Who is Your Closest False Teacher? (It Might Surprise You)
- RD Montgomery
- Jun 23
- 5 min read
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
There is no way to know these days how many false teachers there are in the world that teach something loosely based on the Bible. No matter what kind of lifestyle you want to lead, no matter what you want to believe, there is a teacher for you. If you want to mix the Bible with Voodoo, you can find a teacher.
Often we are our own false teacher.
It's easy to point fingers at others who twist the Bible, but sometimes the most misleading teacher we have is ourselves. We all have our own desires, biases, and comfort zones that can subtly—or not so subtly—change how we read and understand what the Bible says. Sometimes we have lied to ourselves for so long, we may not realize we are doing it.
If there's a certain way of life we prefer, or a truth in the Bible we'd rather not face, we can be clever at explaining it away, making it seem less important, or twisting its meaning to fit what we already believe. It is self-deception to believe we can create a version of God and His word that perfectly matches what we want.
The danger of false teaching
If we allow ourselves to twist the Bible where we get to decide what's true and what's not, then where does that leave us? Think about it: if I can simply edit God's Word to fit what I want to believe, what I want to do, or what makes it easy for me to fit in, then what reliable foundation do I have for something as eternally significant as my salvation?
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:22-23
You cannot manifest your way into Heaven by believing whatever you want. No one is going to convince God to allow them into the Kingdom based on convenient personal interpretations and manipulations of Scripture.
By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:10
You are expected to practice a righteous and loving life. Righteousness is defined by God, not by you or me.
False teachers get help
The very first lie recorded in the Bible was an attempt to make God's word seem flexible. In Genesis 3, the serpent approaches Eve with a clever question: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" This wasn't just a hint, or a subtle way of questioning how clear and absolute God's command was; it was followed by a direct lie: "You will not certainly die."
Eve desired the fruit, seeing it as "good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom". If she had humbly submitted to God, it would have kept her from doing as she pleased. Instead, she was prideful and took it upon herself to accept what the serpent said as truth.
Some things that motivate a person to be their own false teacher or find teachers that suits them:
My thoughts and feelings must be true.
The way I have interpreted my experiences must be true.
If there is disagreement between scientific explanations and the Bible, we need to change how we read the Bible.
What is socially acceptable must be good.
What I want to do must be good.
God is asking me to do something different from everyone else.
My lifestyle must be good.
How I feel about God must be accurate.
How the Bible gets twisted to be used by false teachers:
Taking a segment, verse, or passage out of context.
Disregarding context provided by other passages.
Reading between the lines or assuming a meaning that is not there.
Cherry-picking or focusing on Scripture that seems to support an idea while downplaying anything else.
Declaring parts of the Bible are irrelevant or false.
Deciding passages that should be read literally are actually figurative or the other way around.
Ignoring the original audience and intent.
Instead of reading the Bible, getting all Scripture knowledge from teachers who agree with you or feel-good posts online.
Claiming to have as much authority over truth and beliefs as the Bible.
How we combat believing false teachers, including ourselves:
Practice humility.
Read the Bible for what it says in context.
Research teaching that contradicts what you believe.
Remember that the Bible teaches us to deny ourselves and live in a way that differs from those around us.
Beware of teaching that allows you to live the way you want and easily fit in.
Remember to pray for God’s will to be done, not your own.
The wrap up
If we do not leave the Bible as-is, we are allowing evil to influence us. We are being prideful when really our limited experiences, understanding, and intelligence are nowhere near enough. We submit to God, we should never try to make Him submit to us.
If we start to pick and choose what we believe in the Bible, making it fit our own ideas instead of accepting its clear message, we lose our way. It's like trying to navigate a long journey without a map, relying only on our own faulty sense of direction. The Bible tells us, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). Because God doesn't change, His Word doesn’t change either. Only when we humbly accept the Bible as a steady, reliable guide and follow its plain teachings can we find true wisdom and a strong, trustworthy basis for what we believe and for our salvation.
Scripture used or considered in the writing of “Who is Your Closest False Teacher? (It Might Surprise You)” by RD Montgomery. All Scripture is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.
Genesis 3
Deuteronomy 18:20
Proverbs 16:25
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 119:130
Isaiah 5:20
Jeremiah 14:14
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 18:6
Romans 14:13
1 Corinthians 8:9
Galatians 1:8-9
Galatians 5:16-17
Ephesians 4:22
Colossians 3:5
1 Thessalonians 4:7
1 Timothy 3:16-17
1 Timothy 4:1-2
2 Timothy 3:1-5
2 Timothy 4:3-4
Titus 1:16
Hebrews 12:14
1 Peter 1:15-16
2 Peter 2:1-3
2 Peter 3:16
Jude 1:4
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