Biblical Warnings Against False Teaching
When you start out with a perfect God’s pure & holy revealed truth about divinity, history, morality & destiny, but then man in his depraved state sets about to invent his own "truth", there is only one way things will go. Thus, you wind up with all kinds of false teaching & doctrine propagated by all kinds of false teachers, prophets & Christs who spin it into all kinds of false religions & denominations. In a word – corruption, which is what happens whenever something perfect changes.
I am not saying that God’s truth cannot be transmitted, perpetuated or communicated from person to person or that every modern Bible translation is corrupt. No, God has not revealed it, sustained it or had His people die defending & living it just so it would fade away from humanity. God’s truth as revealed in the Bible is immortal & 100% reliable as has been discussed >here<.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. – Jesus in Mt 24.35
It is no wonder then, that God takes His word & its teachings very seriously (Dt 13.1-18, Jas 3.1). Therefore, there are continual warnings throughout Scripture regarding false teachings & their proponents. Note that there are such warnings in nearly every book of the New Testament.
I am not saying that God’s truth cannot be transmitted, perpetuated or communicated from person to person or that every modern Bible translation is corrupt. No, God has not revealed it, sustained it or had His people die defending & living it just so it would fade away from humanity. God’s truth as revealed in the Bible is immortal & 100% reliable as has been discussed >here<.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. – Jesus in Mt 24.35
It is no wonder then, that God takes His word & its teachings very seriously (Dt 13.1-18, Jas 3.1). Therefore, there are continual warnings throughout Scripture regarding false teachings & their proponents. Note that there are such warnings in nearly every book of the New Testament.
New Testament Warnings
Mt 7.15-20, Lk 6.43-45 – Wolves in sheep’s clothing / bad trees with bad fruit
Mt 16.6.12, Mk 8.14-21 – Yeast (contagious hypocrisy) of false religious teachers (Pharisees & Sadducees)
Mt 24.4-5, 23-27, Mk 13.5-6, 21-23, Lk 21.8 – False Christ’s at the end of the age
Mt 28.12-15 – Heresy of Christ’s stolen body
Jn 9.39-41 – Spiritual blindness of false religious leaders (Pharisees)
Ac 17.16-31 – Confronts false religion
Rom 16.17-19 – Watch out for contrary teaching
1 Cor 15.12-19 – Deny resurrection
2 Cor 11.3-4, 13-15 – False Jesus & false gospel are Satanic
Gal 1.6-9, 2.4-5, 3.1, 4.17-20 – False gospels in Galatia
Eph 4.13-14 - Don't be carried away by every "wind of doctrine", human cunning & deceitful schemes
Php 3.1-2 – Watch out for "dogs" (confident in flesh / legalistic trust in works)
Col 2.1-4, 8, 18-19 – Hollow & deceptive philosophy (Laodicea)
1 Thes 5.21-22 – Test everything – keep good, avoid evil
2 Thes 2.1-3 – False prophets & apostles
1 Tim 1.3-7, 4.1-7, 15-16, 6.3-5, 20-21 – False doctrines
2 Tim 2.15-18, 4.3-5 – Godless teaching spreads like gangrene, but tickles itching ears (Paul names names)
Titus 1.9-2.1 – Silence unsound doctrine
Heb 13.9 – Don’t be carried away by strange teaching
2 Pet 2.1-3, 10-22 – Destructive heresies
1 Jn 2.18-27, 4.1-6 – Antichrists deny Father & Son, false prophets are worldly
1 Jn 4.1-6 - Don't believe every spirit, test the spirits, spirit of antichrist denies Jesus's humanity and/or deity
2 Jn 1.7-11 – Deceivers run ahead, but don’t continue
3 Jn 1.9-11 – Selfish & malicious teachers
Jude 1.3-19 – Licentious, ungodly & selfish leaders
Rev 2.2 (Ephesus – Tested Apostles), 2.14-16 (Pergamum – Teachings of Balaam & Nicolaitans), 2.20-23 (Thyatira – Teachings of prophetess Jezebel)
Mt 16.6.12, Mk 8.14-21 – Yeast (contagious hypocrisy) of false religious teachers (Pharisees & Sadducees)
Mt 24.4-5, 23-27, Mk 13.5-6, 21-23, Lk 21.8 – False Christ’s at the end of the age
Mt 28.12-15 – Heresy of Christ’s stolen body
Jn 9.39-41 – Spiritual blindness of false religious leaders (Pharisees)
Ac 17.16-31 – Confronts false religion
Rom 16.17-19 – Watch out for contrary teaching
1 Cor 15.12-19 – Deny resurrection
2 Cor 11.3-4, 13-15 – False Jesus & false gospel are Satanic
Gal 1.6-9, 2.4-5, 3.1, 4.17-20 – False gospels in Galatia
Eph 4.13-14 - Don't be carried away by every "wind of doctrine", human cunning & deceitful schemes
Php 3.1-2 – Watch out for "dogs" (confident in flesh / legalistic trust in works)
Col 2.1-4, 8, 18-19 – Hollow & deceptive philosophy (Laodicea)
1 Thes 5.21-22 – Test everything – keep good, avoid evil
2 Thes 2.1-3 – False prophets & apostles
1 Tim 1.3-7, 4.1-7, 15-16, 6.3-5, 20-21 – False doctrines
2 Tim 2.15-18, 4.3-5 – Godless teaching spreads like gangrene, but tickles itching ears (Paul names names)
Titus 1.9-2.1 – Silence unsound doctrine
Heb 13.9 – Don’t be carried away by strange teaching
2 Pet 2.1-3, 10-22 – Destructive heresies
1 Jn 2.18-27, 4.1-6 – Antichrists deny Father & Son, false prophets are worldly
1 Jn 4.1-6 - Don't believe every spirit, test the spirits, spirit of antichrist denies Jesus's humanity and/or deity
2 Jn 1.7-11 – Deceivers run ahead, but don’t continue
3 Jn 1.9-11 – Selfish & malicious teachers
Jude 1.3-19 – Licentious, ungodly & selfish leaders
Rev 2.2 (Ephesus – Tested Apostles), 2.14-16 (Pergamum – Teachings of Balaam & Nicolaitans), 2.20-23 (Thyatira – Teachings of prophetess Jezebel)
We should treat the teachings we receive like the Bereans did...
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. – Ac 17.11
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. – Ac 17.11