Excursus 1: False Teachers/Prophets in the NT

Paul warns against false brothers (Gal. 2:4) who sneak into the congregation with the intent of perverting or distorting the gospel of Christ (1:7); they teach something other than the gospel preached by Paul (and, by extension, James, John, and Peter! 2:9) intending to undo the freedom believers have in Christ and, rather, to "enslave" them. James, more obliquely, warns against a multiplicity of teachers (Jas. 3:1) since teachers receive a stricter judgment, despite the fact that everyone, without exception, stumbles a lot (3:2).

The too brief observations below consider other representative enough New Testament passages, in chronological order, related to false brothers, also described as false teachers or false prophets or false apostles. Though the distinctions among these terms can be nuanced, in this discussion, commonalities should become evident among these: deliberate intention to mislead their hearers so as to gain advantage over them.

To be noted, a false teacher is not the same as a teacher who has mistaken notions. Teachers with mistaken notions do not intend to deceive, they do not deliberately pervert the truth. Rather, they need to be taught "more perfectly" the way of God, as in the case of Apollos, a teacher with mistaken views of baptism, who was more accurately instructed by Priscilla and Aquila. Acts 18:26-27; see also 19:1-6.

Mt 7:15-18

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. Every three that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.

Jesus clearly indicates false prophets intend to deceive, they are wolves dressed as sheep. Ravenous wolves have the intent to feed off the flock itself, rather than to protect the flock. The picture Jesus paints reminds of Ezk. 34 in which the shepherds who were to have fed the sheep, instead slaughtered the sheep for the shepherds' own food. Jesus' people will know false prophets by the results of their activity: bad fruit. Just so, "Wisdom is justified by all her children," said Jesus in opposition to his detractors. Lk. 7:35.

The proof of wisdom is in its results, its children.When a tree in an orchard will not produce the fruit for which it was planted, an owner will cut down the tree and burn it with the pruned branches of other trees. Jesus points out that it is as easy to test the product of a false prophet as it is to taste the produce of a tree.

Mt 24:5, 23-28, see also Mk. 13:22

For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray ... Then if any one says to you, “Look, here is the Christ! or ‘ There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Look, I have told you before hand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Jesus speaks of "many" false messiahs and false prophets all claiming various and sundry miraculous abilities. Their purpose and intent is to "lead astray" both unbelievers as well as the "elect," if possible. Indeed, Jesus affirms that "many" will be led astray, though he is more circumspect with regard to the elect since he says of them, "if possible." In any case, Jesus warns that his people are not to be fooled into believing that Christ has returned when in fact he has not: When the Son of man comes it will be as self-evident as light shining from east to the west. When bright light flashes through the darkness, nobody has to be instructed about that - everybody sees it. When the Son of man comes, it will be as evident as encircling birds of prey indicate the carcass.

Lk 6:26

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Irony springs from Jesus's lips when he pronounces the four blessings and the four curses of Luke 6. He explicitly contrasts certain beatitudes with their correlative woes  (vv. 20-26). He speaks of those who at present have a trouble, and he speaks of those who at present have ease from that trouble. He blesses those with trouble, curses those at ease: the meek versus the privileged, the hungry v. the sated, the mourners v. the carefree, the pariahs v. the popular.

For the interest of this discussion, we note specifically the contrast he gives related to false prophets. Jesus asserts that false prophets received favorable reviews from their peers, while God's prophets were hated, excluded, reviled, and cast out by those same peers. It is as though Jesus states that the indicator for a false prophet is the degree of his popularity among "all men." So much is this so, that Jesus further states that when, on account of the Son of man, a disciple is likewise persecuted, this evidences great reward in heaven.

In any case, Jesus compares the present Son of man favorably with the (true) prophets of old, and contrasts those prophets against their contemporary false prophets. Likewise, by extension, the Son of man stands in relief against subsequent false prophets.

Acts 13:6-8

When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of the God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.

His deceitful attempt to turn Sergius Paulus away from the faith makes Elymas a false prophet. It is under the guise of being a true prophet that he seeks to deceive the proconsul. Consequently, Paul charges Elymas as "son of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy." He indicts Elymas as a distorter of the Lord's straight paths. Jesus had called the devil the father of lies, who, in lying, speaks from his very nature. Jn. 8:44. And later Paul would say it is no wonder that Satan's deceitful workmen act as agents of righteousness, since deceit characterizes Satan. 2 Cor. 11:14-15. So, no wonder indeed, that Elymas should find himself a son of the devil, that is, a person who acts out of the same nature as the devil does.

2 Cor. 11:4-5, 12-15, 20, 22-23, 26; 12:11b-12, 21

For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles.

And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in the boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to the their deeds.

For you bear it if a man makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one … on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren.

For I am not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness which they have practiced.

In a lengthy and explicit defense as a true apostle of Christ, Paul likewise explicitly shows the false apostles (and false brothers) for what they are. In a word, they pervert the gospel so as to deceive in order to gain advantage. Their fruit brings no repentance from sin, but advances practices of impurity, sexual immorality, and indecency. The false apostles take advantage of their hearers and make slaves of them, they place themselves ahead of the others (reminiscent of Diotrephes who liked to put himself first, 3 Jn. 9). And, unless Paul speaks hyperbolically, they physically abuse their hearers.

These false apostles are not people who are merely mistaken in points of doctrine. These are people, rather, who deceive so as to follow in the ways of Satan purposely and intentionally.

Gal. 1:6-9; 2:4-5

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel, not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Noted earlier, Paul identifies false brothers to be individuals who pretend to be what they are not. These "pseudo-brothers" trouble the congregation and pervert the gospel of Christ to gain advantage over the congregation. They spy on the congregation's freedom surreptitiously with a view to enslaving said congregation. They have motives, in other words, that are not open, free, and transparent. The truth of the gospel has no hold on them inasmuch as they will distort it to their desire.

