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How to Identify False Teachers: 13 Biblical Principles

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Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

Matthew 7:15 — “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

When people see a wolf coming, they run. But when people see a sheep coming they say, “Ah, it’s so cute!” False prophets disguise their intentions in order to instill a false sense of security in those they intend to mislead. They are serving (sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowingly) Satan, so it is natural they follow his same basic tactics, one of which is to appear as an angel of light.

A false prophet does not only refer to someone who makes false predictions. Those people are easy to notice when their predictions don’t come true. In a general sense, a false prophet is someone who claims to be speaking for God, but is not. He is speaking for himself or someone else. He has his own motivations and he is not really God’s messenger.

See 1 Kings 22 for an example of false prophets. These were a whole group of false prophets. They worked for a king, but not the high King in heaven. They worked for Ahab. Their job was to say whatever he wanted to hear. They were good at talking and they made it sound nice and convincing, but they falsely claimed to be speaking from the Lord.

One way Jesus gives to discern these people is by their fruit. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. A false prophet is a bad tree and their wrong actions and sinful behavior will expose them as bad trees. Their words are also one type of fruit. And their words can show them as bad trees if their words do not match what Scripture says. A false disciple has bad fruit. It is their nature. It comes from their roots which are rooted in the world and not in Scripture.

Application — Do not only listen to a teacher’s words, but look at the fruit of his life. If his lifestyle does not match, then be wary.

— From our Bible study on Matthew 7:13-23

Fierce Wolves Will Come

Acts 20:28-29 — “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”

Paul doesn’t say that there “might” be false teachers. He says there will be. It is a guarantee. Jesus said the same thing. So did Peter.

What Paul warned the Ephesians about is still true today. Maybe more than ever, false teachers are spreading lies and misleading people all over the globe. The internet and modern media have made it even easier than before for them to gain an audience.

Jesus warned that they would not declare themselves to be wolves, but would dress like sheep. False teachers do not go behind the pulpit on Sunday morning and say, “Hi. I am a messenger of Satan, and I came to lie to you today.” They come deceitfully. That makes it very important to be alert.

Application — How can you protect yourselves from these false teachers?

Paul set a sterling example of financial integrity. For much of his ministry, he was self-supported.

Reflect — Why did Paul support himself?

His humble lifestyle was a stark contrast with that of many false teachers, who are greedy. It is not only the teaching of false teachers that exposes them, but also their lifestyle. While it is not wrong to own something nice or enjoy good gifts God provides, a life of luxury by a church leader is a red flag.

Reflect — Are you content with what God has given you? Consider what you think about, talk about, and purchase?

Application — Consider how you can give more to others instead of how you can get more.

— From our Bible study on Acts 20:17-38

Elders Must Rebuke False Teachers

Titus 1:10 — “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.”

The church is not like some idyllic stained glass window scene. It is composed of all types of people. And sometimes, enemies of Christ infiltrate the church to cause havoc. Paul warned Titus that he should expect rebellious people within the church. Not everyone would listen to him or respect his authority.

There would be “empty talkers and deceivers.” These are people who would mislead the flock through false teaching. False teachers often sound smart. Most are very proficient at public speaking. But they are deceivers. Here are a few possible methods they use:

• They look like Christians. They dress like Christians.
• They talk like Christians. They often use a Bible (sometimes with a good translation and sometimes not). They often quote Scripture. However, they do not apply sound hermeneutics. They take verses out of context and twist the meaning to suit their own purposes.
• They often pretend to be a godly believer while lulling the flock into a false sense of security.
• They often begin spreading their false teachings to the immature or more vulnerable such as new believers or the sick or poor who are desperately searching for help.

You have probably never heard a heretic stand up at the pulpit and say, “I am a false teacher. I am an instrument of Satan. I am a wolf and want to devour you. Today I am going to deceive you.” Such a method would fail. Instead, they seek to come in deceitfully. The arguments they make sound spiritual but are empty.

Where do wolves go? They go where the sheep are.

“The pastor ought to have two voices, one, for gathering the sheep. And another, for driving away the wolves.” – John Calvin

As a shepherd of the flock, an elder cannot sit idly by and let false teachers come in and mislead. He is the one who is charged with the responsibility to speak up and expose any subtle lies or false ideologies that creep in the church.

