4 Tests Christians Can Use to Spot False Spiritual Teachers (A Must-Read for Every Believer)

Alright, let’s face it…

Christians today are pretty gullible.

Most of us will believe anyone who’s fluent in Christianese.

Of course, it doesn’t help that most believers simply don’t read the Bible. And many pastors are too busy “inspiring” others instead of actually teaching it.

But that’s why I wrote this today.

The world is becoming more of a melting pot by the second. Various skin colors, languages, and cultures are converging into a global community. Yet while much of this diversity should be celebrated, there are some pitfalls we need to avoid.

False spiritual teaching is the biggest danger of this global movement. And for Christians today, it’s more important than ever to stay aware.

The spiritual realm is not like Walmart. You cannot pick and choose what sounds good and leave satisfied.

There is truth, and there is error. And only one leads to spiritual life.

So how do you separate truth from error? And how do you spot false spiritual teachers?

This post will show you how.

Why False Teachers are Dangerous

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 Pet. 2:1 NIV)

Before you learn how to spot false teachers, you need to know why should avoid them.

Fortunately, the answer is simple:

False teachers are dangerous because they provide false solutions to a real problem.

The problem Christianity solves is the internal one that’s plagued humanity throughout history—sin. But when you choose a solution that doesn’t address this problem, you’re left to deal with the consequences.

This is why you have to test spiritual teaching. Everything that’s spiritual is not from God (1 John 4:1).

Water and gasoline may both be liquids for example, but use them to douse fires and you’ll get two very different results.

This is why I’ve gathered four simple tests you can use to spot a false teacher.

All four of these tests relate to Scripture’s fundamental doctrine. So if a teacher fails any of these, they’ve strayed from Christianity’s core beliefs.

Sure, some parts of the faith are open for discussion and vary among genuine believers, but the following topics are so crucial to salvation and Christian living that true teachers will share a common message.

The 4 Tests to Spot False Teachers

#1 Do they know the true character of God?

People everywhere talk of a god or gods, but few actually know who He is.

A true teacher will be familiar with God and know what He likes. And we can use what God revealed about Himself in Scripture to test what anyone says about Him.

The God of the Bible is…

• An invisible, immortal, and distinct Person (John 4:24, 1 Tim. 1:17)
• The Creator (Gen. 1:1, Psalm 121:2)
• Sovereign (i.e. the highest Authority who’s always in control) (Prov. 21:1, Psalm 135:6, Dan. 4:35, Isaiah 43:13)
• Real (Heb. 11:6, Psalm 53:1)
• A loving seeker of relationship (Deut. 7:9, 1 John 3:1, Eph. 2:4-5)
• All-wise, all-knowing, and all-powerful (Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 55:9; also see Jer. 1:5)
• The Author of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet.1:20-21)
• Forgiving and merciful, but also just (Psalm 86:15, Ezek. 33:11, Rom. 2:4-5)
• A lover of good moral character (Psalm 11:17, Psalm 33:5, Heb. 13:16)
• A hater of evil (Prov. 11:20, Prov. 6:16-19, Psalm 5:4)
• The standard of moral character (Deut. 32:4, Psalm 145:17)
• Pre-existing and unchanging (Psalm 90:2, Num. 23:19, Mal. 3:6)
• A despiser of spiritists, mediums, astrologers and the occult (Lev. 19:31, Deut.18:10-12; also see 2 Kings 21:6, Isaiah 8:19, Isaiah 47:13-14)

The God of the Bible is not…

• A force, “Infinite Intelligence”, or a cosmic Santa Claus
• A created thing (i.e. the universe, nature, or a human)
• Subject to your will, actions, or feelings
• Nonexistent
• One-dimensional (i.e. He is not only loving)
• Uninterested in humanity
• Deceived, unintelligent, or incompetent
• A contradictor of the Bible
• Morally indifferent
• New or changing
• Tolerant of every spiritual practice

When we don’t view God as He presented Himself in Scripture, we create a person in the image we like. And as a result, we effectively raise ourselves to His rightful position.

People think of idols as carved wood or stone pieces, but serving a false idea of God is just as idolatrous.

God made His real character very clear to us in Scripture. Any teacher who strays from that depiction does not know Him.

#2 Does their “Jesus” match His biblical identity?

