Christian

Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers?

Cindy Dawson

3 minutes

False teaching usually comes from the mouth of a gifted communicator, often someone engaging and entertaining. Their message will make you feel good, so you keep coming back for more. Don’t be surprised if they are selling lots of books and DVDs. They’re making a fortune off of it, and so is the publisher. The Bible warns us.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV

I look back on the days when I followed the false teaching, Word of Faith. I was sincere. I was devoted. I was on fire for Christ! But, I wasn’t mature. I wish someone would have said, “Before you latch on to this teaching, study your Bible instead of the books written by the Word of Faith teachers.”

Eventually, I was able to discern the errors, because I was a student of the Bible. But my involvement in Word of Faith almost shipwrecked my faith. It’s devastating to realize you have been deceived. I blamed God for allowing it. It caused me to question everything I knew about God.

But God brought me through, and now I speak up against the dangers false teachers pose to the Body of Christ. So ask yourself, “Am I a mature Christian or do I lack discernment?”

How can you know? Ask God with a sincere heart. Love the Truth more than your own opinion. Be disciplined enough to read and study your Bible daily.

A mature Christian is someone who has walked with the Lord over the years, and by knowing and obeying God’s Word, they have learned to discern truth from error. To know God’s Word, we must study God’s Word.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be an immature Christian. After all, how could a new Christian be mature? They couldn’t. They have to learn and grow in Christ. Unfortunately, not everyone grows and matures. Evidence of this can be seen by the large numbers of Christians who unknowingly follow false teaching. Consider the following Scripture:

 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:11-14 NIV (emphasis mine)

I know the damage false teaching will eventually bring about in the lives of those who are ensnared in it. It’s not okay.

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5: 12-14 NIV (emphasis mine)

Beware of the false teaching from the Word of Faith, New age, and New Apostolic Reformation which is infiltrating the Church today. Your best protection is the Belt of Truth (God’s Word). The following links provide more information.

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

New Age

Word of Faith

How Can I Recognize a False Teacher?

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Read my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

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31 thoughts on “Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers?”

  1. Thank you for sharing this, Cindy! You mentioned that you were angry with God for allowing it to happen. You might consider doing a post on how God changed your thinking on this. So many think that when you have God’s Holy Spirit within you, He will keep you from accepting error, but such is not always the case, as when Paul had to correct Peter (Galatians 2:11). Just a thought! Blessings! ❤️

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    1. That is exactly what I thought! During that time, my constant prayer was, “I surrender to your will.” That’s why I couldn’t understand why He let me be deceived. But, eventually I did see the errors and God brought me out. Now I thank Him. He has rescued me over and over through out my life. He is faithful. That is what I’ve learned. I’ve been that wandering sheep many times, but the Good Shepherd always came after me and brought me back. Isn’t that amazing?! Thanks for your comments. I’m always eager to see what you think. Blessings, Bruce!

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      1. Praise God for His faithfulness in leading us into all truth!
        And, what a testimony you have, Cindy, to share with others (as you do here in your blog), to be used by God to lead them. Your experiences have led you to be the person you are now, and I praise Him that you thank Him for that.

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  3. People listen to false teachers because some of the Bible is hard to understand. When someone explains what a confusing verse means people listen because it’s easier. Unless you speak Hebrew and Greek you can easily misunderstand what a verse means. Also, there are dozens of different Bibles and interpretations.

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    1. You make a good point. However, there are good Bible translations available. Personally, I like the NIV, but ESV and NASB are also trustworthy. And I’m sure there are others that are good. One thing I know for sure: God is faithful. If you search for Him with all your heart, you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13) Thanks for commenting. Blessings, Dennis!

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  5. Oh yes, I can so identify with your story Cindy. We were young Christians when we were also led into some terrible false teachings that have left scars to this day (almost 50 years later). Doctrine really does matter and only a hunger for God’s word is the cure. The good news is that God knows, and He has been in control all along, even when we had no idea what was happening around us. What a blessing that we have such a Good Shepherd who has given both His word and His life for His sheep!

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  6. “Before you latch on to this teaching, study your Bible instead of the books written by the Word of Faith teachers.”

    So true I remember one day I went to have the car serviced. As I was waiting i pulled up one of the books by the word of faith pioneers. I tried reading it several times and my spirit just kept saying no so in the end i just gave up on reading. Back then I was still relatively young in the faith I did not understand why but later on my eyes were opened i understood that the whole prosperity gospel was a farce because it made us to be our own gods. They actually use that scripture in Psalm 82:6 to say we are little gods therefore we can also create things just like God does which is kind of misleading

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    1. Thank you for sharing your experience. You are right about these false things they teach. I am thankful that you recognized that something was amiss even though you were young in the faith. God bless you, Simba Frank!

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  7. Pingback: Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers? — Real Christian Women – QuietMomentsWithGod
  9. Pingback: Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers? ‣ A Little TOO Picture Imperfect

  11. Cindy, I’m so glad you got out of that teaching. (I may have, too, although what my former church didn’t have that name for it.) We are blessed, to be sure. Indoctrination is hard to undo.

    “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”

    ― Mark Twain

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    1. There are so many false teachers among us that it is imperative that Christians have Biblical discernment. The only way to gain that discernment is by knowing the Bible well. That means studying it from cover to cover. One of the fastest growing false teachings is The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). You can find copious information about it here: https://bcooper.wordpress.com/investigating-the-new-apostolic-reformation-movement/
      Other dangerous teachings come from Word of Faith. See: https://biblethinker.org/?s=word+of+faith
      I hope this answers your question. I can provide many other sources for you if you would like me to. Blessings!

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        1. False teachers come disguised as angels of light. They will mix in their heresy with truth. From such people, stay away. We must also examine the effect of their teaching in the lives of the people they influence. Invariably it leads to a rejection of God’s word. They attempt to lead men away from the truth of the gospel (Acts 13:8), and to deceive genuine Christians with false doctrine. Do you agree?

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