timothy 3:4-5. NKJV]

3. Worldliness

Because of an accommodation of the spirit of the world in many evangelical churches, Satan and his followers have been allowed to find a home in those churches. False teachers are messengers for their father, Satan, and there is no truth in his message for he is a liar and the father of lies.

41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. [John 8:41-44. NKJV]

4. An incorrect understanding of Matthew 18:15-17.

Many people point to Matthew 18:15-17 as the correct method to resolve differences between Christians with false teachers. However, this passage in Matthew does not deal with heresy but private and personal differences, grievances, and misunderstandings between two or more people that are Christians.

Christians should have dialogue with other Christians with whom they disagree about matters that concern denominational disagreements and other scriptural issues. These disagreements deal mainly with secondary issues that are not biblical doctrines, practices, and interpretations considered critical fundamental doctrinal issues and those that deal with one’s salvation.

Jesus never dealt with false teachers in the manner described in Matthew 18:15-17 for they were not brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus dealt with false teachers harshly, publicly, and immediately. He never pulled the false teacher aside for an amiable and pleasant private conversation about their differences of opinion or scheduled an appointment for a more convenient time. Paul and other disciples followed Christ’s example in these matters. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” [Galatians 1:8. NKJV] [emphasis added]

5. The unbiblical quest for unity through ecumenism (which is sought through compromise and consensus rather than truth).

Many evangelical denominations and churches fail to expose and avoid false teachers because of a fear of offending those with whom they wish to be unified. In this they have followed the path of Catholicism and the liberal-progressive Protestant churches in seeking unity through ecumenism. Under duress from a secularized culture heavily saturated with humanistic concepts of relativism, tolerance, and inclusion, many evangelical leaders and Christian organizations have embraced an ecumenism that reaches beyond the boundaries of the Christian faith. In their efforts to be ecumenical and culturally relevant, they have wrongly attempted to find common ground with organizations and false religions that stand in opposition to God’s word.

6. Other excuses for failure to expose and avoid false teachers

There are many other excuses that may be listed: cowardice; laziness; fear of retribution; fear of being accused as intolerant and judgmental; fear of being culturally exiled; desire for acceptance; etc.

The evangelical church’s failure to expose and avoid false teachers

Perhaps the principle cause or reason false teachers and false teaching has exploded in evangelical denominations and churches is the failure of many in leadership to expose false teachers and their teachings (identified, marked, noted) and failure to avoid false teachers and their associates (do not have fellowship or association with false teachers). This failure is occurring in almost every denomination and the majority of evangelical churches and associated religious organizations throughout America.

If one doubts this assertion, the author challenges the reader to research the internet and other sources. The reader will discover that almost every week there many denominations, churches, or other religious organizations that are having conferences and convocations throughout America whose programs feature a number of Christian speakers, many from solid, conservative Christian denominations and churches. But a closer examination of the featured speakers will usually reveal one or more blatant false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) that are sprinkled throughout the program. This is an unequal yoking of light and darkness that gives credibility to false teachers and brings confusion to the faithful. This mixing of the truth with the lie is an affront to God and a violation of the scriptural command to expose and avoid false teachers.

Preachers, pastors, evangelists, teachers, and laity—now is the time to repent and begin exposing and avoiding false teachers.

Larry G. Johnson

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 3

In Part I we learned:

• The modern evangelical church contains many high profile false teachers who call themselves Christians. These false teachers occupy various roles within the church including pastors, evangelists, teachers, missionaries, writers, and leaders of various para-church organizations. These false teachers are influencing uncountable millions of Christians in evangelical churches across America and around the world. This invasion has allowed many false teachings to infiltrate and lead astray the hearts and minds of individual Christians, the local church, denominations, and other Christian organizations from the lowest to highest levels.

• The source of false teachings (lies and deceptions) is philosophies and traditions of men, the principles of the world, and false religions.

• Finally, we looked at multiple warnings in the New Testament from Paul, Peter, Jude, and Jesus about false teachers and false teachings in the church. The essence of the warnings was that false teachings are a dangerous threat to the church and must be exposed and avoided.

Why should Christians be so concerned with false teachers and false teaching in our enlightened modern times?

