False Teachers

So, there I was, reading through the latter epistles, and I came across this:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds (2 John 1:7-11)

Now, I have to admit, it was a little ... unnerving. I mean, seriously, "the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds"? What does that say about, oh, I don't know, the Christian shop owner who serves ... just about anyone? But I realized that this wasn't a general statement, but a specific one. It is not about general sinners, but about false teachers. These fall in their own special category. So ... how do we find these "false teachers"?

Well, John gives one possible characteristic. These do not "abide in the teaching of Christ". Well, okay, that's vague enough. More specifically, I suppose, they "do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." Yes, I can think of one or two self-professed teachers, pastors, and scholars who deny this. Okay, good, clear enough. Avoid them.

But there are more traits available. Jude (another of the "latter epistles") has several things to say about them. Like John, he says they "deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:4). They indulge in "licentiousness". Nice word. It's wantonness or sensuality. They do it by perverting God's grace. Now that sounds familiar for a lot of voices out there, doesn't it?

Jude goes on to say that they rely on their dreams, defile their flesh, and reject authority (Jude 1:8). They revile the things they don't understand and are destroyed by the things they know instinctively (Jude 1:10). They become part of your group but care only about themselves (Jude 1:12). They follow their lusts and flatter you for the sake of gaining an advantage (Jude 1:16). They cause division based on worldly-mindedness (Jude 1:19). Oh, yes, Jude has a lot to say about identifying false teachers. One of the more colorful descriptions is where he calls them "clouds without water" (Jude 1:12). Isn't that interesting? They look like they are bringing life-giving water, but they don't actually have any substance to offer.

John has more to say about them as well. He calls them "antichrists" (1 John 2:18). John says they come "from us" (1 John 2:19). They differ from "us" in that "you have an anointing from the Holy One and you all know" (1 John 2:21). John's false teachers deny the Son and the Father (1 John 2:23).

False teachers, according to John, are to be avoided at all costs -- not even a greeting. You can figure them out. They resemble Christians (Matt 7:15), but they are not. Instead of building the Body, they cause divisions. They minimize sin and tell their listeners what they want to hear (2 Tim 4:3-4). They promote immorality and sensuality, operating primarily from self-interest. They deny "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). Oh, and they were marked out before time for condemnation (Jude 1:4). Watch out for them. Don't receive them into your house. Better not even greet them. At least, so says John.