Tag: false teachers

Christian

Understanding 2 Timothy 3:1-5: A Call to Spiritual Discernment

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Tuesday, 1/6/26

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Commentary:

  1. Believer’s Bible Commentary:
    “Paul is referring to the false teachers who had come into the church at Corinth, denying the resurrection. The Christians should realize that it is impossible to associate with evil people or evil teachings without being corrupted by them. Evil doctrine inevitably has an effect on one’s life. False teachings do not lead to holiness.” Believer’s Bible Commentary
  2. Jeremiah Study Bible Notes: “Paul describes a society enamored with love of self, money, and pleasure…. Those who have a form of godliness …profess belief in God, but their real love is the person in the mirror… Without the discernment that comes from knowing the Word, people willingly entertain spiritual fads and false doctrines.”

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Watch Out for the Wolves!

Cindy Dawson

People aren’t inclined to put any specific Bible teacher in the category of “false teacher”. In fact, people are more afraid to say someone is a false teacher than they are to heed what the Bible says about them!

Most false teachers say a lot of true things, too. They appear to be doing God’s work. But the Bible warns us,

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15

That’s a little harsh! Who said that?

Uh, that would be Jesus, the Son of God. Yes, they look like sheep, but they are wolves! People don’t believe it. They believe wolves will look like wolves.

“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15a

Many false teachers have huge followings because they’re entertaining. People “love” them. If they teach anything that doesn’t agree with God’s Word, people will often excuse it because, after all, “we really like most of what they say.”

People will say, “I don’t agree with what they say about (fill in the blank), but I really like him or her.” But what does the Bible say?

Nowhere in the Bible does it say it’s ok to teach false things as long as most of what one says is Biblical. No, that would be the description of a false teacher.

“If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” Galatians 1:9

Isn’t that a little extreme, Paul? That isn’t very loving!

But the Bible clearly says that people who think that godliness is a means of financial gain are corrupt!

Is the teacher you love so much teaching what the Bible says about being a disciple or something else?

“. ..If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:3-10

At the heart of following Jesus is Jesus’ call to imitate Him and replicate Him. As disciples, we are called to imitate Jesus’s love (John 13:34), his mission (Matt. 4:19), his humility (Phil. 2:5), his service (John 13:14), his suffering (1 Pet. 2:21), and his obedience to the Father (1 John 2:3–6). Since he is our teacher, we are to learn from him and strive in the power of the Holy Spirit to become like him (Luke 6:40). This growth in Christ-likeness is a lifelong endeavor that is fueled by the hopeful expectation that one day we will see him face to face (1 John 3:2–3). (Kell)

Paul exhorts Timothy,

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 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. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4

A big part of becoming a disciple is reading and studying the Bible, cover to cover, and then doing it again. It only takes 10 minutes a day to read the entire Bible in a year. And that’s the only way to be sure about what it really says! I encourage you to do this, not once, but every year!

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

Sources: Discipleship According to the Scriptures, Pastor David Kell

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Jews

Rescued From “Word of Faith”

Cindy Dawson

When I was young and “on fire” for God, I was drawn to churches that were alive with enthusiasm and praised God with energy and emotion. I’m not saying that’s bad, but unfortunately, my enthusiasm led me to the Word of Faith movement.

I was enthusiastic to learn more about God and I read and studied many books by Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Jesse Duplantis, Robert Tilton, and others. Sadly, I was unaware that much of it was not Biblical. God rescued me from this false teaching about 30 years ago. I am so thankful for His mercy and faithfulness.

We must understand faith correctly. I was taught the wrong definition of faith and it was very difficult to “unlearn”.

So let’s start with the Biblical definition of faith.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

The rest of Hebrews 11 goes on to explain this in more detail by giving examples of people who were commended for their faith (Noah, Abraham, Sarah, etc.) Verse 13 says,

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”

They trusted God. Hebrews chapter 11 makes it clear that faith is trusting God to do what He has promised. Period. This is where the Word of Faith doctrine of faith differs from the Biblical definition.

They say that Hebrews 11:1, (“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”) is referring to a force that we can use to gain prosperity and health. This verse is taken out of context and is clearly in conflict with the rest of the chapter.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that faith is a force.