Reflect — Should a church member be silent when he sees false teaching and wait for the church leader to do something about it? Why or why not?

Paul holds no punches. He doesn’t say, “reason with them” or “try to negotiate with them.” He says that they must be silenced! The safety of the flock is at stake. And that is the responsibility of the shepherd.

If a wolf came into the midst of a flock of sheep, a shepherd wouldn’t mildly approach the wolf and ask, “How was your week? Why do you like to eat sheep? Could I offer you something vegetarian instead?”

— From our Bible study on Titus 1:9-16

The Danger of False Teachers

2 Peter 2:1-3 — “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

Peter is going to warn them about false teachers who will come. But he starts off reminding them false prophets already came in the past. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “there is nothing new under the sun.” One of Satan’s favorite attacks against followers of God is to infiltrate and mislead using people who claim to be working for the Lord.

Two examples of false prophets in the Old Testament: Hananiah lied that the yoke of Babylon over Judah would be broken and that within two years all of the confiscated items from the temple would be returned. He also prophesied that all nations would be freed from Babylon’s reign within two years. Jeremiah called him out on it, but Hananiah doubled-down on his false prophesy. Jeremiah rebuked him for causing Judah to believe in a “lie,” and Jeremiah prophesied that he would pay for it with his life in that same year. And this prophesy came true.

Zedekiah and his league of false prophets are another example. Ahab was trying to convince Jehosophat to go up to war with him against Syria. An entire school of false prophets were in the employ of the king. Their job was to say what he wanted to hear and to give spiritual authorization to his own plans. In some aspect, these false prophets were like the public relations arm of the king. He could declare any course of action and then his prophet minions would proclaim to all in the court that God would bless the endeavors and give victory.

Jehosophat saw through this charade. He asked for a real prophet, one who was not on the payroll of Ahab, and Micaiah came. He prophesies that King Ahab was going to die in the battle. The king was very upset.

— From our Bible study on 2 Peter 2:1-10

The False Teacher is Prideful

The below verses are from 2 Peter 2.

Verse 12 says he “blasphemes about matters of which they are ignorant.”

Verse 13 says “they count it as pleasure to revel in the daytime.”

Verse 13 also says, “they revel in their deceptions.”

Verse 18 says they speak “loud boasts of folly.”

Here we see two aspects of his pride. Firstly, a false teacher claims to be very smart. He tries to appear to be very wise. He talks about stuff he doesn’t know anything about. And he boasts loudly. Whatever knowledge he has or thinks he has, puffs him up.

This pride reminds me of many cult leaders. These leaders demand unquestioning obedience to themselves. If anyone asks them about their teaching or wants more biblical proof about a claim they make, they tend to get very angry. HOW DARE YOU DOUBT ME! Instead of graciously turning to the Scripture, they will boast about their credentials, “I have been to seminary” or “I have been teaching for years” or “I know more about this than you do.”

We are commanded to be quick to listen and slow to speak. These false teachers are quick to speak and slow to listen. They love to hear themselves talk. They love to share their opinions. They will seldom say “I don’t know” when asked a difficult question. Why? They are prideful. They think they know everything.

The second area we see their pride is in the way they sin with no shame and no repentance. Instead of repenting when confronted with their sin, they revel in it.

— From our sermon on 2 Peter 2:1-10

The False Teacher is Lustful

Verse 14 says “They have eyes full of adultery.”

Verse 18 says they entice “others by sinful passions of the flesh.”

Unfortunately the scandals involving these types of false teachers are many and if you have read the news you are likely familiar with some of them.

What Peter is saying here is very clear. Do not merely look at a teacher’s words, or his clothes, or his smile, pay attention to his lifestyle!

These false teachers use their power and their influence to manipulate and seduce. They use their position to take advantage of those who are naive and unsuspecting.

Application – I am talking primarily to the ladies now because men tend to be the ones doing this (though not always.) Beware of male leaders who somehow use their influence to draw close to you and push you to things you are uncomfortable with. If you feel uncomfortable, there is probably a reason. If a male leader says or texts something inappropriate then firstly stay away from him and secondly report it to someone. You don’t need to keep a secret or try to protect that person’s reputation.

