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"How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"
Posted : 15 Jul, 2015 10:23 AM
Question: "How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"
Answer: Jesus warned us that �false Christs and false prophets� will come and will attempt to deceive even God�s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who �correctly handles the word of truth� (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
Jesus said �a tree is recognized by its fruit� (Matthew 12:33). When looking for �fruit,� there are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, �Who do you say I am?� Peter answers, �You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,� and for this answer Peter is called �blessed.� In 2 John 9, we read, �Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.� In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus� sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus� humanity. First John 2:22 says, �Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist�he denies the Father and the Son.�
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus� death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements �God loves you,� �God wants us to feed the hungry,� and �God wants you to be wealthy� are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, �Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.� No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. �If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!� (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, �They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam�s error; they have been destroyed in Korah�s rebellion.� In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain�s rejection of God�s plan), greed (Balaam�s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah�s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
Recommended Resources: Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie and Logos Bible Software.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/false-teachers.html#ixzz39j0bFjIf
Sourced ~ http://www.gotquestions.org/false-teachers.html
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