False Teachers — Part Three
Written by Dale Ebel
This is the last article on false teaching. Please read Parts One and Two first.
I would prefer not to teach about falsehood in Christianity, but we must be willing to face the hard teachings as well as the affirmative doctrines.
[2 Peter 2:1–3 ESV]
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
A brief explanation
Peter describes false teachers in detail so believers can recognize their marks and methods. The most damning work of Satan is to misrepresent the Truth so that people are deceived about the Scriptures and therefore misapply what they believe to be true. Nothing is more wicked than claiming to speak for God while actually speaking for the evil one. (See the Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7; and Deuteronomy 13:1–8.)
“Heresies,” from the 2 Peter passage, are self-designed religious lies that lead to unholiness. This is why it is tragic when churches make a virtue of tolerating unscriptural ideas in the name of “love” and “unity.” Paul instructs that, in some cases, we must “not keep company” with those who persist in error (2 Thessalonians 3:14). Also, if someone is teaching error in your church, they must be talked to personally with a respectful warning (1 Timothy 1:2). If they do not relent and cease from teaching these errors, they should be rebuked and removed from the fellowship. If not, they will spread their poison to the rest of the body of Christ.
This is why courage is so important for pastors as well as participants in the Church! Please remember: unity—and especially false unity—never trumps unity based on Truth!
[1 Corinthians 5:2–6, 12–13 NLT]
2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.
3 Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man
4 in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus.
5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.
6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?
…
12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.
13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
Before you read this teaching, I am interjecting a brief summary emphasizing the types of pastors that deserve to be celebrated and those who are problem teachers.
Categories of faithful teachers
(My encouragement: get under their teaching, celebrate them, and point others to their ministries.)
Fearless Pastors (Psalm 112:8; 1 Timothy 1:3–4, 18–20)
Support them with prayer, presence, and encouragement.
Fruitful Pastors (Matthew 7:15–20)
Recognize and celebrate them publicly. Talk about their righteous fruit.
Biblically Accurate Pastors (2 Timothy 3:16)
Point out how they handle the text with precision.
Caring Shepherds (1 Peter 5:3)
Share concrete examples of biblical care with others.
Capable (Skilled) Leaders (Exodus 18:21–23)
Skill in leadership matters—affirm it.
Whole-Counsel of God Teachers (Acts 20:27)
Those who faithfully teach both the Book of the Covenants (OT) and the Renewed Covenant (NT).
I regularly name and honor godly pastors in conversation—both with believers and with those on the margins. It promotes unity in the Truth and strengthens the Church.
There are many more, but here are some of the teachers I appreciate: Jack Hibbs, Eric Metaxas, Brett Meador, Matthias Ghering, the late John MacArthur, Henry Morris, and Tim LaHaye. Robert Jeffress, Skip Heitzig, Amir Tsarfati, and Ray Comfort are all superior.
Additional questions people are asking me
Summary: Three types of incorrect teachers
False teachers: Embrace and promote ideologies like wokeism, or they intermix evolution with their teaching, which is contrary to Scripture.
Misinformed teachers: Marginalize the Book of the Covenants (OT).
Fearful teachers: Remain silent on Scriptures that address sexual ethics and other cultural sins. Most of the time, silence is compliance.
• Compromising pastors: Twist or adjust Scripture to fit the flow of the culture.
Come on—let’s press on. Be discerning, courageous, and faithful to the Word.
[2 Timothy 2:15 NIV]
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved… who correctly handles the word of truth.”
When pastors tolerate or avoid confronting perverse lifestyles and/or false doctrines
Q: What about teachers who tolerate homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism, or false social justice ideologies like wokeism or liberation theology—which is rooted in Marxism—and refuse to address these biblically and publicly?
Silence is compliance, as I stated above.
[Revelation 2:14 NLT]
“But I have a few complaints against you (Pergamum). You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam…”
The “doctrine of Balaam” was compromise—accommodating the immoral patterns of the surrounding culture (cf. Numbers 25; 31:16). Many pastors simply avoid these topics for fear of losing people and, therefore, money. But neglect spreads:
[Galatians 5:9 NLT]
“This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!”
Worse still, some justify unbiblical positions—setting “love” against Truth.
Examples:
Genesis 1:26–27 affirms two biological sexes. This is often minimized under the false banner of love because people can identify as they wish.
Romans 1:26–27 clearly condemns homosexual practice. Some claim Paul only forbids non-monogamous relationships or argue that these sins are no worse than others—thereby neutralizing the text.
I have also noticed that these teachers are generally very intelligent, articulate, and persuasive in justifying their heresies. They often appeal to one’s sensitive conscience with statements like, “Christ called us to love everyone,” or “It’s all about love.” The complete biblical explanation of love is absent. They also recognize that the average church member is kind and tolerant; therefore, the church becomes a rich haven for deception.
The following Scriptures provide a more complete understanding of biblical love:
[Psalm 97:10 LSB]
10 Hate evil, you who love Yahweh, who keeps the souls of His holy ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
[1 John 5:3 LSB]
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
[John 14:21 LSB]
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
[1 Corinthians 13:6 KJV]
6 Love… rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth;
[Ephesians 4:15 NLT]
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
[Deuteronomy 30:16 NKJV]
16 “In that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
My response to these fearful pastors
I have spent many hours appealing to leaders—most often to no avail. They do not need to be so fearful, because if they would teach biblically on these subjects with courage, respect, and empathy, the Lord would produce powerful stories of redemption. People in the congregation would be grateful for biblical clarity delivered with grace (Ephesians 4:13).
When the fear of man bows to the fear of God, Truth bears good fruit.
How rewarding is this!
