Are You Being Led Astray By False Bible Teachers?

What has been will be. Paul addresses false teachers of his day who preached another Jesus than the one Paul preached or a different gospel than he taught. Paul tells us in verse 13 that such people are false apostles!

Have you noticed that the majority of  preachers in our day teach little on the scriptures, do not warn of the necessity of repentance from sin, but give their people mostly their own opinions? This way they can tickle the ears of their hearers and keep the spiritually dead coming back with their offerings and any true believers stay anemic and bring their money also.

The lukewarm Laodicean church which Jesus said he would spit out of his mouth, describes countless teachers and preachers in our day. Most people are so ignorant of the scriptures they will read this and say "my preacher teaches the scriptures" when they clearly do not. Did you know that Laodicea means "man's opinions". We are to judge the teachers for whether they are true or not. Most people judge the scriptures based upon what their teacher says about the scriptures. This was my lot for many years!

2 Corinthians 11 ISV

1I wish you would tolerate a little of my foolishness. Yes, please tolerate me! 2I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah.a 

• 3However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pureb devotion to the Messiah.c

4For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen. 

5I do not think I’m inferior in any way to those “super-apostles.” 6Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

• 7Did I commit a sin when I humbled myself by proclaiming to you the gospel of God free of charge, so that you could be exalted? 8I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9When I was with you and needed something, I did not bother any of you, because our brothers who came from Macedonia supplied everything I needed. I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

10As surely as the truth of the Messiahd is in me, my boasting will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!

• 12But I will go on doing what I’m doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about. 

13Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah.e 14And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doomf will match their deeds!

How can we stand on the Word of God if we ourselves do not know it? How can we know who is a false teacher if we ourselves do not search the scriptures, especially the New Testament? Humble yourself before the Lord and repent. Ask him to teach you and follow him with all your heart.