10 TELLS OF FALSE TEACHERS: #5

Every book in the New Testament addresses false teachings or false teachers but one (Philemon). This series of blog posts will outline ten biblically sourced "tells," shared to help you discern truth from error and to determine if you are dealing with someone spreading deceptive doctrine.

Note: These posts are designed to share Truth, complete with scriptural references. While examples of modern-day false teachings are provided in general terms, know that in any given season, false doctrine will change. It transforms with the culture. Therefore, it's most beneficial to understand Truth rather than spend energy debating specific false doctrine or calling out specific false teachers. New false teachings and generations of false teachers will rise and fall, like fads. So we must stay focused on Jesus, contend for the faith, and read the Bible for ourselves to be grounded in Truth.

Tell #5:

False teachers prey on the spiritually immature or emotionally compromised. These teachers or ministry leaders appeal to emotions and common grace virtues while teaching doctrine that sounds enough like truth to trick those who don't read the Bible for themselves or who are looking for approval, a place to belong, or quick fixes for their struggles.

The Bible is not silent about who the false teachers exploit. Several scriptural passages address the concept of false teachers preying on those who are spiritually immature, often describing immaturity not by length of apparent conversion but as those believers who are vulnerable to deception or emotional exploitation. Here are some key passages:

• Ephesians 4:14–15 (NIV): "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." This warns that spiritual immaturity leaves believers susceptible to being misled by deceptive teachings.

• 2 Peter 2:1–3 (NIV): "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. Many will follow their depraved conduct and because of them the way of truth will be spoken of as evil. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." This highlights how false teachers exploit others through greed and false narratives, often targeting the unstable or immature.

• 2 Peter 2:10–17 (NIV): This section describes false teachers as bold and arrogant, with "eyes full of adultery" who "seduce the unstable" and are "experts in greed." It emphasizes their perverse ways and how they prey on spiritual immaturity.

• Hebrews 5:11–14 (NIV): "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." This passage rebukes spiritual laziness and immaturity, noting that it hinders deeper understanding and leaves one vulnerable to error. Discipleship is necessary.

• 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 (NIV): "Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?" Paul describes spiritual immaturity as marked by worldly behavior, which can make believers more prone to division and deception.

  
  

These verses illustrate the biblical warning that spiritual growth (e.g., discipleship) is essential for discerning false doctrine and resisting false teachers.

Example: Mental health has become a hot topic in the modern Church. Countless online influencers, ministry leaders, and pastors preach about emotional and mental health, infusing the parts of Scripture that sound loving and accepting to attract those who are suffering, often offering support to "fix" their problems. Once people believe they are not alone, that "faith" and "trust" in the false teacher, the wolf in sheep's wool weaves false doctrine into their messaging.

It's a classic bait and switch tactic. Promise God's grace, mercy, and healing powers, then, once people are "hooked," introduce heretical doctrine. These false teachers promote "another gospel," one centered on self-improvement, self-love, self-help, and other self-centered successes rather than the biblical cross and Jesus's atonement for our sins (Galatians 1:6–9). In fact, sin becomes mental illness to treat rather than something we must repent of.

Social media has become a hot spot for false teachings to flourish. There are dozens of prominent influencers (with 20k+ followers) actively addressing mental health through a Christian lens, with potentially hundreds or thousands of micro-influencers, podcasters, and authors with less followers doing the same thing. The problem is that the lens is distorted. After the false teacher creates a sense of belonging and acceptance, and they have a following of people who have put them on a pedestal, they introduce false doctrine. It happens after people are already hooked to their feel-good teachings—and hooked to them. Followers become emotionally invested in the person and then the errant teaching.

As further example, this leads to one false doctrine that often links emotional security to salvation, promoting "once saved, always saved" but without repentance. Saying a sinner's prayer in a sea of emotions is not a saving prayer. Salvation is not simply an emotional high or a sense of peace. It's not gained through baptism. That kind of "faith" is built on rocky or thorny ground and will not last.

True conversion starts with conviction, godly sorrow, and repentance, which leads to a heart transformation and obedience to God's Word. Remember, "the Bible is not a self-help book; it's a die-to-self book" (Pastor Mark Brady Jr.).

** Check out Loving Them to Death: How a Deceptive Definition of Love Fuels False Teachings' Fast Spread, an Amazon best-seller in Christian Discipleship.

*** Images created with the help of Grok to avoid identifying real people and create symbolic illustrations.