One of the greatest dangers to the church recognized by the apostles and other leaders of the first century church was that of false teachers and false teachings. And one of the great appeals in the acceptance of false teaching is that many Christians have embraced the modern age of belief in man’s presumed enlightenment by which is meant that modern man is rational, progressive, open-mined, tolerant, informed, and educated. However, one’s supposed enlightenment is not a guard against false teaching. To the contrary, the various philosophies of the enlightenment era are the lures that Satan uses to draw millions of Christians into acceptance of false teachings that stand in opposition to God’s Word.

False teachers are addressed in almost every book of the New Testament. In Part I we saw that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the epistles of Paul, Peter, John, and Jude among others warned many times about false teachers and the infiltration of false teaching into the church.

Almost 2,000 years after the New Testament was written, many Christians seem to believe that the church ought to be well-schooled in spotting false teachers and false teaching. That is not the case, and as biblical literacy in evangelical churches continues to deteriorate, false teaching has become a much bigger problem. Jesus said that at the end of the age many false prophets would appear and deceive people, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” [Matthew 24:10-11. NIV] Jesus was speaking of the time in which we are presently living—the end of the last days just before the Rapture of the church. Therefore, recognizing false teachers and avoiding them are even more important today that in the first century church.

What is false teaching?

Most religions and philosophies have a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true. These are usually referred to as doctrines and are often called principles, canons, dogmas, creeds, rules, codes, or teachings. Biblical doctrines are teachings aligned with the revealed Word of God, the Bible. False doctrine is any idea that adds to, takes away from, contradicts, or nullifies the doctrines given in God’s Word. A doctrine or teaching is false doctrine if it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture.

False doctrines are those which opposes some fundamental truth or that which is necessary for salvation. The following are just a few of many examples of false teaching of certain beliefs that lead to the codifying or establishment of a false doctrine upon which false churches are built:

• Cheap grace that presents grace as a license to sin – This is a false gospel that leads to the doctrine of a divided work of Christ wherein one may accept Christ as their Savior but not
accept him as the Lord of their lives.

• Denial of the virgin birth of Jesus.

• Denial that Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross atoned for the sin of all mankind.

• Denial that Jesus arose from the grave on the third day after His resurrection.

• The Bible is not God’s Word.

• The teaching that there are many paths to God – This is the doctrine or teaching of universalism which means that there many paths to salvation other than Jesus.

• Teachings that change the nature and/or character of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

• Adding to or taking away from the Bible – Man’s philosophies, traditions, and teachings are often treated as superior to or to supplant God’s Word.

• Denial that there is a real Satan and a real Hell.

Just as there are false teachers within evangelical churches, there are evangelical churches that have been so corrupted with false teachings to the point that they must be judged as false churches along with the Catholic Church, the liberal-progressive Protestant churches, and those whose doctrines are fundamentally incompatible with the teachings of the Bible. That is not to say that all individuals attending those churches are lost and going to Hell. Some are truly born again and love God with all of their hearts. That is why God looks upon the heart and not church affiliation to determine who His children are. We can look upon their church affiliation, words and actions, and fruit of their lives, but we do not have the power to look upon the heart as God does.

Not all who disagree with us on some biblical doctrines and other issues are false teachers

Now, we come to what can be a more difficult assignment—the difference between false doctrine and denominational disagreements. These disagreements deal mainly with secondary issues which are not always due to false doctrine on either side of the disagreement. Some denominational disagreements are minimal (methods of baptism) and some can be very substantial such as eternal security (Calvinism) versus conditional security (Arminianism). All should be open for discussion and debate but not argument. Some denominational disagreements may be addressed in Scripture but are interpreted differently while some may not be directly addressed at all. These debates are between sincere, born again Christians who will spend eternity with each other in Heaven. Even those issues that are addressed in Scripture are often debated by equally sincere disciples, but differences in interpretation and/or practice are not necessarily evidence of a false doctrine, and they should not divide the Body of Christ.

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. [1 Corinthians 1:10. NKJV]

That is and should be our worthy goal as fellow Christians, but given our fallen nature, it will be one that is not likely to be universally reached throughout the body of Christ before we stand on those celestial shores in the New Heaven. Therefore, how do we conduct ourselves as we work toward that noble goal? Once again we look to the divinely-inspired writings of Paul.