If your church avoids these issues or distorts Scripture, find a church that stands firmly on Truth. They are out there.
[2 Timothy 2:16 KJV]
“Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”
I love that word—shun. It has nearly vanished from our vocabulary.
Lead Church in Your Home
If you are having a difficult time finding a local, biblically solid church, start meeting in your home and/or gather in one another’s homes. I guarantee you have some like-minded friends who would thrive in such a gathering.
Have you ever contemplated how the churches in the Book of Acts survived and thrived without the institutional church as we know it? The answer is simple, but oh how difficult it is to practice—as is evident today in hostile countries like Iran and China. Yet followers of Christ met, and still meet, in small gatherings in their homes.
Think about it. The early churches didn’t have the Scriptures as we know them today. They didn’t have institutions or professionalized leadership, no praise bands, youth ministries, seminaries, or commentaries—yet they were spiritually vibrant. They didn’t have church buildings as we know them. While archaeologists have discovered chapels dating from this period, they were exceptions to the rule, and they tended to be very small, converted houses.
Look to Alan Hirsch, pages 18–22 in his book The Forgotten Ways, for some of the most illuminating insights about the Church since its inception.
In this age, it is easy to listen to solid, biblically based teachers via Zoom and the internet while still having constructive fellowship in our homes. Many churches have such opportunities. Remember, you can “stimulate one another to love and good deeds” outside of attending an institutional church (Hebrews 10:24–25).
Most of you can facilitate such a gathering. Go for it. You can do this!!!
Fearful vs. Courageous pastors
[John 12:42–43 NIV]
“Many even among the leaders believed in Him. But… they would not openly acknowledge their faith… for they loved human praise more than praise from God.”
My conclusion
Many of these evangelical pastors are Christians—yet fearful. They believe, but remain silent to preserve position, dollars, and approval. They assume all division is bad, though Christ said otherwise (Matthew 10:34–36).
[Matthew 10:34–36 NIV]
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”
For me, I simply will not attend such churches.
I identify them as Fearful/Compromising Pastors, in contrast with Courageous/Brave Pastors who address hard issues publicly with dignity and clarity.
[2 Timothy 4:5 NIV]
“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”
Two guiding principles
1) Unity does not trump Truth
We can be truthful and loving at the same time. Courage + love = holiness.
[Ephesians 4:15 NIV]
“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become… the mature body…”
2) Character and doctrine must align
[1 Timothy 4:16 NIV]
“Watch your life and doctrine closely… because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
When teachers marginalize the Book of the Covenants (OT)
Q: How should we respond to teachers who sideline the Old Testament?
This incomplete approach is spreading, particularly in some younger “Jesus churches.” This teaching ignores the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and reflects confusion about the Old and New Covenants. A helpful resource for understanding the covenants is Lost in Translation, Vol. 1: Rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of Our Faith (Rabbi Adam Spears), pages 33–40.
Along with the marginalization of the Book of the Covenants (OT) goes the loss of God’s instructive law for governing a society and God’s moral law as exemplified in the Ten Commandments. A most tragic error is removing the Moral Law from use in evangelism. Without the moral law to expose sin (Romans 3:20), we blunt the redemptive power of the Bible. I address this in subsequent articles.
[Romans 3:20 NLT]
20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
My response
Avoid such teaching and clarify Truth within your relationships. There are many faithful churches preaching both the Book of the Covenants (OT) and the Renewed Covenant (NT)—including many Calvary Chapels, Foursquare churches, and Messianic congregations.
[Hebrews 13:8 NKJV]
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
[2 Timothy 3:16 KJV]
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…”
(Note: when Paul wrote this, “Scripture” referenced the Old Testament—revealing its sufficiency.)
Remember: The Old Testament is the New concealed; the New is the Old revealed. In your vocabulary, consider using Book of the Covenants (OT) and Renewed Covenant (NT) in everyday conversations.
I recognize such leaders as Willfully Misinformed Pastors, in contrast with Solid, Holistic Pastors who teach the whole Bible.
The weight of words
[Revelation 22:19 AMP]
“If anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share from the tree of life…”
Henry Morris aptly observed:
“Precise thoughts require precise words… Allegorizing (unless clearly indicated) assumes the interpreter knows better than the Holy Spirit. That attitude is presumptuous—if not blasphemous.”
Should we attend these churches?
Answer: As for me, I will not sit under teaching that does not interpret God’s Word literally. Life is too short to spend Sundays filtering Truth from error. I would not invite friends to churches committed to allegorizing Scripture. Ask your pastor or leadership team how they interpret the Bible.
A valid question is this: Why would any sincere Christ-follower attend and participate in such a church or Christian organization? It reflects their biblical—or non-biblical—values when they attend or give financially to such a church or organization. Come on, gang—we do not have to put up with such watered-down teaching.
Limit engagement with professing Christians who embrace heresy. Many times, I find this happens naturally as people simply drift apart, knowing their differences are significant. This is okay. Sometimes separation is necessary. Far too many professing Christians place relationships over correct teaching and therefore falsely think they are being loyal to the Church by not leaving.
Ask your friends to go with you to a new church.
[Ecclesiastes 3:5 ESV]
“A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”
I am enclosing a statement from my last article on false teaching that is worth repeating:
False teachers are not limited to liberals or leftists. Perceived conservatives can be equally deceptive if they reject Scripture’s authority. Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, for example, are completely wrong about Israel and Zionism.
Friends, be selective and discerning about whom you are listening to on social media.
[Colossians 2:8] warns against being taken captive by hollow philosophies.
[1 John 4:1] commands us to test every spirit.
Being alert with you,
In Christ,
Dale