All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
What is a False Teacher?
Greetings all,
I am starting this forum based on another one that has gotten quite a bit of attention.
The questions are:
"What is a false teacher according to Scripture?"
"What qualifies as false teaching?"
There are some rules for this forum. We will only accept the basics. I will not accept any post that is a posting of some website that is out there. In most cases that is not research, but rather a hunt for an article that agrees with one's already held position (everyone is guilty of this from time to time, so don't be offended by this comment).
What will be allowed:
The Word of God
Older commentaries (used sparingly)
Concordance
Personal view on the subject attempting to articulate from Scripture why you believe this to be true.
What will not be allowed:
Cut and paste web articles (as already mentioned)
Names of people you think are false teachers (lets focus on what it is, not examples at this point)
Name calling or what appears to be personal attacks
Many today want to be teachers so let's do some old fashion research on the topic and shy away from parroting what someone else believes.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by thewatchman on
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16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Because they didn't teach God's Word, they taught their own.
32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith theLord.
Then in 36 it says: 36 And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.
I believe that it comes down to perverting the Word of the Lord.
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Ok, I am going to be asking lots of questions throughout these threads I am starting with the goal of honing in on truth as best we can. Thus, the questions are not intended to be a grilling of anyone, but an open discussion for all to jump in, even here I encourage others to dovetail on your response.
Question: What qualifies as perverting God's Word? Keep in mind that within the body (and some who proclaim they are part of the body) there are quite a bit of variations. Some read it allegoric, some literal, some face value. Some employ eisegesis and some exegesis. Some view it as God's Word and some as a word about God. Some come from a Calvinist view and others Armenian. Some are legalistic and some are liberal. Just some examples. Many within these various groups will proclaim they love Jesus, believe they are right and want to please Him.
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Perverting God's word is something that is done when intentionally seeking to find a new meaning, in other words, twisting His word in the hopes of advancing something other than what it was intended for.
Exegesis is good. As to the Armenian, Calvinistic beliefs....I'm not entirely sure of what these both entirely believe, while I have studied a bit of Calvinism, I consider myself to be somewhat uneducated...on both
I'm not entirely sure it is necessary for me to believe those beliefs, i.e. armenian, calvinistic, etc., while probably good to know, I'd rather spend my time on the Word.
If I may take it even a step further, I have been these last few weeks studying about salvation and if it is forever saved or if there is a possibility of walking away from it. I have not taken this study lightly, nor have I entered into it looking to prove my point. It's not my point I want to promote, it's God's. So for this reason, I've begun studying this....there are a few places that I find myself stumped and questioning, but I'll not enter into that in this discussion, because it's not what this is about.
I believe that there must be a balance. Liberal, I'm quite certain is something that I've never been called. :) :):) On the other hand, I have been called a Legalist/Pharisee, but I often wonder if one understands what these were. I never thought or found it legalistic to walk according to God's Word?
I believe we are right when we are walking according to faith in Jesus and His Word.
This is so terribly important to me, to my husband...and hopefully some day to my children who I am praying for. We do not want to be wrong about this life that God has called us to. We don't want to be wrong about this, this has eternal consequences.
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Permalink Reply by Mary O on
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Reading/studying the major/minor prophets changed me. I feel very different. I don't know how to explain it.
God was calling His people back to Himself through the genuine prophets. God's people had strayed away from God. Also they were not honoring the shemitah, the 7-year Sabbath. God was looking for repentance. God's people didn't want to listen to the genuine prophets.
(Isaiah 9:10 ESV) "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones, the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."
Isaiah 9:10 is a good example of how Israel had changed. Instead of going to God for help, they set about rebuilding for themselves. I can see a big change in Israel's attitude. It didn't occur to them to go back to God. Well, we'll rebuild with bigger/better stones and replace not so good wood with stronger cedar wood. My understanding is that the sycamore represents the place where they made a covenant with God.
The false prophets did not help matters. Instead of speaking the truth that God was angry, they said what was easy and what the people wanted to hear. IMO Ezekiel 13:3 shows us how God felt about the false prophets.
(Ezekiel 13:3 ESV) Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
Love,
Mary
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Various marks of a false teacher (may include some, but not all of the following):
1. Preach a different Jesus
2. Preach a different gospel
3. Receive a different spirit
4. Masquerades as a person of the light (hard to detect)
5. Departs from essential doctrines
6. Introduce the combining of other religions (i.e. Judaism)
7. (Next on the list to be added)
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This list is great. Thank you! I've wondered what to look for.
I've seen one person put himself on the spot. He said...And if it doesn't happen, I'm a false prophet! I guess you had to be there. I marked my calendar and watched. I couldn't believe he did that. You know what it was about? When Jesus would return for us. I want our Lord to return just as much as any other Christian. And the signs of the times point to maybe it's close. But truly we don't have an exact date.
IMO you have to pay attention to what people are saying and teaching and weigh it against God's Word. It's a good idea to get a reality check. I like to ask people who have more Bible knowledge that are reliable.
Love,
Mary
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Permalink Reply by Seek on
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I like how Jonah was sent to Ninevah because they were going to be destroyed...but they weren't. There were signs then and many spoke of being in the last days. Everyone always wants to try and figure out a date and time God says we will never know until it happens. So I always wonder if those proclaiming a date of His arrival are just doing a publicity stunt (that will only work until the date passes) or are just completely lunatic.
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Mary,
IMO you have to pay attention to what people are saying and teaching and weigh it against God's Word.
I absolutely agree...but I don't think it's your opinion only, I do believe it's God's too. :)
Acts 17:11--These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
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Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
False teachers also twist God's Word to make you doubt God and His Word.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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I think it was Seek that may have said it but they always have a little truth weaseled in there.
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A messenger falsely speaking for God. The false prophet is self-serving & motivated by a desire for popularity & not loyalty to God although they supposedly speak for Him.
Jeremiah was prophesying doom while those who claimed to be prophets were prophesying wealth, peace & prosperity & whatever the kings & people wanted to hear. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 2 Ti 4:3. They say to the seers, 'Don't see visions,' and to the prophets, 'Don't give us visions of what is right! Instead, tell us welcome things, prophesy illusions, "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." Is 30:10-11
The false prophet’s message was: And come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by my Name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? (Jer 7:10). Jeremiah, however, warned them not to be fooled into thinking that just because they had the temple they would never suffer (vv 12–15).
The same thing happened to Amos. Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos hasconspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.11 For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! 13 But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.” Amos 7:10-13 Yet Amos was proved right when the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 b.c. and the Jews were taken into exile. This is an example of a true prophet of God & a true teacher.
Our Lord warns against those who disguise themselves as harmless sheep but are in fact wolves ready for the kill. Jesus cautions his disciples saying,
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
The warning is repeated in Matthew 24:11: Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. False Christs will also arise trying to deceive God’s elect: Matt 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
The early church must have been plagued by them. 2 Peter 2:1 But 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. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Though pretending to be Christians, they are deceptive teachers because their teachings & messages are perverse. Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Believers should constantly stand guard against those who cleverly lie about the truth (14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, Eph 4:14); careful to discern the spirits whether they be from the evil one or from God (to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to anotherdifferent kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.1 Cor 12:10, 11). We are told not to believe everyone who claims that his message is from God, but to “test” the spirits, as I said earlier, to see whether their message be from the Holy Spirit and in agreement with the Spirit of Christ, (1 Jn 4:1–3).
If the word of the prophet does not come true, then the prophet is false (When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deut 18:22; The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. Jer 28:9).
Acts 19:13-16 tells of those that did it in Jesus' Name.
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Wow....Tammy! :)
This was good.
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