HOW TO RECOGNIZE A HERETIC

Recently, I was asked to teach in a Bible school in Southeast Asia. One topic that seemed to be foremost was teaching students how to recognize false teachers and false teachings.

This is of utmost importance. If Scripture builds us up, false teachings will tear us down, as Paul had warned:

• “and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:30-32)

False teachings can also deprive us of our heavenly inheritance:

• See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition...Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions...(Colossians 2:8, 18)

Jesus provided one way that we can detect false teachers:

• “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16)

However, we have to know the teacher intimately to know if their fruits are bad. Fortunately, there are more direct ways to sniff out false teaching:

• “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)

Miracles are no guarantee of a true teacher. The anti-Christ will also perform miracles to deceive many. Faithfulness to God is a matter of holding fast to His commandments as supreme, the measure by which we are to test everything else:

• To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isaiah 8:20)

Separating truth from falsehood is a battle, which we are required to fight:

• For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Everything that we believe has to agree with the Gospel of Christ. However, this requires us to regularly meditate on the Word, as God had instructed Joshua:

• “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

“Day and night” (Psalm 1). This is demanding! This is why we also need trusted teachers and pastors:

• to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:12-14)

Maturity and discernment require the Word of truth. Even worship requires this Word, according to Jesus:

• “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

God requires truth. His Word is truth. Those teachers who are not faithful to the Word are not of the truth.