How Do I Know if a Teacher is False or Just Confused?

So how do I know if a teacher, preacher, author, or songwriter is false? What if they are just confused? Does it matter?

Over the past year or two, I’ve noticed a cacophony of voices growing louder and louder. None of them are saying the same thing but, as a rule, they are mostly pointing away from God’s Word and pointing towards man’s opinions and experiences.

The one thing that makes this so VERY confusing is that most of these voices have lots of good (and even biblical) things to say. So unless you know what your Bible says, you will fall prey to the false teachings that creep into their messages—often unnoticed.

It’s a confusing, scary world where the church is no longer a safe space (actually…I am uncertain that it ever was a safe space in my lifetime, as I look back from this vantage point.)

But let’s go back in history for a moment before we continue on…

In the early 300s, Satan brought his tactic of syncretism to the Roman church through an Emperor named Constantine. Most of us remember hearing of Christians killed by lions in the Roman Amphitheaters or used as lights while they burned at the stake at Nero’s parties. Satan has been behind the cruel, torturous death of believers throughout the ages. That continues today in some areas of the world.

But in 312, he implemented something new in the church, as Constantine joined Rome’s pagan religion with the Christian religion. It became a religion that was a conglomeration of worship of “God” and worship of pagan deities.

If you are reading along with me in the Bible Reading Challenge this year, you will remember how God feels about syncretism. The Old Testament contains several stories of Israel combining their worship of the One True God with the pagan worship of the nations surrounding them. God hated it.

Well, this is, in essence, what the Catholic Church is. It is the amalgamation of Christianity with pagan religion. Do some research if you don’t believe me. Most saints are directly connected to a pagan deity.

So what is my point?

Satan has achieved tremendous success using this model of religion. He doesn’t care if someone is moral or upright. If they never turn from their own works and to Jesus alone for salvation, he still has them for eternity.

And, so, throughout the ages, he has worked hard to compromise any biblical church, organization, and institution with false doctrine and syncretism. It’s fairly easy to see if we take the time to look back over history.

Today, we can see this in living color, as we watch Satan try to marry biblical Christianity with mysticism. Once you see it, you can never unsee it. It’s so clear. But it’s also so very subtle.

Peter tells us that the devil is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8) and Paul reminds us that we wrestle not again flesh and blood but against powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

Really consider those truths for a moment. We don’t like to dwell on them. And we don’t need to, necessarily. But we must be aware of them. We are targets of Satan and he’s working hard to a) gain worship for himself and b) to render Christians ineffective.

Okay, what does that mean for us right now in our daily lives?

It means that we can’t just read any old book labeled Christian and call it good. We cannot just turn on a Christian radio station or watch a “Christian” movie and check our brains at the door. It means we have to use discernment for our new Bible Study book, the “Christian” bestseller recommended by a friend, the “Christian” show that everyone’s raving about, and, yes, the “Christian” band that sings those catchy tunes.

We have to be actively engaged in thinking “is this true according to scripture”? All the time. This takes so much work. But, given the truths from I Peter 5:8 and Ephesians 6:12, it’s vital for our spiritual protection (as well as for the spiritual protection of our precious children and grandchildren).

So back to my original question (which you are probably thinking that I totally forgot by now!)

How do I know if a teacher is false or just confused?

I just don’t think it matters. Whatever they are, we need to keep our distance from them as soon as we realize they are off.

The deception is growing by leaps and bounds. It can be exhausting to spot it. And ignorance is way easier to live in for the short term. But the damage will be great if we stay in deception.

Thankfully, God gives us the help we need for this time in His Word. Yes, evil men will grow worse in the last days. That is clearly true from the Word and from our experience, right?

So how do we discern the truth about all that swirls about us? Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the answer to this question—

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:13-17)

Scripture is the key. At the end of the day, why someone is teaching a false doctrine and leading their followers astray is fairly irrelevant.

The important and quite relevant thing is to be aware that someone is leading us astray. And this will be done only through knowing God’s Word and recognizing its authority in the life of every believer.

It’s a crazy, confusing Christianity we find ourselves living in. And when you realize the level of deception that has infiltrated even the most solid of churches, it can be discouraging and exhausting. Situations come up and you wonder if you should say anything. Books are recommended and you just smile while inside you shudder to think of the deception that the book is teaching. Someone invites you to a concert or to hear a speaker and you have to say no but you know that if you explain why, the person who invited you won’t understand and maybe even get angry at you.

It’s no easy thing to follow hard after the truth. And, in fact, earlier in 2 Timothy 3, Paul reminds us that we will be persecuted if we do so.

The encouragement I offer to you as I close today is to be in the Word and in much prayer, as you seek to discern in this age of deception. God will give us the wisdom to discern and the courage and love to speak up when we are given the opportunity. We must rely solely on the Lord to fill us with His wisdom, His love, and His grace as we live in these spiritually confusing and troubled times.