— From our sermon on 2 Peter 2:1-10

The False Teacher is Greedy

In verse 14 Peter tells us another identifying mark of false teachers, greed. He says they “have a heart trained in greed.” Then he gives the example of Balaam.

Balaam was a prophet. You can read his story in Numbers 22. The Moabites wanted to hire Balaam to say a curse against God’s people. Balaam didn’t want to. He knew that God had not cursed them and he was afraid to incur God’s wrath. And yet Balaam did not tell them to go away. He wanted the money. He kept hoping that God would somehow change His mind and he could get paid. His number one priority was not serving God above everything else. His number one priority was money.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves.

A popular South African pastor who is called Shepherd Bushuri has not one, not two, but three private jets. And these are in addition to his fleet of luxury cars.

In a church I attended before it was discovered that the pastor embezzled money meant for the church into his own private account.

Brothers and sisters, this should not be. God does give nice things. In James 1:17 it says that “every perfect gift is from above.” Paul said that Christian workers could make their living by working for God. But that is a far different thing than becoming rich and living a life of wanton luxury, all coming from the money given by those one supposed to serve.

Peter warns us about these false teachers. They are looking to get rich from the gospel.

What attitude should we have?

1 Timothy 6:6 – But godliness with contentment is great gain.

The gain of sharing the gospel and teaching others the Bible is NOT the money you can get, but it is the privilege and blessing of serving Jesus Christ.

Application: Whenever you move to a new city, please do not just immediately join the first church you see. Pay attention to the lifestyle of the leaders of the church. If the leaders of the church are living a lifestyle way higher than everyone around them, beware. Go to a church where the Bible is faithfully taught. Pay careful attention to the lifestyle of the pastors.

— From our sermon on 2 Peter 2:1-10

False Teachers Promise What They Can’t Give

In verse 17 Peter says that false teachers are “springs without waters” and “mists driven by a storm.” For people living in that time water was a precious commodity. They couldn’t just turn on the tap and have water available in their home. They couldn’t just turn on the sprinklers and have water immediately available for their crops. They had to find water or wait for it to rain. Springs and wells were very valuable. Imagine a person going to get water from a spring, but there is no water there. This could be devastating. Imagine a farmer waiting for rain. He sees clouds coming and he starts hoping for rain, but then realizes it is only mist and fog, which contain no water for his crops.

Peter says false teachers are like this. Today we might say they are like a mirage in the desert. They make a promise, “Get water here,” but they can’t fulfill it. It is in stark contrast to Jesus who said, “I am the living water, He who drinks from Me will never thirst.” False teachers claim to have such water, but they don’t.

In verse 18 we see that the they mouth “empty, boastful” words. And in verse 19 they promise freedom. It has always been Satan’s way to make big promises and small deliveries. Eat this fruit and you will be like God! When Adam and Eve ate it they found out what a lie it was. They were far less like God than ever before and hid themselves from Him.

False teachers are the same. They will attempt to deceive and mislead you. A false teacher will not stand up in the pulpit and say “I am a servant of Satan. Come serve him with me.” How effective would that be? No, like Satan they attempt to appear as an angel of light. In modern cartoons, you will often see a person with an angel on one shoulder encouraging the person to do good and a demon on the other shoulder spurring the person to do evil. That is not how it really works. False teachers deceive. They make promises that sound good. They mix just enough truth in with the lie to make it sound convincing.

We need to be wary of the deceptions of Satan and his false teachers.

• God has set us free from the law so you can do whatever you want.
• The Bible as written is not relevant in the world today so we need to change it up.
• Genesis is only a story. We can change it to compromise with evolution.
• You don’t feel like you love each other anymore, just get a divorce.
• God wants to bless every believer with financial prosperity.
• As long as you don’t hurt anyone else, anything goes.

The list goes on and on.

1 John 4:1 says – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

— From our sermon on 2 Peter 2:1-10

Itching Ears

2 Timothy 4:3-4 — “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

I believe that time is here. This is not so much a white immediately turns into black issue. Instead it is a slow gradual shift. As such, we don’t know how much worse it will get. But we can observe that this is happening all around us.

