If someone asked you where they could go to avoid being influenced by a false preacher or teacher, what would you tell them? Would you tell them your church or youth group or small Bible study group is safe from false preachers or teachers? Would you tell them your denomination is a safe place? How about Christian concerts where you get to enjoy your favorite singers and bands? How about Christian conferences where you get to see your favorite speakers and authors?
If you think you can point to any place where Christians gather as being a safe-zone from false preachers and teachers, what I'm about to write may surprise you.
[We wrote this article in July of 2019, months before Covid-19, so think about the concerts and conferences you attended before the pandemic.]
Turning to our Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers (the Bible) we read this -
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves."
Acts 20:28-30
#2 - false preachers and teachers are everywhere and into everything 'Christian'
The Apostle Paul warned the leaders of a 1st century church (Ephesus) that wolves would come in among them, "not sparing the flock." Paul also told them men would rise up "from among them" to draw away the disciples after themselves. Paul was writing about 25 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and was already warning Christians about the dangers of false preachers and teachers.
What we see from Paul's comments to the overseers in the Ephesian church was that false preachers and teachers would come at them from both outside the church and inside the church. We see that in churches today. Some false preachers and teachers are already inside our churches, while others are outside trying to get into churches.
We also see that in all things 'Christian.' False preachers and teachers are also in our denominations, Christian schools, Bible colleges and seminaries, Christian bookstores (e.g. books, music), Christian publishing companies (e.g. books, church curriculum and church school curriculum), Christian concerts, Christian conferences, etc. Many pastors and Bible teachers 'purchase' their sermons and lessons instead of studying the Bible themselves. Some of the suppliers of those sermons and lessons are false preachers and teachers. They are truly everywhere - just as Paul warned.
"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you."
2 Peter 2:1
The Apostle Peter also made the point that even as Israel had false prophets "among the people," there would be false teachers "among you." Peter was writing to Christians about 30-35 years after Jesus rose from the grave and after Peter first preached on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). False preachers and teachers were already a problem in local churches - thus the reason for Peter's warning.
"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."
1 John 4:1
The Apostle John told Christians toward the end of the 1st century AD that they should "test the spirits" to see whether they were of God or not. Why? "... "because many false prophets have gone out into the world." John wrote this letter within 50-60 years of the resurrection of Christ and had to warn Christians to test the spirits to see if what they were seeing and hearing was really from God.
We saw Jude's warning in a previous study about false preachers and teachers, ungodly men, who had "crept in" to Christian congregations "unnoticed" (Jude 1:4). Jude called them "spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves (Jude 1:12). That demonstrates that those ungodly false preachers and teachers had become part of the local congregations and were ruining people from the inside.
Beware, They're Everywhere!
What Paul, Peter, John and Jude were saying was "Beware, they're everywhere!" False preachers and teachers are in churches, denominations, Christian schools, Bible colleges and seminaries, working at Christian publishing companies, and at Christian concerts and conferences. They are truly everywhere Christians go. How do they do it?
False preachers and teachers are able to get into everything Christian because they are very good at hiding in plain sight. That's why the Apostle John told Christians not to believe every spirit, but test the spirits. What does that mean and how do we do it?
John did not tell Christians to "test the spirits" with no context. He started the context early in his letter -
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." 1 John 1:6
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:10
"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:3-4
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 John 2:15-16
"Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son." 1 John 2:22
"These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you." 1 John 2:26
"In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10
It's good to remember that 1 John is a letter. There were no chapter and verse divisions in his letter. Here are the two sentences that precede John's call to Christians to "not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God."
"And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."
1 John 3:23-24
That leads us to John's next sentence -
"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."
1 John 4:1
Testing the spirits in the context of John's letter has to do with what kind of spirit is behind the preaching and teaching in their churches. Is it from God or the devil. If it's from the devil, we need to remember why the Son of God (Jesus Christ) was revealed -
"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. "
1 John 3:7-8
Who Does The Testing?
Testing the spirits (δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα) is something John said Christians should do. That means every Christian. Far too many Christians believe that the testing John wrote about is something for church leaders to do.
That's a big part of the problem given that so many of the false preachers and teachers the apostles warned us about are leaders in churches, denominations and schools. Christians handing over the testing of spirits to church leaders is, in many cases, handing the sheep to the wolves. Wolves love being in charge of sheep because they're hungry.
As Paul wrote the Ephesian elders -
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.""
That's what wolves do - they eat sheep. They don't 'shepherd' sheep - they don't care for sheep - they don't guard sheep - they eat sheep. They don't spare the flock - they eat sheep until they're full. Wolves have a ravenous appetite and they will keep on eating until the end of the age.
We invite you to watch this video and consider its message. Speakers include Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer and David Wilkerson.
We will look at how Christians can "test the spirits" in their churches, denominations, schools, concerts and conferences in the next part of our special series - A Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers.
Previous Articles
A Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 1 A Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 2 A Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 3 A Layman's Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 4We have been publishing articles and eBooks about false preachers and teachers for many years. Here are some you may find helpful:
A Prophet's Perspective About Prophets The Prophet's Voice A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists - Part 1A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists - Part 2
A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists - Part 3
Evangelistic Apologetics: The Church Under Attack - Part 2 Thinking About Christian Unity - Part One Thinking About Christian Unity - Part Two Thinking About Christian Unity - Part Three Thinking About Christian Unity - Part Four Thinking About Christian Unity - Part Five Thinking About Christian Unity - Part Six Thinking About Christianity Unity - Part SevenScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.