How would you interpret the following passages: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you” (Deut 18:10-12 NIV)? In reality, these sorts of activities and people were commonly accepted throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Over 200 verses in the Bible specifically mention divination, sorcery and witchcraft.
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False Teachers In The Bible
Jezebel: Jezebel was a wicked woman who led many people astray with her lies; she even convinced King Ahab to worship Baal instead of God (2 Kings 9:22). She was an example of what happens when people don’t put their trust in God and instead follow their own desires.
Judas Iscariot: Judas betrayed Jesus for money (Matthew 26:14-16). This was an example of how greed can lead people away from God and cause them to commit horrible sins such as murder or theft.
The Pharisees: The Pharisees were religious leaders who tried to look good
Paul’s earliest warnings about false teachers (Galatians 1:6-9; Acts 20:29-30)
Paul’s earliest warnings about false teachers (Galatians 1:6-9; Acts 20:29-30)
Paul’s warning about false teachers in 2 Timothy 3:1-9
The false teachers at Ephesus
The false teachers at Ephesus (Acts 20:30; 2 Timothy 3:1-9)
The apostle Paul warned about false teachers who would rise from within the church. In his letter to Timothy, he wrote:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. For you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place first, but that is not yet the end. For nation shall rise against nation (Luke 21:7-9)
The false teachers in Ephesus were lawless (2 Timothy 3:1), greedy (2 Timothy 3:2), spread false doctrine (2 Timothy 3:3-4), and were hypocritical (2 Timothy 3:5). They were motivated by greed and ambition rather than love of God or neighbor.
The circumcision group in Galatia (Galatians 2:1-5; Acts 15)
A group of Christians in Galatia had been misled by Paul’s former companion, Cephas (Peter). They had allowed some Jewish customs to creep into their lives, and they were following these customs over the clear teaching of Scripture. When Paul confronted them about their error and tried to correct them, they became angry with him and accused him of hypocrisy.
False apostles in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:3-15)
In 2 Corinthians 11:3-15, Paul warned the Corinthians to beware of false apostles who were preaching a false message. You see, the Corinthians had become very arrogant and were not being faithful to God. They were only interested in what the world had to offer them (2 Corinthians 5:12).
But these false teachers came along and promised them a lot of money if they would follow their teaching (2 Corinthians 11:4). The problem was that these so-called messengers from God were lying about who Jesus is (2 Corinthians 11:4). They said that Jesus was not really divine or even human at all but only an angel!
So what did Paul do? He called out these liars for what they were–false apostles who had deceived many people with their evil ways (2 Corinthians 11:13).
Deceptive teachers who crept into the church at Colossae (Colossians 2:8)
There are a number of teachers and teachings that can be considered false. In Colossians 2:8, Paul identifies some of these false teachers as those who creep in unnoticed. Their objective is to lead God’s people astray by teaching them to worship false gods and follow corrupt practices. They may also teach that Jesus Christ was not divine or that He did not rise from the dead. This is an example of how Satan attempts to deceive God’s people into believing lies about Him (2 Corinthians 11:13).
The Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 15)
The Nicolaitans were a group of people who claimed to be followers of Jesus. This is why it’s so important for us to make sure we’re reading the Bible with an eye on discernment, so we can avoid these kinds of false teachers in our own lives.
They taught that eating food sacrificed to idols was not a sin and that it was okay to live immoral lives (vices like adultery, prostitution). They were very liberal in their teachings because they wanted everyone to be part of their church—even those who weren’t Christians or didn’t believe what they did.
But here’s the thing: The Bible says this about them: “But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:6) In other words, if someone doesn’t agree with everything you believe about God and His Word then don’t let them come into your church just because they could help fill up seats! It’s not worth it!
Examples of false teaching today
It is not only the New Testament that warns us about false teaching. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
Jesus was clear that we need to be careful of what we believe and who we follow because there will be plenty of false teachers in our day who are trying to lead people astray through their teachings. They may claim they speak for God but actually they do not know him at all!
A common theme among false teachers today is telling people what they want to hear rather than what God has actually said in his Word or revealed through his Son Jesus Christ (John 5:39). Even though these teachers may have good intentions at heart, their lack of knowledge makes them easy targets for deceivers like Satan himself who can use them for his own purposes including leading others away from the truth into error by misrepresenting it with half-truths or outright lies that sound plausible though they are not true at all!
Teachings are often dismissed as false but they are actually true.
Paul is warning us to be on the lookout for false teaching. Be wary of any teaching that contradicts the Word of God. Heresy, or a doctrine that deviates from the truth, is different from false teaching. A good example of heresy would be the belief that Jesus was not fully divine (the trinity) or that God does not know everything (free will). False teachers can come in many forms but they all have one thing in common: they present themselves as being Christian when they are not.
Another way we can spot false teachers is if their doctrine has no effect on your life or church community—if it doesn’t affect how you live or how your church functions then it’s probably false teaching because real spiritual growth should take place through genuine faith in Christ Jesus!
Today some examples of false teachers include preachers like Joel Osteen who deny hell exists despite what God says about it; televangelists like Kenneth Copeland who preach prosperity gospel instead; or prophets like Benny Hinn who claim healing powers when nothing changes after prayer sessions with them! Who knows if there’s someone reading this right now thinking “This guy sounds exactly like my pastor!” But there are many more out there besides these few so please pray often before making any decisions regarding where you’ll attend church next Sunday…