False teachers

[SolaSaint]

I'm teaching on false teachers this Sunday and I have a question. In 2 Peter he refers to false teachers with in true church. I figure everyone will agree with my examples: Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, WOFers, some of the TBN crowd, but who else is in this list? Should the Catholic church be considered? When Peter says "within the church" or "those who have obtained the same faith", who would you list as being false among us? I'm even considering Joel Osteen. What do you say?

 

[Iconoclast]

I'm teaching on false teachers this Sunday and I have a question. In 2 Peter he refers to false teachers with in true church. I figure everyone will agree with my examples: Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, WOFers, some of the TBN crowd, but who else is in this list? Should the Catholic church be considered? When Peter says "within the church" or "those who have obtained the same faith", who would you list as being false among us? I'm even considering Joel Osteen. What do you say?

You might consider separating the nominal church from the real local churches . I do not consider false churches as "the church' that Jesus died for. There are some true believers in there , but God will most likely pull them out.

remember......false teachers....teach.It just is not blessed by God as He has not sent them.

 

[SolaSaint]

Thanks for the reply Icon, I was wondering if anyone would. We can post about politics and current events and get several replies, but post on serious question within the church and you get crickets??

I guess my question should be, what is the biggest threat to Baptist churches today as far a false teaching. We all know this stuff comes in the church secretly and vailed as orthodox so many may not discern what others see.

 

[Van]

Finding fault with others and branding them with general labels, i.e. false teacher, is a behavior of false teachers. Cults teach that the views of others are of Satan.

So the righteous path seems to be:

1) Identify several destructive heresies, and point out specifically why they are unbiblical.

2) Then using quotes in context, demonstrate that this guy teaches several false doctrines.

In summary, rather than tearing down others, build up the body so they will not be tossed about by every wave of doctrine.

 

[Scarlett O.]

I guess my question should be, what is the biggest threat to Baptist churches today as far a false teaching. We all know this stuff comes in the church secretly and vailed as orthodox so many may not discern what others see.

It appears that we are teaching the same lesson tomorrow.

I think - to answer your question and to get to the thrust of my lesson tomorrow - the biggest theat to the genuine and true church as far as false teaching is concerned is the tragic fact that many genuine Christians don't know enough of their Bibles and of the Truth to fill a thimble.

The best way to arm oneself against the attack of false teaching is to know the teachings of the truth.


Especially the truth about:

• God
• Jesus Christ
• The Trinity
• humanity
• sin
• salvation
• justification/sanctification

Also do these teachers:

• teach to tickle the ear?
• exalt themselves?
• make extravagent personal gain from their followers?
• straddle the fence on important issues?
• live ungodly lifestyles in private?
• claim to be untouchable?
• teach tradition over the gospel?

 

[OldRegular]

I'm teaching on false teachers this Sunday and I have a question. In 2 Peter he refers to false teachers with in true church. I figure everyone will agree with my examples: Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, WOFers, some of the TBN crowd, but who else is in this list? Should the Catholic church be considered? When Peter says "within the church" or "those who have obtained the same faith", who would you list as being false among us? I'm even considering Joel Osteen. What do you say?

Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, has written a book He Is Not Silent in which he extolls the virtues, the necessity of expository preaching. I agree with him. A 15 minute Rotary sermon just will not cut it. I believe that to be an insult to God who redeemed us. A preacher basically has one thing to say, that is to faithfully expound the Scriptures.

If a preacher is faithful to Scripture it is incumbent on him to speak of false doctrine and false teachers. Much of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, address these two problems. I believe that one reason so many are led away into error and ultimate heresy is that preachers are afraid to condemn error. I encourage you to do so and God knows there is much out there to condemn. There is much error, even heresy, within the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Communions. I believe most of those in the evangelical faith are aware of this. I believe that biggest threat to the Church in this country is the Word Faith Heresy and TBN that spews it daily.

 

[12strings]

Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, has written a book He Is Not Silent in which he extolls the virtues, the necessity of expository preaching. I agree with him. A 15 minute Rotary sermon just will not cut it. I believe that to be an insult to God who redeemed us. A preacher basically has one thing to say, that is to faithfully expound the Scriptures.

