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.