The supporters of this movement believe that faith works like a mighty power or force. Through faith, we can obtain anything we want — health, wealth, success, whatever. However, this force is only released through the spoken word. As we speak the words of faith, power is discharged to accomplish our desires.”

BereanResearch.org

This contradicts God’s Word and is rooted in New Age teaching. Hebrews 11:1 is taken out of context and used by Word of Faith preachers to propagate a New Age belief.

The word faith appears 458 times in the New International Version (NIV). When I realized I had to unlearn my wrong understanding of faith and reread the Bible with the correct definition in mind, I faced a monumental task!

After realizing I had been deceived, my first response was to reread the New Testament three times. Every time I saw the word faith, I substituted the words trust in God. I based this on the meaning of the Greek word for faith used throughout Hebrews 11.

That word is pistis. It means “firm persuasion … used in the New Testament of faith in God or Christ”. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary)

The relearning process was long and arduous because in all the 458 times I read the word faith in my Bible, the verse now took on a completely different meaning.

This is why discernment is so important. New believers can be easily swept away if sound doctrine is not preached. Why am I writing this? What is the call to action?

#1 Study your Bible so you won’t be deceived by false teachers. The Bible warns us many times about the danger of false teachers.

“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

“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (emphasis mine)

#2 Examine the Scriptures to see if what is taught is true. Check everything. There are many times when I have heard a popular “Bible teacher” teach something and I thought, Where does the Bible say that? Many Christians are too trusting, especially when the teacher is popular, well-known, and entertaining.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” Romans 16:17-18 (emphasis mine)

The Greek word translated as naive is akakos. It means unsuspecting. We don’t like to think of ourselves as naive, but are we unsuspecting? Are we too trusting?

False teachers teach many good things, too. Otherwise, who would listen to them? They praise God and teach about His love. And they are always entertaining. That’s why their listeners are often unsuspecting. Don’t expect false teachers to be obvious.

Everyone who claims to be a Christian isn’t automatically teaching Truth! The fact that they draw huge crowds means nothing. The fact that they have written best-selling books means nothing.

The important thing is, are they teaching Truth? There is only one way to know. Jesus prayed,

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 (emphasis mine)

P.S. The Biblical definition of faith isn’t the only thing they get wrong, but it is one of the most important errors to identify and the easiest to correct. (One thing at a time.)

(This message is an updated repost from 2023.)

In His Love, Cindy

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Combatting False Doctrine in the Church

Cindy Dawson

1-minute read

Friday’s Verse, 2/7/25

“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” 1 Timothy 1:3-7 NIV

Comment: The Church must not tolerate false teaching. True doctrine builds people up. False teaching brings division.

In His Love, Cindy

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

The Skill of Discernment

Cindy Dawson

I call discernment a “skill” because, like any other skill, it can be developed and improved. This is how you develop discernment: READ AND STUDY THE BIBLE. Understand the Bible as a whole. Read all of it. Don’t pick and choose the verses you like that support your beliefs.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 NIV Read full chapter

Spiritual discernment is good for more than just making monumental decisions according to God’s will. It is an essential, day-to-day activity that allows thoughtful Christians to separate the truth of God from error and to distinguish right from wrong in all kinds of settings and situations. It is also a skill – something that any person can develop and improve…”

Tim Challies, Canadian Blogger and Author

As I researched the topic of discernment this week, I found many instances where someone had already said what I wanted to express, and it seemed prudent to quote that person, rather than saying it in my own words. It just couldn’t be improved upon. So you will find several quotes in this post. I hope they will give you something to think about.

Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

Charles Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892)

That’s an interesting quote. Especially when we consider today’s movement to be more ecumenical and to embrace unity in the Church. Yes, God wants us to be in unity, but not at the expense of good theology, and certainly not at the expense of staying true to the Word of God.

You see, almost right sounds really good. It sounds so close to the truth that it can be easy to mistake it for the truth. It might even come packaged with Bible verses and sincere sermons/speeches from the pulpit. It tickles ears because it sounds Christian. And when it comes from a person in authority, such as a pastor or professor, it’s not questioned because, “Hey, he studies the Bible a lot more than I do.”

