Contending For The Faith
False Teachers, As Described in the Bible
1 Timothy 4:1-3
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter
times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits
and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their
own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding
to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving
by those who believe and know the truth.
NKJV
The foregoing materials (Who Are The False Teachers?) describing the false teachers focuses upon Jude and 2 Peter. But false teachers are described in many other parts of Scripture. Consider the following descriptions:
Perverters of Grace: Galatians 1:6-7: I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. NASB
Lovers of money: Luke 16:14: Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. NASB
Resisters of the truth: 2 Timothy 3:8: Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. NASB
Destitute of the truth: 1 Timothy 6:3-5: 3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. NASB
Lovers of fables: 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires NASB
Bound by traditions: Matthew 15:9: &But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.& NASB
Unstable: 1 Timothy 1:6: For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, NASB
Deceitful: Ephesians 4:14: As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; NASB
This is far from a complete list, but it provides a sampling of the views of the other books of Scripture as to the characteristics of false teachers. The more we study Scripture, the easier it will become for all of us to recognize these false prophets, sent by men and not by God. They were present in the times of Jude, Peter, and Paul, and, as the verse above shows, they are present in our own time, during this present Church age. Scripture is full of examples of these evil men for us to study. And, sadly, we need to remember that they will be present even until the return of Christ.