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. [Romans 14:1-6. NKJV]

Identifying marks of false teachers

Jesus warned His disciples about false teachers fourteen times in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If Jesus was so concerned about false teachers in that day, ought we also to be very concerned about modern false teachers who mislead people by twisting the truth into a lie. As an evangelist (mentioned in Part II) recently said, it is not the obvious misrepresentation of the truth that seduces people away from Christ. Most people are deceived by Bible teaching that is 95% biblical and only 5% error. Rarely do they fall for teaching that is brazenly and profoundly in error. As evidence of the subtlety of false teaching, we again point to Satan’s whispered words in Eve’s ear. First, plant the doubt (Did God say…?”) followed by the lie (“You will not surely die…”).[1]

Donald Stamps wrote an article about false teachers in the Fire Bible-Global Study Edition which included steps that must be taken to test and evaluate church leaders and then identify, expose, and avoid those found to be false teachers.

1. Discern their Character: Observation points include active and consistent prayer lives; heartfelt and pure devotion to God; people of honesty, integrity, and moral discipline; show “fruit of the Spirit,” hate wickedness and love righteousness; and avoids and preaches against sin.

2. Discern their Motives: Observation points include (a) honoring Christ above all, and (b) leading the church into spiritual growth and holiness, (c) leading those who are spiritually lost into the light of forgiveness and a personal relationship with Jesus, and (d) proclaiming and defending the true message of Christ as revealed throughout the New Testament.

3. Evaluate the “fruit” of their lives and messages: People produce what they are. A person with an ungodly character will eventually show the fruit of ungodliness. Their message will hide the truth, confuse people, and cause division in the church. Sometimes the followers and converts of false teachers have little depth of character and are not totally committed to all of God’s Word.

4. Discern their level of reliance on God’s Word: This is the key factor in determining if someone is a false teacher. Is his or her preaching consistent with the Old and New Testaments? If not, their message should be rejected. Does he or she believe the entire Bible is fully inspired by God and that we are to submit to its teachings? If not, then their preaching and teaching can never be fully trusted.

5. Test their integrity (truth and honesty of character) in the handling of money: Do they handle all finances with the highest sense of truth and responsibility? Do they further the growth of God’s work in ways that are godly and in line with New Testament standards for ministry leaders? Do they take large amounts for themselves which reflects poorly on their integrity in handling of money?[2]
______

In Part III we shall examine:

• Examples of False Teaching and False Churches & Movements

• Naming names: Identifying and marking false teachers, both present and past, in the 20th and 21st centuries

• Origins of False Teachers

• Reasons why the evangelical church tolerates false teaching in its midst

• The evangelical church’s failure to expose and avoid false teachers.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Tiff Schuttlesworth, “What does the Bible say about Eternal Security?” Lost Lamb Association, LostLamb.org. https://www.facebook.com/115658798450688/videos/665661097591646 (accessed August 8, 2021).
[2] Donald Stamps, “False Teachers,” Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, New International Version, Ed. Donald Stamps, (Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers International, 2009), pp. 1806-1807.

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 2

The modern evangelical church contains many high profile false teachers who call themselves Christians. These false teachers occupy various roles within the church including pastors, evangelists, teachers, missionaries, writers, and leaders of various para-church organizations. Unfortunately, these false teachers within the evangelical church and its errant offspring that have arisen in recent years are influencing uncountable millions of Christians in evangelical churches across America and around the world. The message of these false teachers is implanted into the hearts and minds of the millions that that listen to them on television, radio, and podcasts; attend conferences at which these false teachers speak; receive regular communications from their organizations’ websites and through the mail; subscribe to their podcasts; give financial support; and promote their false teachings within local congregations. The besetting sin of many evangelical leaders that are faithful to and preach the truth found in the Bible is that they have failed to expose these false teachers and avoid them.

Identifying the source of false teaching

In Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse, he described the source of false teaching as philosophies and deceptions based on the traditions of men and the principles of the world.