Jason Foster, Christian Journalist

“For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires…” 2 Timothy 4:3 NASB Read full chapter

The Bible teaches that there are many false gospels out there. They aren’t always obvious because many of them are, yes, almost right.

Jason Foster, Christian Journalist

The first step to developing your discernment is to love the Truth, to love God’s Word, and hold it dear. We can’t have discernment if we don’t study the Bible.

 “And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may [a]display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],10 So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].” Philippians 1:9-10 AMPC

Spiritual discernment is the great need of our day. Jesus Himself warns us:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

Many books have been written that claim to teach new insights into God’s Word. Some of them are Best-Sellers. Some are written by people with a huge following. But none of that makes them true. Only when the teaching clearly aligns with God’s Word is it true. The need for discernment is paramount. Make sure you are developing yours by being a student of the Bible. Only then can you discern what is false and what is true.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Give me understanding according to Your Word. Teach me Your ways. Create in me a pure heart that I may follow you in truth.

For more, see:

Psalm 119

100 Bible Verses About False Teachers

Christians Must Be Discerning by Jason Foster

In His Love, Cindy

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

 

Christian

Friday’s Verse, 1/3/25

Cindy Dawson

“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments…

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:4,8 NIV Read full chapter

Note: As in Paul’s day, false teachers still knock at the door of the Church seeking to draw Christians away from the Truth of God’s Word.

In His Love, Cindy

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog  

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?

In His Love, Cindy

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Verses for Meditation, 9/26/24

Cindy Dawson

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:22-24 (NASB)

“The works that God recognizes are those that flow from a heart of obedience and love, not merely external actions done for show or self-justification.” Bruce Cooper

Read more in the article Circumventing God’s Will.

In His Love, Cindy

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

Pray for Israel

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Christian

How To Be a Discerning Christian

Cindy Dawson

The Bible warns us about false teachers. Yes, they exist today. But how do we know what is true and what is false? This is an important question. The answer is we must be discerning Christians.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about The Skill of Discernment. (Read it HERE.) Since then, I came across an excellent comparison that I want to share with you. In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challies compares spiritual discernment with identifying counterfeit currency.

Challies writes, “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right. Experts on counterfeit currency know this as well. They train others first to know the traits of genuine currency because such knowledge will make apparent what is fraudulent.”

Experts in counterfeit money study every aspect of their currency including how it feels and every detail of its appearance and color. Only after they do this are they shown counterfeit currency. And guess what? They know immediately what is not real!

In the same way, it is only after we know the Bible well that we will be able to recognize false teaching. A mature Christian is a Christian who knows the Bible well. This is an important point because the Bible says that the immature Christian can be blown here and there by every kind of teaching (meaning false teaching). That makes sense, right? Ephesians 4:12-14 NASB says,

“… for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [b]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [c]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 [d]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 people, by craftiness [e]in deceitful scheming;“

One thing about children, they’ll believe almost anything. And like children, immature Christians will believe almost anything, especially if it sounds good.

So the question is: How well do you know the Bible? How many times have you read it from cover to cover? How many times have you read the New Testament? Are you reading the Bible for yourself? Or do you rely on books about the Bible?

I challenge you to read the Bible from cover to cover at least twice before you read the Christian Best Sellers. Otherwise, how can you discern if what you are reading is true? Maybe you are thinking, “Oh I just know.” – I wouldn’t be so sure of that. But don’t take my word for it. Consider what the Bible says.

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” The Apostle Paul (Acts 20:29-31 NIV) Read full chapter

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. …21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Jesus (Matthew 7:15, and 21-24 NIV) Read full chapter

“2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” The Apostle Peter (2 Peter 2:1-3 NIV) Read full chapter

Remember this: “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right.”

In His Love, Cindy

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

Pray for Israel

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Christian

Monday’s Verse, 4/15/24

Cindy Dawson

“But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB Read full chapter

Sometimes people are just blind to the Truth. But the Holy Spirit can open blind eyes. Pray that God will open the eyes of unbelievers and those who follow false religions.

In His Love, Cindy

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

Pray for Israel

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