It’s hard to be a Christian and not find yourself at times thinking of false teachers. The Bible is clear in pointing out their existence and even warns us that they are all around us. During His ministry, Jesus often made a point of warning us that false prophets would come in an attempt to deceive us. When many of us think of such false teachers we view them as fulling knowing what they are doing. We believe they are purposely trying to deceive others for their own gain. Sadly this is true in many cases and is confirmed by the Bible.
2 Peter 2:3 (ESV)
3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
But what we so often fail to realize is just how deceived those who deceive others are. Every false teachers is in one way or another deeply deceived and they don’t even know it. We read in Second Timothy that evil people and impostors will flourish deceiving many. In that same verse, we are also told that those same people are also deceived.
2 Timothy 3:13 (ESV)
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
In the realm of false teachers, there are two distinct groups. On one side you have those that truly do not know they are teaching false doctrine. They were taught a non-biblical message and now share what they were taught with others. It is also possible that they have over time deceived themselves and become blind to the truth.
On the other side you find those who know they are false teachers and have twisted scripture for their own gain. This group has lead themselves to believe either God does not exist or that they won’t be punished for their wicked deeds. But these groups are similar in the fact that they are caught in deep deception.
A lot of God Christians see false teachers and allow anger to start building up inside of them. The truth is we often start to hate such people for what they do to the name of the Lord and His word. Instead of allowing those feelings to build up inside us though we should remember the love and mercy of our God. He is still willing to forgive them and grant them the same salvation He granted us.
Paul is the ultimate example of this as he would have been considered a false teacher to the early church. He opposed the will of God and made attempts to lead Christians back to Judaism. Yet after all he had done in opposition to Christianity God still forgave and used him greatly to further the faith. Paul said that he received mercy because he acted in ignorance. The false prophets we see today are also acting in ignorance and Paul is an example of the forgiveness they can receive.
1 Timothy 1:13–16 (ESV)
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Because they have been deceived false teachers are living in a sense of ignorance they simply don’t know or understand the truth. They are just as lost as any unbeliever and should be treated as such. We should be praying for them just as we pray for other lost individuals. The Bible does not discriminate when it calls us to pray for others it simply says to pray for all people. Even including those who are deceiving others.
1 Timothy 2:1 (ESV)
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
We can’t just stop at praying for them though. We need to extend the same love to them as we would other lost people. Just as extending love to sinners doesn’t mean we approve of their lifestyle. Loving false teachers does not mean we agree with what they teach. It only means we care for them in the same way that God does.
If we have the opportunity, it is important that we approach them with the same patience, kindness, and gentleness we would anyone else. Our goal should not be to only discredit them or to tear them down. Instead, our energy should be spent sharing the truth with them and praying for them. In the hope that they will renounce their old ways and be saved. So the will no longer be a tool of deception used by the devil.
2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV)
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Christians need to understand that every false teacher is deeply deceived no matter what their motives are. It’s true that they have done wicked acts against God but we must remember they truly don’t realize they are deceived. They are acting in ignorance and can still receive forgiveness. We don’t need to respond to them in anger and hate. Instead, we should be saddened to see how lost they are and do what we can to see them change their ways. Because they are counted among all people and our God wants to see all people saved.
1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I do hope that you can see false teachers are deceived. Blinded by their own beliefs or what others taught them. It’s understandable to get upset when you see those who twist God’s word. But don’t allow what they do to cause you to in turn sin. Instead, let’s respond to them in a new way by showing compassion and lifting them up in prayer. Just as someone did for each of us when we were deceived by the world and lost in sin.
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