If a preacher is faithful to Scripture it is incumbent on him to speak of false doctrine and false teachers. Much of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, address these two problems. I believe that one reason so many are led away into error and ultimate heresy is that preachers are afraid to condemn error. I encourage you to do so and God knows there is much out there to condemn. There is much error, even heresy, within the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Communions. I believe most of those in the evangelical faith are aware of this. I believe that biggest threat to the Church in this country is the Word Faith Heresy and TBN that spews it daily.

1. I would say that a non-sermon lesson may be a good place to teach on false teaching/teachers...however, I don't think it should be the primary focus of a church's ministry, and I would say it should not be the main focus of preaching either. (search for Pastor Steven Anderson on Youtube to see what I mean as a negative example).

2. I would also say that some pastors take the path of not naming specific false teacher, but rather teaching the truth, believing that to be the best defense against falsehood. I don't know that I can say those pastors are being unfaithful in their ministry.

 

[evangelist6589]

I'm teaching on false teachers this Sunday and I have a question. In 2 Peter he refers to false teachers with in true church. I figure everyone will agree with my examples: Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, WOFers, some of the TBN crowd, but who else is in this list? Should the Catholic church be considered? When Peter says "within the church" or "those who have obtained the same faith", who would you list as being false among us? I'm even considering Joel Osteen. What do you say?

A good question. MacArthur says its deceivers in the church and he does not list the cults and other religions in his list. You have mentioned a few, but you have failed to hit the big bombers. I am talking about people like Brian McLarren, an Rob Bell which perhaps are the most deadly of the false teachers. Osteen is a false teacher, but I am not sure I would call him a heretic just yet.

 

[evangelist6589]

Thanks for the reply Icon, I was wondering if anyone would. We can post about politics and current events and get several replies, but post on serious question within the church and you get crickets??

I guess my question should be, what is the biggest threat to Baptist churches today as far a false teaching. We all know this stuff comes in the church secretly and vailed as orthodox so many may not discern what others see.

Apathy…. People today do not read their Bibles, good books, commentaries, and seem to not care. They love to be entertained, to read books about little boys that go to heaven and come back, they love self-help, etc.. Apathy is the biggest threat to any church.

 

[evangelist6589]

Finding fault with others and branding them with general labels, i.e. false teacher, is a behavior of false teachers. Cults teach that the views of others are of Satan.

So the righteous path seems to be:

1) Identify several destructive heresies, and point out specifically why they are unbiblical.

2) Then using quotes in context, demonstrate that this guy teaches several false doctrines.

In summary, rather than tearing down others, build up the body so they will not be tossed about by every wave of doctrine.

Thats not what Jesus and Paul did. They spelled out and exposed the false teachers.

 

[Revmitchell]

Thanks for the reply Icon, I was wondering if anyone would. We can post about politics and current events and get several replies, but post on serious question within the church and you get crickets??

There is a good reason for that. They always degenerate into calvinist debates, preterist debates, or just anti-pre-millennialism debates and it gets old. Some cannot have a discussion without off subject agendas. So, I for one, am more careful about what I get involved with. the minute I see certain posters get involved in a thread I have jumped into I just stay out of the way. I know where it is going. I also know I am not the only one.

I guess my question should be, what is the biggest threat to Baptist churches today as far a false teaching. We all know this stuff comes in the church secretly and vailed as orthodox so many may not discern what others see.

My view is that the biggest threat to the church Baptist or otherwise is the down playing of the cross and the resurrection. Those are central to our faith. In fact both those and our future eternity is often railed against with the "we need to live in the moment now" (my words) attitude I see. Learning how to live everyday is all well and good but ignoring the past and the future ie the cross, resurrection, and eternity gives us nothing more than the "Living your better life now" theology.

 

[OldRegular]

1. I would say that a non-sermon lesson may be a good place to teach on false teaching/teachers...however, I don't think it should be the primary focus of a church's ministry, and I would say it should not be the main focus of preaching either. (search for Pastor Steven Anderson on Youtube to see what I mean as a negative example).

