Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Corinthians 10-13.
Paul warned the brethren in Corinth about the dangerous influence of false teachers. His warning is just as appropriate for us today.
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
False teachers will always exist, and we must be on the alert against them. But we should not think that false teachers will be immediately apparent as such. No false teacher is going to inform you that what he is teaching is not true. He will present his message as though it is the truth. He will disguise himself as a servant of righteousness.
This ought to remind us of the importance of examining everything carefully (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and testing all teachings according to the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). We must never blindly assume that someone is accurately representing the faith. Instead, we must believe only those things that are in harmony with the revealed will of God.
This should also remind us that we are ultimately responsible for our own salvation. False teachers will certainly be held accountable by God (“whose end will be according to their deeds“). But we, as listeners, will be held accountable as well. This is why the warning was given. Eve was deceived by the serpent (2 Corinthians 11:3), yet she was still held accountable and punished for her sin (Genesis 3:16). In the same way, false teachers may “deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:18), but we will each give an account for what we have done (2 Corinthians 5:10).
A false teacher will often have the appearance of being a faithful gospel preacher. But Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Do not be deceived by these servants of Satan.
Tomorrow’s reading: Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
