I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve. Romans 16:17,18 ESV

Calling out false teaching and the teachers perpetuating such things is a touchy subject for some. There are beliefs that names should not be said publicly and that division should not be propagated within the body of Christ when those named as false teachers are believed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. There may be concerns of coming against a perceived man or woman of God while defending the teaching without testing it against Scripture, and taking this into consideration, we must understand some things as believers in Christ.

The Bible provides instruction for addressing false teaching which does not align with the teaching found in Scripture. False teaching in itself brings division within the church, and we need to acknowledge this. It hinders true unity, which is centered on the foundational core doctrine of the Trinity, Jesus Christ and the true gospel. Addressing false teaching contrary to Scripture and to the gospel has been an issue since the inception of the church, and it continues to be an issue in our time.

For those who may not agree with the practice of calling out false teaching, it may interest you to know that of the twenty seven books in the New Testament, twenty five of them have something to say in addressing false teaching. That in itself should help us to understand the importance of the truth being proclaimed. The God breathed Scripture which was written by men as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit wrote of this pressing matter. In several passages such as Matthew 7:15 and Acts 20:28, the warning is given to beware or to look out for false teachers and false prophets. Romans 16:17 says to mark and avoid those who cause division and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine taught. Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for putting up with another gospel and another Jesus that was proclaimed to them by the super apostles (2 Corinthians 11:4).

John instructed the believers in 1 John 4 to test the spirits to see if they were of God. Paul told Titus that there were empty talkers and deceivers who must be silenced as they were upsetting families and teaching things for shameful gain which they ought not to teach. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6 to that those who taught a different doctrine which disagreed with the words of Jesus Christ were puffed up with conceit, understanding nothing. He goes on to describe them as those with an unhealthy craving for controversy, producing envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth (1 Timothy 6:3-5). Peter talks of the threat of false teachers coming in with destructive heresies, denying the Master who bought them, and bringing swift destruction upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1), and Jude describes these false teachers in a rather unfavorable light, describing them as hidden reefs at love feasts, shepherds feeding themselves, waterless clouds, fruitless trees twice dead and uprooted, wild waves of the sea, and wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever (Jude 12,13)

We could continue to find numerous references in the Scripture to false teaching, and we would also find it said that sadly, there would be those who would have itching ears and accumulate up for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. We would read of those who are seduced by false teaching, being led along a blasphemous way of truth. We would find people being led into strong delusion and wandering off into myths. There is a reason why false teachers and such are addressed so frequently. It was a problem then, and it continues to be a problem today, and it is an issue which cannot go ignored.

When there is false teaching negating the Biblical teaching of Jesus Christ and the gospel, this must be addressed. When other gospels are being perpetuated that glorify man or elevate extrabiblical revelation as truth, this must be addressed. When we get the gospel wrong, we get Christ wrong. We are never told to abandon critical thinking and discernment. There is no way to mark and avoid for instance without rightly judging and using proper discernment, and this is why understanding Scripture in context is crucial for every believer in Christ. There is no way to “eat the meat and spit out the bones” without discerning what is meat and what is bone, and truthfully, discerning if what is on the bone is even meat.

We are in a time right now when the truth is becoming ever more apparent and vital. This is an eternal issue. When false teaching is tolerated, sheep are in peril of being led to the slaughter by wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be encouraged to test everything in accordance with Scripture. Mark and avoid those who bring division to Biblical doctrine, pray for those who are deceived and deceiving others, and ask God for wisdom. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth matters.