The main focus of preaching should be exposition of Scripture.

2. I would also say that some pastors take the path of not naming specific false teacher, but rather teaching the truth, believing that to be the best defense against falsehood. I don't know that I can say those pastors are being unfaithful in their ministry.

The Apostle Paul was not shy about mentioning names. He called out the Apostle Peter when it became necessary. If God did not intend for preachers to name heretic then why this example. {I am not accusing Peter of heresy just in case anyone thinks so.}

 

[Iconoclast]

Thanks for the reply Icon, I was wondering if anyone would. We can post about politics and current events and get several replies, but post on serious question within the church and you get crickets??

I guess my question should be, what is the biggest threat to Baptist churches today as far a false teaching. We all know this stuff comes in the church secretly and vailed as orthodox so many may not discern what others see.

A danger in todays baptist church is uncalled Pastors who fail to labor in the word and doctrine. They are either public speakers, or religious executives which do not equip the people correctly .This leaves them vulnerable to the false teachers.
Sound doctrine and practice is replaced with contemporary ideas and entertainment in it's place. God the Holy Spirit is grieved. Instead of sound doctrine there is pablum and compromise. Professed believers lose any outward focus, content to just show up and sing a few two line songs.
They are not sure if Jesus is Lord...so they substitute man made legalism for God;s Holy Law....

 

[thomas15]

A danger in todays baptist church is uncalled Pastors who fail to labor in the word and doctrine. They are either public speakers, or religious executives which do not equip the people correctly .This leaves them vulnerable to the false teachers.
Sound doctrine and practice is replaced with contemporary ideas and entertainment in it's place. God the Holy Spirit is grieved. Instead of sound doctrine there is pablum and compromise. Professed believers lose any outward focus, content to just show up and sing a few two line songs.
They are not sure if Jesus is Lord...so they substitute man made legalism for God;s Holy Law....

Great post icon but I'm afraid that some here might get a tad irritated, thinking that you are stating the obvious and they might even think that you are preaching to the choir, which of course, you are.

 

[psalms109:31]

1 Corinthians 11:
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.


1 Corinthians 4:
16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

Galatians 2:8
New International Version (NIV)
8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.

I wonder why God needed to keep a thorn in Paul side to keep him humble. Did Paul misunderstand Cephas(stone) intentions like many misunderstand Paul to their own destruction or is Paul better than Cephas? I would like to hear the other sides defense before coming up with an opinion.

 

[OldRegular]

A danger in todays baptist church is uncalled Pastors who fail to labor in the word and doctrine. They are either public speakers, or religious executives which do not equip the people correctly .This leaves them vulnerable to the false teachers.
Sound doctrine and practice is replaced with contemporary ideas and entertainment in it's place. God the Holy Spirit is grieved. Instead of sound doctrine there is pablum and compromise. Professed believers lose any outward focus, content to just show up and sing a few two line songs.
They are not sure if Jesus is Lord...so they substitute man made legalism for God;s Holy Law....

Good points Icon!

When I was much younger and a young Christian I heard a Baptist preacher say: "Baptists have become respectable." Perhaps that is the problem.

 

[Van]

Thats not what Jesus and Paul did. They spelled out and exposed the false teachers.

Yes, that is exactly what Jesus and Paul did. But the difference between our opposing claims, is that I provide scriptural reference.

1) False teachers make the word of God to no effect.

2) Destructive doctrines nullify God's word.

3) Therefore all those that say God's word does not mean what it says are false teachers. Scripture says God chose us through faith in the truth, 2 Thessalonians 2:13. God's word says Christ laid down His life for all. Shall I go on?

4) Unless we know what doctrines are taught that nullify God's word, we are dealing in generalities, something that false teachers do.

 

[tomana]

to the OP, I noticed it says False Teacher directly underneath the properly chosen Avatar :thumbsup:

 

[glazer1972]

Rick Warren.

 

[SolaSaint]

to the OP, I noticed it says False Teacher directly underneath the properly chosen Avatar :thumbsup:

I didn't even notice until you pointed that out....LOL