New Testament and False Teaching

In nearly every New Testament epistle, regardless of their human authors, there is a common theme of vigilance and discernment. Vigilance among believers to discern the truth of teaching and the practice of faith within daily living. Last summer I preached on a very "little big book" from Jude that highlighted some of the early churches' struggles, and the similar struggles we share today in contending for the Faith of Christ. The need for vigilance and discernment expressed through the Scripture was applicable in the first-century church.  The problems, temptations, dangers, and sins which so easily ensnare, are also present today.

In 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul engages in some hyperbole and rhetorically engages with the false accusations about him from the false teachers in Corinth. He starts off by saying that this entire method of controversy is foolishness. Then, with no shortage of sarcasm, the Apostle Paul apologizes for engaging in such foolishness and dives in headlong from 2 Corinthians 11:1-12:13 into an argument riddled with "foolishness". He systematically takes on the accusations laid about himself and the tidings of Jesus he brought to the Corinthian church.

For a moment, he states clearly that the false teachers in Corinth are striking at the vitals of the Corinthian's belief in Jesus. These teachers and their teaching are not simply people who have gotten a few details wrong and are in need of correction. This brings me to the namesake of this piece - the hallmark of false teaching. While there could be a great many marks of false teaching and a great many characteristics of false teachers - there is a single undeniable result of false teaching: a twisted perversion of what God has said to the detriment of faith.

First Warnings in Old Testament

 In order to take a look at some of the first warnings of false teachers, we're going to need to start at Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:15-22.

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Prophets in the Old Testament were messengers of God. They were the mouthpieces of God's Word to his people. In today's age, we call these people "preachers" or "pastors". Prophets were called and set apart to sometimes give Words about the future, but unfortunately, in our contemporary times the word prophet now seems to be conflated with "fortune teller". Prophets spoke the message they were given by God. Thus a warning is given in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 that if a prophet comes along and delivers a message other than what God has given - that prophet was to be done away with. They were known because of their hallmark - their message was not a message from God. Instead of teaching God's ways from God's word - that prophet taught "rebellion against the Lord your god" (13:5).

Chapter 13 isn't the only instance of warning in Deuteronomy of false teaching. Chapter 18 includes a description of God raising up servants for his people and contrasts faithful prophets with unfaithful prophets.

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

The faithful prophet raised by God contrasts with the false prophet speaking their own words. The test of discerning which prophet is true or false is found in verses 21-22. God lays out a formula that underscores the veracity of a prophet's origin. If what they say comes to pass, if it is true - then this prophet speaks on God's behalf.

The connection between the Old and New Testament

One common theme between all of these texts (2 Corinthians 11, Deuteronomy 13 & 18) is the contrast between truth and falsehood. In today's mindset, truth is often in the eye of the beholder and has been chained to the stockade of perspective. In these times,  the definition of truth as "that which comes to pass" given in Deuteronomy 18:22 is a breath of healthy, refreshing air.

The world (and its prince) would have you believe there is no way to discern false teaching from Godly teaching. That there is no way to distinguish deceitful words. This world would have us believe that truth and untruth are so intertwined that the time and effort it would take to sort out the difference is not valuable. False teaching is Evil's disinformation campaign. False teaching seeks to distort, bring disdain, and disinterest in God's people from God's Truth. The hallmark of false teaching is found in its rebellious twisting of what God has said.

Today we can find nearly any truthful propositional statement from God's Word being challenged. If you have a favorite verse or text in scripture, the Evil one is actively trying to distort that same text. The remedy in this world of disinformation, distortion, and disdain is to cling closely to the Word of God and the faithful teaching of God's Word. I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

May we cling to the good teaching of God's Word. Good teaching that is true and brings God's Word to us, his people. And may we flee and expel from our midst, those who are false teachers seeking to distort, spread disinformation, and bring disdain on God's Word.

Additional Resources on False Teaching

Definitions of False Teaching within the Ancient Church
Representing God’s Word Faithfully
Knowing, Obeying, Growing
Voddie Baucham Sermons on Jude
Biblical Interpretation and Bible Reading