Introduction
The Lord Jesus teaches us in several places in His Word to be aware of false teachers. But how can we recognize and avoid them? We may attend a church where we feel comfortable with the people, yet remain unaware that they promote false doctrines. The most effective way to identify false teachers is by engaging with the Word of God daily—through reading, prayer, and meditation—while seeking guidance from the true Teacher, the Holy Spirit. We should invite the Holy Spirit, in the name of our Lord Jesus, to lead us and help us understand the Scriptures. He is the only One who truly knows the meaning of each word in the Bible. The Lord Jesus Himself instructs us in His Word to enter through the narrow gate, which signifies that we must closely adhere to His teachings and believe that He is the Son of God and the only path to the Father. Let us explore a brief Bible passage from Matthew 7:12-20 to learn how to identify false teachers.
Comments Matthew 7:12-20
Matthew 7:12 All things therefore, whatever you wish that people should do to you, even so do you also to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way leading to destruction, and many are those entering through it.
14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, leading to life, and few are those finding it.
“For narrow is the gate...” Humans are selfish and believe in themselves. It is hard for them to accept that man can be God. They cannot accept the fact that God walked on earth as a man. The dark mind covers the eyes of the man. The way is narrow and there is only one gate to heaven, through the Lord Jesus. There is no other way to heaven, just believe in the Lord Jesus. How many humans are willing to give their lives for another human?
“Few are those finding it.” People try to find reasons to fight against the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus. They limit God’s power to make a human baby without the action in a human way. A few have clear minds and can accept that God has the power to do unbelievable things. Those will find the way in.
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
It is hard to recognize a false prophet because they cover themselves with sheep’s skin. You can recognize them by their stand on the following three points: 1) The Lord Jesus’ birth must be by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary; 2) The Lord Jesus’ death must be death on the cross for atonement for our sins; 3) The Lord Jesus’ resurrection must be a bodily resurrection.
16 From their fruits you will recognize them. Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 Even so every good tree makes good fruit; but the bad tree makes evil fruits.
Here in this verse, “tree” refers to humans, “good fruits” refers to faith in the Lord Jesus, and “evil fruits” refers to the unfaithfulness of those who turn away after receiving the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
18 A good tree cannot make evil fruits, nor can a bad tree make good fruits.
19 Every tree that does not make good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will recognize them.
We have the freedom to choose, and we must worship the Lord God Almighty out of our own free will and from our hearts. We must love the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly and believe that He is the only begotten Son of God and the sole way to the Father. It is important to be aware of those who speak against God in our time and attempt to reject Him altogether. Many of these individuals produce and promote various forms of so-called scientific research, often accompanied by compelling presentations, to challenge the existence of God (Matthew 12:33-34).
Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree worthless, and its fruit worthless; for the tree is known by the fruit.
The tree here represents humans. Humans have free choice. What you choose, that is what you live by. If you choose light, you will walk in the light of the Lord. If you do not choose the light, you will reap the fruits of the darkness. The Lord Jesus is the true light; come to Him. The duty of the Lord Jesus is to lead the children of God to glorify the Father.
34 Offsprings of vipers, how are you able, being evil, to speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
“Offsprings of vipers” in those days applied to the Pharisees. But now, amongst us, we have worse than the vipers. They come in many forms, mainly bringing joy and fun to life. The Pharisees of the past believed in God and did think about God. But people nowadays do not think anymore about God. So, the Pharisees of the past have converted themselves to be the atheists of today.
“For out ... speaks.” Talk with them, and you will know what is really in their hearts. What is in their hearts will come out. The blasphemous words are on the tips of their tongues. They hang evil like a golden chain around their necks.
Conclusions
In conclusion, it is essential to acknowledge that many false teachings exist about the Lord Jesus. For a true believer, it is necessary to uphold three main fundamentals of faith: 1) The Lord Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man; 2) He died on the cross as an atonement for the sins of the world; 3) He rose from the dead on the third day, then ascended into heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, and He will come again. Additionally, we must love the Lord Jesus with all our hearts and follow His teachings to enter the kingdom of heaven, as this is the Father’s will for us. The rock of our faith must be the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, with the hope that we will be with Him in His kingdom.
Meditation Tasks
- We encourage all readers to reflect on their personal understanding of who the Lord Jesus is to them. Additionally, we invite everyone to review our statement of faith for a more detailed outline of our core beliefs (The Followers of Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God —our core faith). As faithful followers of the Lord Jesus, we must apply His teachings in our daily lives.
- Check out our blog article titled “The God We Serve.”