One thing that characterizes adulthood is maturity. Adults should be mature. The key word there is should, because not all adults are mature! One word that characterizes adulthood and maturity is discernment. A child can look at a situation ripe with grave dangers on the one hand and safety on the other, and they will go in the direction that seems the most fun and inviting. This type of naivety is something we as parents are commanded to help our children with during their time of innocence, but we must also help them grow out of it. As I write this entry, I cannot think of a more pertinent illustration that captures our current age of Christendom. There are a lot of options, a lot of fun, and a lot of promises, but discernment of false teaching is low.

What is the answer to the problem of discerning false teaching and teachers in our day and age? 

We Must Identify False Teachers and Not Follow Them  

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul is describing what life will be like in the last days. Lest we think that we have somehow just fallen into the last days, Paul explains that the last days began when Jesus ascended into heaven and will not end until He returns.

False teaching will characterize the last days. Picking up in verse 5, in the middle of the thought, he writes:  

5 “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” 

Elders like Timothy and churches are taught to avoid false teachers. Jannes and Jambres are mentioned by name in the Bible; they were two magicians who stood with Pharaoh and attempted to replicate the miraculous works Moses performed by God’s power.

What is fascinating about the storyline of Exodus is that Moses performs mighty miracles by the hand of God, and a few times Jannes and Jambres are able to produce similar signs. They were able to turn staffs into serpents, water into blood, and make frogs appear. Eventually, however, they gave up because their power could not rival Yahweh’s.

The way Paul uses this story in Exodus 7–8 is to illustrate how false teachers come into the church. They do not arrive holding up a sign with a large “S” on it to identify themselves as satanic teachers, nor do they have pentagrams tattooed on their foreheads. Rather, they come into the church and make inroads through smooth-sounding words and counterfeit righteous acts. In 2 Corinthians 11:14–15 it says, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

Friend, false teachers must be identified and shunned, and the New Testament lays out tests that we must follow to discern their teaching. We must listen carefully to what they believe and preach about Jesus. Cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith are always rejected by false teachers. Here is a sample of those teachings:

• The full divinity of Jesus Christ
• The full humanity of Christ
• Jesus’s physical, bodily resurrection
• The triune nature of one eternal God
• Salvation by grace alone through faith alone
• The inspiration of the Bible
• The miracles of the Bible
• The visible return of Jesus

If these truths are rejected, such an individual ought to be deemed a false teacher and avoided.

Aids to Identifying False Teaching

Paul says that, in time, false teachers will be revealed. Here are four aids that will accompany the doctrinal test mentioned above.

1.  Churches should be committed to verse-by-verse expository preaching and teaching. This gives the church the best possible exposure to the Word of God in the public teaching ministry. If a church is constantly skipping around to different texts, you may never be confronted with certain elements of the gospel. While expository preaching does not completely safeguard against false teaching, it is certainly a great help.
   
   
2. Make sure your church has a statement of faith. The history of Christianity has led to the development of many creeds and confessions that help define orthodoxy—creeds such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed, and confessions such as the Second London Baptist Confession, the Westminster Confession, the Belgic Confession, or the smaller one our church follows, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith. These faithful documents were written by godly men to clarify true teaching and guard the church from error. Elders and pastors should be held to teach within the guardrails of their church’s doctrinal statement.
   
   
3. Make sure you study your Bible on your own. Your interpretation of Scripture may not be as accurate as that of a qualified elder—but it may be. You ought to study the Bible to verify that you are being taught the truth. The New Testament example of this is Acts 17:11: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Even though the Apostle Paul was the preacher, the Bereans examined the Scriptures after his teaching to make certain it was true. Luke, the author of Acts, says they were more noble because they did this.
   
   
4. Make sure you have qualified elders in your church. Elders are the leaders of New Testament churches, and both churches and elders must hold one another accountable to the standards of eldership in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5. They must know the gospel and live the gospel.

The Danger of Following False Teaching 

In Exodus 7:13 it says, “Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” Because Pharaoh saw his men do something similar—though not as great as what Yahweh did—his heart was further hardened, and he walked away in rank unbelief at the mighty works of God.

Friend, do not be like Pharaoh and harden your heart at what you hear and see the Lord doing. Call out to God with a sincere heart and say, “Cause me to believe. Soften me within and forgive me of my rebellion.” A sincere cry from your heart, seeking God’s grace, is one that is always heard and answered by our mighty Savior.

The stakes of discerning false teaching could not be higher. We must resolve to fight for orthodoxy, call out false teaching, and strive for discernment—for the sake of the church and for the sake of our own souls. We pray, “Lord, help us!”

Soli Deo Gloria