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Of all the well-known Christian preachers/teachers today, who do you admire, and why?
The Apostle Peter’s warning in his letters against false teachers is very relevant for us today, as it was then. The first characteristic of the false teacher is where he comes from. He will not come from outside the church but from within – “among the people” (2 Pet 2:1). He will profess to belong to the household of God. Second, regarding the content of his message, he will claim to speak the truth, not lies. His message will be “secretly introduced” (2 Pet 2:1). To an undiscerning ear, it may sound like the truth. Third, he will be well received. He will be widely admired, perhaps a best-selling author or pastor of a popular church – sadly “many will follow their depraved conduct” (2 Pet 2:2).
Against such deception, how can we discern who the false teacher is?
The first clue is his lifestyle. It will be marked by “sensuality”, a form of wicked-ness with sexual overtones in many cases. A vivid picture of this is the city of Sodom described in Genesis 19, which was full of sexual immorality. The false teacher will also be greedy (2 Pet 2:3). He will not be satisfied with his level of wealth or power but will seek to accumulate and flaunt more of it. Second, we must compare what he teaches with the teachings in the Bible. The false teacher will deny Jesus and blaspheme the way of truth (2 Pet 2:1-2). He may claim to be teaching the truth, or is a trustworthy guide of the truth. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only truth (Jn 14:6) and the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13).
However, whether we face opposition from outside the church or deception from within the church, we can say with King David: “I will fear no evil” (Ps 23: 4). We can trust Jesus, the Good Shepherd who tells us: “I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:14-15). In contrast to today’s false teachers, Jesus knows us and we know Him – He will guide us and protect us. He is all we need!