Beware lest anyone cheat you (plunder you or take you captive) through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. [Colossians 2:8. NKJV]

Paul warned Christians to be on guard against all philosophies, false religions, and traditions that emphasizes human functioning independently from God and his revelation found in the Bible. The greatest of these false philosophies (and the father of many other false philosophies) is humanism, a philosophy that is described as being secular, worldly, non-spiritual, material, and irreligious. Humanism is a worldview or belief system based on the values, characteristics, and behaviors of unfallen mankind without need of redemption by any supernatural god and especially God as revealed in the Bible. Humanism is only one of many false philosophies.

At the heart of false teaching are all lies and deceptions that stand in opposition to or challenge the truth of God’s Word. The foundations upon which these lies and deceptions are built are philosophies and traditions of men, principles of the world, and false religions. False teachings are mixed with a grain of truth, seasoned with doubt (as Satan said to Eve, “Did God say…?), and contain a large measure of lies (“You shall not surely die”).

False teachers enter and gain influence in the church in two ways

Donald Stamps described two groups of false teachers that enter and gain influence in the church.

Some false teachers/preachers begin their ministry with right motives, devoted to Spiritual truth, moral purity, and genuine faith in Christ. Then through pride (often due to insecurity, a desire for acceptance, or a drive for success) and immoral desires, they gradually lose their love for and commitment to Christ. As they continue on this path, their devotion dies, and they lose their place in God’s kingdom (1Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5-6). As a result, they become instruments of Satan, while still disguising themselves as ministers of truth (see 2 Cor 11:15).[1]

Other false teachers/preachers have never been genuine followers of Christ. Satan has planted them within the church from the start of their ministry (Mt 13:24-28, 36-43). He uses their abilities and charismatic or appealing personalities to affect others and to move them further along toward “success.” The devil’s strategy is to place them in positions of influence so they can weaken and hinder the genuine work of Christ. Satan knows that when these dishonest and deceitful leaders are exposed, ever more damage will be done to the message and reputation of the church. But even worse, the name of Christ will be put to open shame.[2]

Scriptures in the New Testament warn about false teachers

• Paul warns the church at Rome

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. [Romans 16:17-18. NKJV] [emphasis added]

With urgency, Paul warns the church to be alert to those who bring harm to the church by corrupting the original “teaching” of Paul and the other apostles. Two actions must be taken when false teaching is detected. First, they are to note them (the King James Version says “mark” them). This is not a private or quiet matter. The presence of false teachers in the church must be made known to the body. Second, the church is to keep away from them and their ministry.

In Donald Stamps commentary, he states that these verses probably referred to those who were against the law, taught that because salvation is by grace, saving faith does not necessarily require obeying God’s moral laws.[3] Today, we have the same false teachers who now call it the gospel of the divided Christ—Christ the Savior and Christ the Lord. According to this doctrine, a sinner may accept Jesus Christ as Savior without immediately (or ever) surrendering to Him as the Lord of their lives.[4] This doctrine is especially prevalent among the Church Growth movement’s seeker-friendly/seeker-sensitive churches. This false teaching is just as false today as it was 2,000 years ago.

• Paul warns the church at Ephesus

11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose (reprove) them. [Ephesians 5:11. NKJV] [emphasis added]

Again, as he had done with the church at Rome, Paul warned against the unfruitful works of darkness. He told the Ephesians to take the same two actions he admonished the church at Rome to take: have no fellowship with them (avoid) and expose (mark) them.

In this verse Paul is talking about the unfruitful works of darkness and immoral behavior. Unfruitful works of darkness certainly includes false teaching. Donald Stamps states that Christians “…must be prepared to challenge, expose, correct, and speak against wickedness in all forms, while being careful that they are not secretly caught up in some of the same issues.”[5] [emphasis added]

• Paul warns Timothy and the church at Ephesus

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge (command) some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere (un-hypocritical) faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. [1 Timothy 1:3-7. NKJV]

Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy when Timothy was serving at the church in Ephesus. Several years earlier (estimated to be 3 to 7 years), Paul had written to the church at Ephesus warning them that false teachers would try to deceive them by distorting and changing the true message of Christ. Once again false teachers were again at work in the church at Ephesus. Paul exhorted Timothy to boldly confront the corruption of: (1) both God’s law and the gospel-the message of forgiveness, (2) a personal relationship with God, and (3) eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