Church congregations get rid of pastors who preach too much about sin or hell or judgment. Mega churches sometimes emphasize the pleasant and attractive sides of the gospel without talking about sacrifice, persecution, sin, etc. Blatantly false doctrines like the prosperity gospel are taught and believed by tens of millions of people. Why? Because it is what they want to hear.

People want to be comfortable instead of wanting to hear the truth. One pastor even said his goal was to “make the people of his church feel comfortable.” Was this Jesus’ goal? Paul’s goal? John the Baptist’s goal?

At the same time, many places in the world offer many choices. In Bible times, there was likely one local church in one city. Now a large city may have hundreds or thousands of churches. When people get uncomfortable because they don’t like to face the truth their church is teaching, then they just go find another church that will be more tolerant.

Application — We must love the truth. We should embrace the truth even when it hurts. We should find a fellowship and a church that teach the truth no matter what. We should tell others the truth even though it may make them uncomfortable. We should listen to our friends and brothers and sisters in Christ when they encourage us from the Bible, even if it is not easy to hear.

What myths are people turning aside to?

• • Prosperity gospel
  • Speaking tongues means you are more spiritual
  • My happiness is what is most important
  • I deserve it
  • Everyone is God’s child
  • There are many ways to heaven. As long as you are sincere everything will be OK.

— From our Bible study on 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Let Him Be Accursed

Galatians 1:8-9 — “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

Paul is angry. He is so angry that he desires to call down a curse from God upon those who are teaching this deception. Imagine a shepherd who is watching his sheep and finds out some teenage boys are intentionally poisoning his sheep. He will feel angry. Imagine a father who finds a teacher abusing his child. He will feel angry. If the father or shepherd doesn’t care about it, then we can say they are not a good father or shepherd. Even worse, they are evil and selfish.

Paul is angry because false teachers were misleading the sheep and turning many away from the truth of God. He refused to stand by and just watch it happen, though that might have been the easiest road to follow. Paul takes a stand. He even hopes that God will punish the people doing this.

Paul understands there is one truth. He knew what he was preaching was the truth. Thus, he could make bold statements like this. Truth doesn’t change depending on who is speaking it. If an angel taught a different gospel, then that would be a fallen angel and should not be listened to. Any teachings that disagreed with what Jesus revealed to Paul must be a lie since God doesn’t contradict Himself.

What are the implications for us?

• We can boldly stand on the truth. Don’t compromise or give in when you stand on the clear Word of God.
• We must take responsibility within our sphere to not allow any type of false teaching to creep in. Church leaders must turn off the microphone if someone starts giving false teaching. Maintaining unity is not a good excuse to permit false teaching.
• We should be angry when we see God’s sheep being led astray. We must therefore do everything we can to prevent this from happening.
• We should study the Bible so that we will know when we hear false teaching.
• We must be very careful never to become a false teacher, lest we incur the curse of God.
• We must not allow a person’s fame, position, or eloquence to cloud our judgment about the actual words they are speaking. We must compare what we hear to God’s Word.

Application — There are two types of anger. One is selfish anger because you have been inconvenienced in some way. The other is righteous anger which you feel when you see people breaking God’s law and harming others. While we should avoid the first type, the second type is just. A person who is never angry at sin and injustice suffers from a severe case of apathy.

— From our Bible study on Galatians 1:1-12

Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 — “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

Paul called these people what they were. A shepherd doesn’t look at a wolf in the flock and say, “Oh, look. There is a soft, furry creature exercising his muscles in the flock.” He says, “A wolf is eating a sheep!” In some churches, people are far too tolerant of false teaching. The flock needs watchmen. We should be watchmen. Our eyes should be open and our minds should be discerning. If false teachers come in, then call them out.

Satan doesn’t come into the church and announce himself, “I am Satan. Worship me now.” No one would listen. That method would not even work on most unbelievers. Even they would realize worshiping Satan is no good.

