How do We Recognize False Teaching?

Newsletter Article for February 1999

© 1999 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

As of October 31 it has been 481 years since Martin Luther initiated the Reformation by posting his 95 theses which outlined false teaching in the Church. However, instead of reforming the church, he was (wrongly) declared a heretic and kicked out of the Church. Ever since then all who agree with Luther’s interpretation of Holy Scripture have made it a priority to keep their doctrines or teachings true to Scripture, and have sought to refute all false doctrines.

Unfortunately for us we live in an age where false teaching is not only tolerated, but in many cases false teaching is seen as a point of pride. This is something that affects people who call themselves “Christians” and even those who call themselves “Lutheran”. But how do we determine what is true and what is false, especially in an age where the only thing which is not tolerated is the truth?

Luther knew how to determine true or false teaching. Being the Biblical scholar that he was he knew passages of Scripture such as 1 John 4:1-3 “Dear Friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the anti-christ, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

All Christians ought to measure what they hear against Scripture. This is how we keep from being led away from Christ. In order to do that we all need to know what Scripture says. This is why Bible study is so important. In the early 1970’s the LCMS faced the problem of false teaching at our St. Louis Seminary. The problem was so widespread that when the teachers walked off campus only 5 professors and about 40 students remained out of about 40 professors and 800 students. It was because the laypeople in the Church knew their Bibles well enough that they exposed the false teaching and kept the false teachers from doing any more harm.

Some false teaching is easy to identify. Anything which clearly goes against the ten commandments is false teaching, such as idolatry, blasphemy, contempt for the Lord’s day, disobedience of authority, murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting. God would never condone such sins and it is easy to recognize some of these. However, there are other teachings which are more subtle.

Recently in Georgia there was a woman who claimed that the Virgin Mary spoke to her and gave her a message. According to news reports over 100,000 people came to her farm to hear the message. At first glance it is hard to tell whether this is true or not. She gave a message which seemed to encourage the hearers to seek God and truly love him. There’s nothing wrong with that. However according to the news reports “many souls accompanied Mary in her vision. She said that the souls were in purgatory but were being released into heaven in honor of Mary.” This is where we can say for certain that this is false teaching.

Revelation 5:13 “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ ”

Galatians 1:8 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” These are pretty strong words, but St. Paul is stressing the importance of the truth. The truth of Jesus rescues us and sets us free, but lies lead us away and condemn us.