• Peter warns Christians of false prophets and false teachers

1But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. [2 Peter 2:1-3. NKJV]

• Jude warns of false teachers

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. [Jude 1:3-4. NKJV]

The book of Jude contains only 25 verses. Yet, it is a powerful expression of the great danger of allowing false teachers in the church and the apostasy that flows from their false teachings. With great earnestness, Jude challenged all true followers of Christ with great intensity to rise up and “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (v. 3).

• Jesus warns of false teachers in the last days before the Rapture of the Church

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. [Matthew 24:11. NKJV]

As the last days draw to a close, false teachers and preachers will be very common. As we saw in the previous article “The Lukewarm Evangelical Church just before the Rapture,” the world has entered that period when all prophecy that must fulfilled, before the Rapture of the church, has been fulfilled. This is the time about which Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:11, and that time is now.

The Great danger of False Teachers in the Church

The combined Scripture verses about false teachers and false teaching reveal two central themes:

• There is great danger posed by the presence of false teachers among the Church of Jesus Christ. This danger is no less than the deception of millions of once faithful followers of Jesus Christ during the last days and their eternal damnation in Hell. Here we mean “church” as being the true, born-again followers of Jesus Christ around the world (the universal Church) and the local church where members of the universal Church assemble and meet together on a regular basis. This danger to the church has been present throughout the Church Age from the day of Pentecost. However, those dangers have increased dramatically as the church approaches the end of the Church Age just before the Rapture (Matthew 5:11).

• When false teachers are found in the church, the church must without hesitation expose them (mark them) and avoid them (have no fellowship with them).

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In Part II we shall examine:

• Why should Christians be so concerned with false teachers and false teaching in our more enlightened modern times?

• What is false teaching?

• Not all who disagree with us on some biblical doctrines and other issues are false teachers.

• Identifying marks of false teachers.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Donald Stamps, “False Teachers,” Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, New International Version, Ed. Donald Stamps,(Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers International, 2009), pp.
1806-1807.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Stamps, Commentary on Romans 16:17-18, Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, p. 2131.
[4] A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous, (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: WingSpread Publishers, 1955, 1966), p. 95.
[5] Stamps, Commentary on Ephesians 5:11, Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, p. 2266.

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 1

The Seven Churches of Revelation – Chapters 2-3 [1]

In the first chapter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, while in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, John was given a vision and instructed to write what he saw in a book and then send it to seven churches in Asia. One by one, John recorded the revelation of each of their works (good and bad) and the condition of their heart.

The seven Asian churches identified in Revelation were not the only first century Christian churches. However, they were selected by God to give a timeless and cautionary example to His people throughout the centuries to the end of the age. The works of each of the seven Asian churches revealed certain distinctive characteristics that would symbolize each of the seven subsequent periods of church history. Although each period was characterized by the principal traits of its first century counterpart, all of the sins of the Asian churches have been present in all Christian churches to varying degrees throughout the Church Age.

The messages to the Seven Churches of Asia represent seven time periods over the past 2,000 years of history which gives a panoramic view of church history beginning at the day of Pentecost and which will end at the Rapture of the church.

• Ephesus – Lost its first love (AD 30-100). Ephesus was a typical first century church that had many great works and had labored and endured without growing weary. Their sin was that they had left their first love. This period ended with the death of all of the Apostles.

• Smyrna – The persecuted church (AD100-312). They suffered tribulation, poverty, and slander. They were encouraged to not fear the coming suffering, imprisonment, and for some even death because a crown of life awaited the faithful.

• Pergamos – Church of compromise (AD 312-590). It was labeled as the church where Satan dwelled. This church mixed with the world. They were faithful in spirit but filthy in flesh. They communed with persons of corrupt principles and practices which brought guilt and blemish upon the whole body. This period saw the beginnings of the Catholic Church (both Roman and Eastern Orthodox) in the late 4th century and 5th century.

