An admonition to false teachers who do not teach the repentance and faith that Christ did (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). Christ’s repentance was a turning away from sin to God (Acts 3:26,19).

1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

— Jeremiah 23:1-2 KJV

There are several places in the Bible that teach us how to spot false teachers who have infiltrated the Church. One thing is certain, they don’t like Christ’s repentance, they don’t like regeneration, and they don’t like sanctification. Anything that would cause a man to follow Christ and flee from sin. These are the false teachers who teach debauched lifestyles that the Bible warns us about.

1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. — 2 Peter 2:1-2 NET

Second Pet 2:1 describes “false prophets” who “secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord who bought them.” These persons professed to be Christians and were influential teachers of the church. Peter’s elaboration of them as “brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed” (v. 12), “springs without water and mists driven by a storm” (v. 17), and “slaves of depravity” (v. 19) shows that the subjects were unregenerate professors of the faith. The end of their apostasy is described as “swift destruction” (cf. v. 12b, 17b). — Dr. Bruce Demarest (Ph.D., University of Manchester), The Cross and Salvation, Chapter Eleven, III. Exposition of the Doctrine of Preservation, D. Some Apostatize Because Unconverted. p. 457.

These are the slaves of depravity. They will fight tooth and nail to defend their lifestyles of sin and corruption that they will neglect massive portions of the Bible and only focus on one or two things that don’t interfere with their delusion (1Jn 3:4-10).

promising them freedom although they themselves are slaves of depravity. For to whatever someone succumbs, by this he is also enslaved. — 2 Peter 2:19 LEB

They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. — 2 Peter 2:19 NLT

Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved. — 2 Peter 2:19 NET

(1) In Matthew 7:15-20 we find that we can recognize or identify these false teachers by their fruits, that is by their behavior and deeds.

  • Watch what they say and do, do they live a lifestyle contrary to Biblical holiness (1 Tim 6:3-4)
  • Are they secretly drunkards (1Cor 6:10; Eph 5:18)
  • Do they have a drug problem (Rev 22:15)
  • Are they easily angered and have outbursts of anger (Gal 5:20)
  • Perhaps they project hatred and hostility (1Jn 3:15) onto those who correct them in love (2Ti 3:16)?
  • Do they slander (Pr 11:9) their brothers and sisters in Christ?
  • Do they deviate from the sound doctrines (2Tim 4:3-4) of the founders of their church or protestantism as a whole (Jer 6:16; Deut 32:7)?

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. — Matthew 7:15-20 NLT

(2) Another way we can spot false teachers is by observing what they teach. Do they teach antinomian heresies and tell their congregation that it’s ok to practice or pursue lifestyles of sin? Are they teaching debauched lifestyles and abusing grace as a license to sin (Jd 4 NET; 1Jn 3:6-10)?

ℹ️ Disclaimer: Everyone has sin (1 Jn 1:8–10), but not everyone pursues lifestyles of indulgent sin (1Jn 3:6-10). Though we may stumble, make mistakes, and God forbid backslide, there is no such thing as a born again Christian that “practices” sin (habitually and continually pursuing a lifestyle of sin).

Christians do not “practice” sin, abuse grace as a license to sin, or remain in a lifestyle of sin (1 Jn 3:6-10; 5:18; Jd 4 NET; Ro 6:1-2,15; 3:8,31; Heb 10:26-31; 6:4-6; Lk 9:62).



There are six things which Yahweh hates, Even seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked thoughts, Feet that hasten to run to evil, A false witness who breathes out lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. — Proverbs 6:16-19