In this time and age, we are reminded by the Bible to be vigilant and alert. Failing to discern wrong things and blindly, even passionately but blindly, following wrong beliefs and thoughts will bring us to destruction. Consider the warning given in 1 John 4:
"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world" (1 John 4:1).
What happens when we follow false teachings
Many things happen when we follow false teachings, but to sum it all up, let's say the softest and kindest word would be "disaster." The Lord Jesus even gave such a warning:
"For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones" (Matthew 24:24).
When we fall into the trap of false teachings, we end up being deceived. When we are deceived, the truth becomes a lie, and a lie becomes the truth. We easily get manipulated. Because of this we end up piercing ourselves with so much pain and things that we will surely regret.
Real anguish
While false teachings are false, the disaster they bring is true and authentic: a believer's love grows cold and falls away from the faith; sin and lawlessness will abound; and Christians will be greatly persecuted, even by the deceived. Sadly, many who remain deceived and keep following the wrong teachings experience even more hurt.
False teachings are manipulative. Pastors who believe and pass false teachings end up manipulating others, and those who are caught in their teachings end up being slaves again to that which Christ has set them free from (see Galatians 4:17, 5:1).
Testing the spirits
The best thing that you can do, then, is to test every new teaching or thought that any person, regardless of position in the church, is bringing. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:19-20 about putting up and just following these teachings and teachers who actually aim to benefit from us and take away all that we have.
Friend, test the spirit of the person. 1 John 4:2-3 says, "This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here."
Paul also reminds us in Galatians 1:8-9, "Let God's curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed."
Friend, beware of wrong teachings. Build yourself up in the truth of God's Word and stand on it.