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 16:15-17 ESV)

It’s one thing to share false ideas about a Person who’s never been seen (John 1:18). But it’s particularly deceitful to distort Someone who walked this earth, was seen by multiple eyewitnesses (2 Pet. 1:16), and had His teachings and actions recorded by those eyewitnesses (1 Cor. 15:4-6)—many of whom died for proclaiming the truth of what they saw.

We should be wary of anyone who comes around 2,000 years later and says, “Nope, that’s not what happened.”

The Jesus of the Bible has a very distinct character. A few of His unique qualities are listed below.

The biblical Jesus is…

• Fully God and fully human (John 1:14, John 10:33, Col. 1:15)
• The perfect sacrifice for our sins (Heb. 10:12, 1 John 2:2, Mark 10:45, Titus 2:14)
• A Person of the Trinity (along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit) (Matt. 3:16-17, Matt. 28:19, John 10:30)
• The Mediator between God and humanity (1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 9:15, John 14:6)
• Pre-existing and unchanging (John 8:58, John 1:1-2, Heb. 13:8)
• The focus of the Bible (Luke 24:27, John 1:45, Acts 3:18)
• Alive (Rom. 8:34, Eph. 1:20, Col.3:1, Heb. 12:2)

The biblical Jesus is not…

• Only a man
• An “ascended master”
• Just a moral teacher or prophet
• A spirit guide
• A man who attained the “Christ consciousness”
• A created person with changing character
• A contradictor of the Bible
• Dead

This test is the easiest of the four since Christ’s identity is fundamental to salvation and Scripture as a whole.

Any teacher who doesn’t affirm Christ’s deity, His sacrifice for sin, or His congruence with all other biblical teaching is a false one.

Without the real Jesus, the whole faith falls apart (1 Cor. 15:17). So it’s no surprise that false teachers deny who He really is.

#3 Do they acknowledge and condemn sin? 

The whole Bible is about God going out of His way to redeem humanity from sin (1 John 4:10). So if sin is absent from a teacher’s message, it’s a huge red flag.

Everyone loves the wisdom, peace, and love buzzwords—which is ironic since the false promise of wisdom is one reason why the world’s so messed up (Gen. 3:5-6)—but a true teacher will go beyond that and condemn immoral actions and lifestyles.

Why is that?

Because those actions all stem from a greater problem: our inherited sin nature.

The sin nature, as defined by Scripture, is a spiritual disease (Rom. 5:12, Jer. 17:9 NASB). It’s the part of us that makes us desire what God hates, and it inclines us to give in to those desires (see Rom. 7:18-20).

God knows that sin leads to lawlessness and self-destruction (1 John 3:4, Gal. 5:19-21). And He wants all people to turn from sin because it separates us from Him.

Our nature makes it impossible for us to do this on our own though. That’s why God sent Jesus to atone for the sins of all who believe on Him (2 Cor. 5:18)—more to come on that later.

The topic of sin isn’t a fun one and it won’t build anyone’s self-esteem, but any true teacher will discuss it because it points to our need for a Savior—just like the Old Testament Law did (Gal. 3:24).

Ignorance of sin leads to its unhindered practice (see John 15:22, and Rom. 7:7). That’s why true teachers have to condemn it.

It’s also worth noting that a faulty view of our sin nature leads to a faulty view of human nature.

Sure, Christians today are stereotyped as naïve goody-goodies, but people who actually read the Bible know that it leads to a pretty jaded view of humanity (Ecc. 1:18). And this jaded perspective allows us to see the limits of humanistic ideals.

For example, no biblical teacher will ever promote world peace.

No, it’s not that world peace is a bad ideal. We just know that sin makes it impossible (James 4:1 NIV, Matt. 24:6).

The sin nature inclines us to only care for ourselves. And even if some people keep this urge in check, there will always be others who act according to their desire.

This is why understanding sin is so important: it creates a grounded view of human potential.

Instead of chasing impossible ideals, true teachers will acknowledge sin’s effects, condemn all sinful activity, and live lifestyles void of unrepentant, habitual sin (1 John 3:6 ESV).

No, they won’t avoid all people who live sinful lives—Jesus certainly didn’t (Matt. 9:11-12)—but they won’t condone those actions or promote them at all.

#4 Is the gospel their primary spiritual message?

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:8 ESV)

Again, the whole Bible is about God saving us from sin and it’s consequences (John 3:16).

