True or False (Teachers) Part 2

The last post shared the main Truths of the doctrines of Faith as taught to us by the Word of God. No other Truth stands in this lifetime and there's no way for us to try to go around the Truth of Jesus. It is the only source of Truth and anything above and beyond it is just schemes of the enemy to lure us away from the road that leads us to life.

Since we've seen what those major points are that most "Christian" religions in the world today offer. Let me share a few of the other specifics that will give away a false teaching religion and expose their lies with the Word of God.

1. False teachers devote themselves to demonic practices!

The Bible speaks of false teachers in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and they are described as follows:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars who consciences are seared ... (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

These false teachers devote themselves to following the teachings of demons!!! They are deceived by these demonic spirits and are teaching through lies. They are the ones Jesus described as "blinds leading the blind" and "whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside but are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness. Who are these and what do they follow as doctrines? Please read carefully the following verses ...

Who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:3-5)

We ought to allow the Word of God to open our eyes to see if we are following and believing in the preachings and teachings of those who follow the devil instead of God's Truth. Look carefully in the specific descriptions of them in God's Word.

Forbidding marriage is one of the main doctrines of the Catholic church for its clergy. They call it "the call of Celibacy." They forbid their priests and nuns from getting married. This teaching deceivingly becomes presented as a "holy calling" and is taught as allowing the individual to "focus" their devotion on Christ alone. But there is just no way around God's Word. No matter how holy or spiritual or righteous a practice may appear to be, if it is the abomination that the Word of God teaches about, there is really no excuse for the deceiving teachings of following demonic practices as such.

Another thing mentioned in the Word of God was the requirement to abstain from foods. This is another give-away for the religions that teach the practices of demons instead of Christ Jesus's. We see this often as abstaining from eating meat and certain food groups. The Catholic church orders its faithful to abstain from meat on certain days of the week during Holy Week. Seventh Day Adventism, Islam, and many other religions also require their faithful to abstain from certain foods like pork, shellfish, shrimps, crabs and the like as a general practice of faith. But just like forbidding marriage is a practice of deceitful, demonic spirits, the abstinence from certain foods is counted as part of these practices by demons.

2. False teachers put emphasis on mysticism. 

The Bible presents another specific clear picture about false teachers. In Ephesians 2 we see them described as follows:

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetism and worship of angels, going on in details about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (Ephesians 2:18-19)

Ascetism is the practice mentioned above about abstinence. But many of the false teachers in the world are described in Ephesians to not only dwell in ascetism, but also present a kind of spirituality in the picture of mysticism. 

Mysticism is defined as the phenomenon of having a unique experience of communion with God. It is usually presented as a unique spiritual enlightenment or visions. Many religious groups rely mainly on this as a basis for most of their doctrines. We find it practiced in Hinduism; in the practice of Kabbalah within Judaism; Surfism in Islam; Christian Mysticism usually in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and in Quakers, Anglicans and Episcopalians and Charismatics.

Many of these religions boast of the visions and spiritual experiences that some of its leaders have that eventually lead to the formation of doctrines and teachings for the faithful.  These experiences are not only limited to the religious leaders, but the faithful experiences them as well, seemingly adding a "proof" to the various claims they will formulate regarding issues of faith.

Among many others, spiritual mysticism evidences itself in the so-called visions seen by individual faithful and the messages they received from it.  Marian visions widely embraced by the Catholic church is one of the biggest deceptions that drive millions into committing to a religious belief that is based on a lie. Many apparitions and spiritual experiences such as idols moving and showing some unique "spiritual" manifestations are among these upheld in mysticism. Some chants and incantations and forms of spiritual experiences of uncontrolled laughter, dancing and/or shaking are other forms of mysticism being boasted by many religious groups.

The Word of God is clear ... these are boasts coming from a mind set on the flesh--a sensuous mind, a mind hostile to God's Truth. These practices DO NOT HOLD fast to JESUS CHRIST, the Head of the church. Furthermore, read carefully what the Bible says about these...

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and ascetism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgences of the flesh. (Ephesians 2:23)

3. False teachers boast of the wisdom of this world.

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Cor. 1:20)

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)

This last one gives away the religions of this world who oftentimes boast of their own worldly wisdom. A lot of them rely on the wisdom of the world to back up whatever "revelations" they have for their doctrines and practices. Worldly wisdom like Psychology, Logic, Typology, Neurotheology, Rational Mysticism, and Behavioral Sciences to examine the psychological dimensions of Scripture are among the many wisdom boasted of by various religions. All of which are set on earthly things, and all conclusions they arrive to prove to become foolish in the eyes of God.

The Bible tells us that God's ways are higher than ours. They are beyond the grasp of our feeble, finite human mind. Anyone appearing religious and spiritually discerning enough to conclude that they've finally "understood clearly" what all these hullabaloo about God is, plainly fit into the description of the Word of God--they are enemies of the Cross of Christ Jesus.

Now, with all that is being described in the Bible, we are given the Truths that we must stand on in discerning which teacher is really preaching the Truth in Jesus Christ. The devil's work is to deceive us from the Truth. We need to EMPTY OURSELVES of the many things we've been preset with in order for us to deliberately renew our minds and take every though captive to Christ Jesus and HIM alone who is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE!

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 

(2 Corinthians 10:5)