Paul subsequently warns that the true gospel does not lead to works of the flesh, but exhibits the fruit of the Spirit. So his hearers are to live. To be led by the Spirit implies righteous and loving acts, free from the works of the law, and free from the works of the flesh.

These perverters of the gospel remain accursed. Apparently, those persuaded by the false brothers may not share the same curse if they repent. Notably, Peter and Barnabas, though for a while persuaded to align themselves with the accursed teachers (Gal. 2:12-14), were later returned to Christ's original gospel and mission (Acts 15:6-12).

Paul affirms he refused submission even for a moment to such manipulation. Thus, the truth of the gospel might continue freely.

2 Pt. 2:1-3, 9-10, 13, 14, 18-19

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep.

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

Bold and willful they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones … They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime … They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed.

Uttering loud boasts of folly, they entice with licentious passions of the flesh men who have barely escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.

Peter compares the false prophets of a former era with the false teachers of his (and a coming) time. He emphasizes several characteristics of these false teachers: they operate with hidden agendas, they deny the Lord, they follow their own lustful passions, they exploit greedily through deception, they despise authority, they  practice greed. While they speak of freedom, they actually enslave people into a worse state of affairs than even before knowing the way of righteousness.

These false teachers, in a word, deceive so as to advance heresy against the Lord, and so as to gain advantage over their hearers. The fruit of their deception leaves people hopelessly mired in their sin, as dogs going back to their vomit.

Peter assures his readers that God keeps score very well indeed, and these false teachers will find their condemnation and destruction sure.

1 Jn. 2:18-19; 22, 26; 3:10; 4:1-3, 5-7

Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

I write this to you about those who would deceive you.

By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming and now it is in the world already.

They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.

Rather than using Jesus' earlier phrase, "false Christ," John prefers "antichrist." (He also makes reference to false prophets.) This term gives strength to the notion that he does not deal with mistaken teachings born of ignorance, but that the teachings are deliberately in opposition to Christ. These antichrists were present in John's day; he identifies them as not belonging to the congregation: they "went out from us, but are not of us." Such reminds us of Paul's false brothers considered earlier.

John continues to identify antichrists as liars (like Paul's false apostles) who deny Jesus as the Christ of God. False prophets, John says, are those who do not confess Jesus Christ having come in the flesh, and, therefore, are not of God. He further shows that these antichrists persist in not doing right, they do not love their brothers. They are children of the devil just as Jesus' persecutors also followed in the footsteps of their father, the devil (noted earlier in this discussion).

The fruit of these antichrists, therefore, is the same as of Paul's false brothers and false apostles, the same as Peter's false teachers, and (as we shall see) the same as Jude's wandering stars.

Jd. 4, 8, 12, 16

For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

These men in their dreamings defile the flesh, reject authority and revile the glorious ones.

They boldly carouse together, looking after themselves.

These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loudmouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.

Jude speaks of certain men with the following attributes: they gain secret admission, pervert the grace of God, enjoin licentiousness, deny Christ, stir up trouble by grumbling, seek their own passions, flatter to gain advantage. These are the same type of people that Paul, Peter, and John address in their own distinctive ways.

It is possible that certain specific teachings of the false teachers were unique to the various apostles' particular experiences with them. Nonetheless, they all share characteristics in common: secret motivations, lies about themselves, denial of the true gospel of Christ, pursuit of personal gain at others' expense, sexual sin, and greed. In none of these discussions do we find false teachers merely mistaken about their teaching. In every case we find intent to deceive, lying, perverting the truth of Christ, greed, purposeful placing of selves over the congregation.

Rev. 2:2

I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false.

John, the Revelator, records Jesus' message to the angel of the Ephesian congregation. Jesus tells that the angel (or the congregation) has tested some who claimed to be apostles (of Christ), and discovered them as being false apostles, indeed. Jesus does not explain to his readers what the process of testing was, but he seems to approve the practice.

In light of the above discussion, and particularly in light of Jesus' earlier conversations regarding false prophets and their fruit, it should not be too difficult to determine the tests to which these men were subjected. Effectively the test is as that of a fruit inspector, so to speak.

(a) Does the teaching of these men explicitly support the gospel of Christ as received in Scripture?

(b) Does the result of their teaching support freedom in Christ or slavery to keeping of rules?

(c) Does the result of their teaching support holiness or does it encourage sexual immorality, indecency, and greed?

(d) Do these men speak openly and freely about their intent, or do they hide their real work behind flattery and expressions of discontent?

(e) Does their fruit support the congregation's maturing in Christ's love for each other, or does it dissemble?

A true teacher has highest interest in the truth of God. When mistaken, when corrected by Scripture, he repents, learns, and then teaches what is true. A false teacher has little interest in the truth of God. When corrected by Scripture, he continues and pursues his own agenda.

As John, the apostle summarizes the matter: “We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and spirit of error.” 1 Jn. 4:6.

The "we" and "us" of 4:6 relates to the same terms of 1:1-4 -- it refers to those who experienced Jesus Christ in the flesh, those to whom Jesus gave charge to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Acts 1:8. As the congregation reads Scripture (the Bible, the New Testament witness in particular), it hears those witnesses teaching the truth of Christ and of God and of his Holy Spirit. And the congregation may tell, thereby, the difference between mistaken teachers and false teachers.

So, the careful Bible student may instruct a mistaken teacher gently and more completely the way of the Lord. But will rebuke and affirm so accursed the false teacher.