Jesus’ death and resurrection was the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. The gospel is simply the good news of how Jesus’ work saves believers (1 Cor. 15:3-4, Rom. 1:16).

This work and message was Jesus’ primary focus. It was the apostles’ primary focus. And it’s the whole Bible’s primary focus.

So guess what any true teacher’s message will be.

The gospel is the only solution to humanity’s biggest problem.

Rule-following cannot cure sin. Meditation cannot cure sin. Therapy cannot cure sin.

Jesus is the only One who does that (Isaiah 53:5).

The gospel should be a teacher’s primary spiritual message because it’s the only one that saves (Acts 4:12). But it’s also important to remember that the gospel is not a human message.

All false spiritual teaching originates with humans (or some other created beings). But the message of salvation through Christ comes straight from God (Gal. 1:11-12).

So now with that said, you can see how all four of our tests work together:

1. If we want to please God, we have to know who He is. (Heb. 11:6, Col. 1:10, 1 John 4:7)
2. If we want a relationship with God, we have to trust in the One He sent. (Eph. 2:18, John 6:28-29, John 17:3)
3. If we want to live godly lives, we have to avoid sin. (Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5, 1 Thes. 5:22)
4. And if we want to be freed from sin, we have to believe the gospel (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 John 3:9).

Test Messages, Not Signs

Finally, I need to mention one last thing.

Notice that none of the tests above involve signs.

Signs and miracles performed by God’s people in Scripture were meant to confirm their messages and lead others to righteous living (Ex. 4:4-5, 1 Kings 18:36-38, John 10:37-38).

Yet the Bible also tells us that there are spiritual forces that have nothing to do with God (Eph. 6:12). And sometimes, He allows them to perform the supernatural:

• The magicians of Egypt transformed their wooden staffs into snakes (which were then eaten by the staff-turned-snake of God’s messenger, Aaron). (Ex. 7:10-12)
• A fortune-telling spirit correctly identified Paul’s group of evangelists (before Paul expelled it on Christ’s authority). (Acts 16:16-19)
• And God allowed a medium to conjure the spirit of Samuel on King Saul’s request (only for the prophet to pronounce God’s judgment on the fallen king) (1 Sam. 28:7-19, 1 Chron. 10:13).

Miraculous signs are unreliable because they can be counterfeited. Jesus even said that false teachers would deceive through signs and wonders (Matt. 24:24).

This is why messages are at the heart of these tests (see Deut. 13:1-3).

Signs can be faked, “wisdom” can be false, and appearances can deceive. But no false teacher will ever speak rightly of Christ or the way of salvation (1 Cor. 12:3, 1 John 4:2).

And that’s why these four tests will always work.

Know the Truth to Spot the Errors

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Col. 2:8 NASB)

Jesus said we have to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). But in order to do that, we have to separate truth from error.

True spirituality is about having a relationship with God through Jesus and reflecting His character (Gal. 5:22-23). It’s not about supremacy, secret knowledge, or entertainment. It’s about letting God shape you into the person He wants you to be (Eph. 2:10, 2 Cor. 3:18).

So look, I know the tone of this post has been more serious than usual, but this stuff is not a game. God takes it seriously and we should too.

Following false teachers leads to consequences for individuals and, if their teaching becomes widespread enough, for whole communities and even nations (Matt. 15:14).

When the true gospel is not taught, sin remains uncured. And when this disease is allowed to spread, it eventually leads to destruction (Rom. 1:28, 2 Thess. 1:9).

This is why Scripture is so strong in its stance against false teaching. And it’s why you need to know how to spot false teachers on your own.

No, it doesn’t matter how nice they are (Matt. 7:15), it doesn’t matter if they mention Jesus or God (Matt. 7:21-23), and it doesn’t matter how much they talk about love, wisdom, or peace (2 Cor. 11:14-15)…

If a person fails any of the tests above, they are a false teacher and must be avoided.

So please, remember to stay alert, know the truth, and spot the errors (1 Pet. 5:8).

The world will be a better place if you do.

-Drew

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Photo Credits (By Order of Appearance):

• Sara Noltner
• Aaron Burden
• Matt Marzorati
• CHIRAG K
• Hugues de BUYER-MIMEURE
• Aaron Burden

All photos from Unsplash