—II Pet. 2:1,2 As we know, there are many forms of evil in this world. Like the terrorists, false teachers ply their wares in similar fashion. They infiltrate the household of God for the sole purpose of leading men to perdition.
These unscrupulous teachers are the emissaries of Satan who weave a web of deception to secure fame and fortune. Having established that prophecy came through holy men who were moved by the Spirit in time past,
Peter reminds his hearers that there were also false prophets among the people of Israel (Duet. 13:1-5).
Then he adds, “even as there shall be false teachers among you,” that is, their posterity. They were not to think that they were exempt from these insidious attacks, nor should we. While the faces of evil may change from generation to generation, the objective to deceive is the same. They are spiritual terrorists!
Who exactly is a false teacher?
First of all, we must distinguish between a false teacher and a teacher who is merely careless or inconsistent with a particular area of the Word of God.
For example, C. I. Scofield played a prominent role in the struggle to recover the gospel of the grace of God.
After recently reading his biography, I was deeply touched by his profound dedication to produce a reference Bible that the average reader could understand and enjoy. 8 Berean Searchlight He systematically developed the dispensational themes taught in the Scriptures, placing a special emphasis on the distinction between law and grace.
But Dr. Scofield never fully saw the distinctive character of Paul’s apostleship and message; therefore, he taught that the Church began on the day of Pentecost. While he lacked understanding in certain areas of the Scriptures he nevertheless was faithful to the light God had given him.
So then, teaching error through ignorance does not mean a Bible teacher is a false teacher.
Who among us has all truth?
We are all growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we emphasize the importance of being a Berean and diligently studying to see if these things are so.
A false teacher is someone who knowingly, deceitfully, and deliberately teaches that which is untrue. We normally associate false teachers with the unregenerate; however, this is not always the case.
Paul wrote to the Galatians regarding his defense of the gospel of the grace of God at Jerusalem: “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Gal. 2:4,5).
Those who understand the truth of Paul’s apostleship and message, but deny it, and teach what they know to be error are false teachers.
But why would a pastor or teacher purposely teach that which is wrong?
The reasons are troubling to say the least, but a few that come to mind are pride, fear of rejection, personal gain, etc. They count the cost, and the cost is just too high. But these brethren seem to have forgotten that they must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. What shall be their defense for withholding the truth of Paul’s gospel from those whom God entrusted to their care?
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (II Pet. 2:1-3).
The unregenerate false teachers spoken of here are the masters of deception.
Peter effectively warned his countrymen to beware of those who after his death would lie in wait to deceive. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is important to note that these deceivers “bring in damnable [destructive] heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them.”
They deliberately bring falsehood alongside the truth that they might deceive the unsuspecting.
This is often accomplished by introducing something new as a fuller expression of sound doctrine. Consequently, it is essential to heed the warning: “Beware! Error often rides to its deadly work on the back of the truth.” In addition to teaching unlimited redemption, the above passage also demonstrates that these false teachers denied the very One who provided redemption for them. While they probably taught their hearers that Christ was a great prophet and teacher, they rejected the truth that He was the Redeemer of Israel.
These “wells without water” blatantly denied Christ’s substitutionary death, precious shed blood, and bodily resurrection. They even called into question the inspiration of the Scriptures themselves when they defiantly declared, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (II Pet. 3:4). The trademark of all false teachers is the denial of the Deity of Christ, commonly known as Gnosticism, which was prevalent at that time. But how do these workers of iniquity so effectively mislead their followers?
As Peter says, “many shall follow” them. Since the natural man is inherently religious and would rather believe a lie, he’s easy prey for the “pernicious ways” and “feigned words” of a false teacher. Notice they are identified by their pernicious ways. In other words, they’re outrageous, shameless, and given to excess. These unscrupulous preachers have magnetic personalities that draw men to them. And with “feigned words” or persuasive speech, which could deceive the Devil himself, if it were possible, they lead men to destruction. Mark these words and mark them well, unsound doctrine is always accompanied by ungodly behavior. The two go hand in hand! The goal of these false teachers is to exploit their unwary followers. They are purely out for financial gain; therefore, Peter warns those that are intrigued by their notoriety accordingly, they will “make merchandise of you.” Like a thief, they will rob you blind, while promising you health, wealth, and prosperity. Stop and think, wealth is the crown jewel of most cults. As it has been said, “error goes first class, while the truth goes begging!”
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Do you really believe SDA's would deliberately teach demonic doctrines when we might have not all OUR doctrines right?
Grace brother.
J.