• Thyatira – The corrupt Church (590-1517). Although commended for their charity, service, faith, and patience, evil grew and idolatry was practiced in the church at Thyatira. The church contained unrepentant and wicked seducers who drew God’s servants into fornication and the offering of sacrifices to idols. In the West, the Roman Catholic Church consolidated its power under the papacy beginning with Pope Gregory I which lasted for almost a thousand years.

• Sardis – The dead church (AD 1517-1720). It was representative of the church that is dead or at the point of death even though it still had a minority of godly men and women. The great charge against this church was hypocrisy. It was not what it appeared to be. The ministry was languishing. There was a form of godliness but not the power. This description of the dead church fits both the Roman Catholic Church and the warring factions of Luther and Calvin of the Protestant Reformation period between 1517 and the early 1700s.

• Philadelphia – The faithful church (AD 1720-1870). It was a church of revival and spiritual progress. The church had proved itself faithful and obedient to the Word. As its name implies, it was a church of love and kindness to each other. Because of their excellent spirit, they were an excellent church. They kept the word and did not deny His name. No fault was attributed to the church, only mild reproof for having only a little strength or power. The Philadelphian period began about 1720 with the early stirrings of the First Great Awakening in America and the British Isles.

• Laodicea – The lukewarm church (1870 to the Rapture of the Church). Laodicea was the worst of all of the seven Asian churches. It had nothing to commend it. Its great sin was that it was lukewarm—neither hot nor cold. Its indifference arose from self-conceitedness and self-delusion. It believed itself rich and in need of nothing but in reality was wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Christ reminded them of where true riches may be found, without which severe punishment would follow.[2]

The Laodicean period in Church history

The last of the seven Churches of Revelation was Laodicea, and the sins of the church at Laodicea of the first century are descriptive of the church in the last period of the Church Age (especially the last days of the Laodicean period just before the Rapture of the church which is followed by the seven-year tribulation period). Several Bible scholars and authors (e.g., Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and Daymond Duck) place the beginning of the Laodicean period at about 1900. However, the author dates the beginning at about 1870 as Christian churches began embracing the social gospel and the humanistic elements of Higher Criticism, Darwinism, and socialism that began spreading throughout the Western world in the early and mid-1800s.

Not all churches in the Laodicean age are lukewarm. Any church or church member will fall into one of three categories: cold, hot, or lukewarm. Cold signifies form without power or without spiritual life. Hot expresses passion or zealousness. Lukewarm means indifference, apathy, or straddling the fence.

The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church became compromised at their beginnings and corrupt for substantially all of their histories. But what occurred within the Protestant churches—the last stronghold of first century Christianity?

As the Protestant church emerged from the Philadelphian period in the late 1800s, some became cold and dead or near death. The death spiral of the liberal-progressive wings of the Protestant church began with their growing apostasy in the late 1800s. During this time many of the holiness segments of the liberal-progressive churches began to withdraw and establish Holiness denominations dedicated to the biblical fundamentals of the faith as laid down by Jesus and the Apostles. At the same time many existing Protestant denominations and churches remained faithful to the Word of God and did not follow the apostasy of the liberal-progressive churches. Over time the fundamentalists and the remaining Protestant churches who did not succumb to the liberal-progressive wave of the late 1800s generally became known as evangelicals after World War II.

As the Laodicean period progressed into the second half of the twentieth century, major segments of evangelical Christianity began to mirror the lukewarm Laodicean church of the first century (indifferent, subdued, apathetic, unconcerned, and half-hearted). Like the first century Laodicean lukewarm church, they became comfortable, prosperous, and well-satisfied. They prided themselves on their bank accounts, fine buildings, and members of high standing, and being socially recognized and influential. But Jesus’ indictment of “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” continues to apply to these modern imitators of the first century church at Laodicea.

The modern lukewarm evangelical church at the end of the Laodicean period

We know from Scripture that we are living in the last days, the present and final period of the Church Age, the Laodicean period which culminates with the Rapture of the Church. As the malaise of the lukewarm church spreads, fervency and zeal for Christ are fading in many evangelical churches.