No, Satan’s methods are much more advanced than that. He is subtle, sneaky, cunning, and deceptive. Satan wants you to think that he has your best interests at heart. He wants you to think that his ideas are glorious and will set you free, bringing you true happiness. So he adapts his attacks to different targets. When attacking the church, one of his favorite methods is camouflage. His servants will blend in, pretending to be servants of God. After gaining trust or opportunities, then they will spread their insidious teachings. These will sound good. They will be packaged with words like tolerance, unity, freedom, happiness, etc. Big promises will be made. He is the master salesman. But he and his servants are peddling a lie. The “product” they have to offer is inferior.

At the very first temptation, Satan tried to convince Eve that God was withholding something good from her. If she would only be bold enough to try it, she would find true contentment and become like God. It sounded nice. It was a lie! Satan came to her pretending to be light. And that is when his attacks are most effective.

Reflect — How can we make sure we see through this ruse and see Satan and his promises for what they are?

Like father, like son. Satan’s spiritual children (the false teachers) behave as he does. They pretend to be serving God, but are motivated by their own selfish desires. Such people will be judged. Now it is our duty to expose and oppose them.

Application — What can you do this week to prepare yourself or others to stand firm against deception?

— From our Bible study on 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Tested Those Who Call Themselves Apostles

Revelation 2:2 — “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”

Both of these are very good character qualities. The saints were not giving in to the pressures of a wicked culture. Sin was recognized as sin. And there was no tolerance for people who came into the church and tried to sway people with immorality.

The church at Ephesus had faithfully obeyed the admonition given to them by Paul to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. Secondly, the church tested those who claimed to be apostles. John had taught there and in the epistle of 1 John he repeatedly warned the believer to test the teaching and the teacher.

At Ephesus, the believers were obeying this instruction as well. Because the church did not tolerate evil living or false teaching, they held to a pure form of belief and practice.

Application — It is important for believers to be discerning. False teachers abound, especially in the internet age. We should learn to test whatever we read or hear with God’s Word. And we must be careful that we don’t allow the lax standards of morality in our culture to creep in and influence our minds, family, or churches. Unfortunately, this is happening across the world as churches embrace sinful lifestyles in the name of love, when the loving thing is to encourage people to repent of their sin.

— From our Bible study on Revelation 2:1-7

Watchmen Who Fail to Warn

Hosea 9:7-8 — “The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.”

Hosea describes the prophets of his day. They are labeled as “fools” and “mad.” These spiritual leaders were supposed to lead the people to God and warn them about the dangers of sin and rebellion. They were supposed to keep watch over the spiritual welfare of the nation, identifying evil, wrong thinking, and tempting trends.

But they failed. It says that “fowler’s snare” is on their ways. Their evil words ensnared themselves and the nation. Many of these false prophets not only did not encourage the people to give up sinning, but joined them and led them further into sin.

This problem is not unique to Hosea’s time. Every time period in history is filled with such self-serving men, wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. Motivated by money and pleasure, they build up a following of like-minded people and spur one another on to sin. The hard truth is abandoned for the convenient lie.

Today’s age is the same. False teachings infiltrate the church around the globe. Compromise after compromise causes churches to lose their foundations and slip into relativism, while being swayed by the winds of culture.

You can be a watchman. What does a watchman do? First, he watches! He shows spiritual discernment, identifying deceptions in church culture. Then, he warns others about them. A watchman on a wall looks for enemies and sounds the alarm when he sees them. Shepherds watch the flocks and cry for help when a wolf comes (or defend the sheep from it themselves.) A watchman needs to have two things:

• Good eyesight – We increase our spiritual vision by studying God’s Word and becoming familiar with it. We also increase our spiritual vision through prayer and asking for the Spirit’s leading.
• A loud voice – The best eyesight in the world will do little good if the watchman is mute. A good watchman must warn others about what he sees.

Application — Have you seen a concerning trend in your church or family? Is a wrong practice or teaching gaining popularity? Do something about it. Stand up for the truth.

— From our Bible study on Hosea 9

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on false teachers. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Suggested Reading: Bible Study on Discernment

Reflection Questions

• How can you protect yourselves from these false teachers?
• When a normal church member sees false teaching or someone in sin, what is their responsibility?
• Share an example of a time when you were either deceived or almost deceived. What did you learn?
• What can you do this week to prepare yourself or others to stand firm against deception?
• Have you seen a concerning trend in your church or family? Is a wrong practice or teaching gaining popularity?