The one-word label that Jesus pinned to the door of the church of Laodicea was lukewarm. The word “lukewarm” is an adjective. We get a picture of the meaning of lukewarm by examining its synonyms: tepid, warm, hand-hot, cool, unenthusiastic, half-hearted, unexcited, indifferent, subdued, apathetic, and uninterested.

However, adjectives are not helpful in determining why these churches became lukewarm. In most languages, adjectives typically serve as a modifier of a noun to denote a quality of the thing named, to indicate its quantity or extent, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else. When we say a church is lukewarm, that term describes its kind or condition but does not explain why or how its lukewarm state came to exist. We know its condition is lukewarm and that it is wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked. But describing a church as lukewarm does not tell us the causes of their lukewarm state and how Christians (both individuals and churches) can avoid becoming lukewarm or how they can return from their lukewarm state.

Causes of the lukewarm condition of the evangelical church

The Bible clearly describes the causes of the church’s lukewarm state at the end of the last days. The three main causes are the growing apostasy (falling away of the faithful) of the church, the growing number of false teachers within the church, and the invasion of worldliness within the church. All of these things were prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments.

• The Great Apostasy

When we read about the latter days in the Scripture, the reasons for the Great Apostasy of the end-times church emerges.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. [2 Timothy 3:4-5. NKJV]

Michael Youssef has said, “The greatest threats to the church have always been internal. The greatest threats have come from those who claim to be Christians, who are leaders in the church, but whose teachings and doctrines are contrary to God’s Word.”[3] These false teachers and those who follow them would not endure sound doctrine and have replaced their first love with human wisdom in their efforts at doing church. As the church becomes apostate, the number of false teachers within the church grows. The more false teachers that arise within the church, the greater the apostasy. There is a symbiotic relationship between apostasy and false teachers.

• False Teachers

In Matthew 24, Jesus described one of the signs of the end of the age, “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” [Matthew 24:11. NKJV] Donald Stamps commentary on v. 11 gives insight into what the end-time apostate church will look like.

Many False Prophets will Appear. As the last days draw to a close, false teachers and preachers will be very common. They will gain influence in the church by claiming to have ‘new’ revelations and solutions to serious problems. Yet they will deny the proven teachings of God’s written Word (i.e., the Bible) as the answer to these issues. Much of Christianity will be in a spiritually rebellious and unfaithful condition. Those who are totally committed to living by the truth and standards of God’s word will be in the minority.[4]

The apostle Paul expands on Jesus’ Matthew 24 prophecy that false teachers will abound at the end of the age.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [1 Timothy 4:1-3. NKJV]

• Worldliness

Because of an accommodation of the spirit of the world in many evangelical churches, Satan and his followers have been allowed to find a home in those churches. These worldly churches appear faithful in spirit but are filthy in the flesh. They commune with persons of corrupt principles and practices and have brought guilt and blemish upon the whole body. Some churches deliberately ignore unrepentant and wicked seducers and idolaters in their midst. Others are clothed in hypocrisy and maintain only a form of godliness but not the power. Lastly, many bear the mark of the Church of Laodicea—lukewarm and indifferent which arises from self-conceit and self-delusion.
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Pastors, teachers, evangelists, and laity—you must recognize the reasons for lukewarmness in your churches: the great apostasy of the church at the end of the age is upon us, the presence of false teachers who have not been exposed and avoided by the leadership of the church, and the infiltration of worldliness into the church. These causes lead churches to become lukewarm, but Jesus gave hope and a remedy to the lukewarm church.

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. [Revelation 3:18-22. NKJV]

However, Christian leaders and laity alike who choose to follow Christ and be overcomers must know there is a cost for their departure from the lukewarm evangelical church: The further the church drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Portions of the material for this section on the Seven Churches of Revelation were extracted from the author’s book Evangelical Winter – Restoring New Testament Christianity, Chapter 24, “Doing Church’ the Purpose Driven Way,” pp. 171-177.
[2] Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, , ed. Rev. Leslie F. Church, Ph.D., (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan Publishing House, 1961), pp. 1970-1974.
[3] Michael Youssef, Saving Christianity? (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale Momentum, 2020), p. 4.
[4] Donald Stamps, Commentary on Matthew 24:11, Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, (Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers, 2009), p. 1741.