10th March 2026

Beware False Teachers

"Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth."

John 17:17

Today's Bible Reading: 2 Peter 2:10-16.

In our world today, false beliefs and teachings are often accepted without ever being tested, or any evidence or facts being provided. Sadly, this is happening in the Church today too. Biblically, we call this heresy (unbiblical teaching). This is not a new phenomenon. Even in the first century, false teachers were a problem in the Church, and this troubled the apostle Peter so much that he wrote a letter to those churches affected, and serves as a warning and guide for the Church today.

First: Pride is a sign of false teaching. Make no mistake about it. Pride is a serious and dangerous malignancy. The Bible says that a false teacher is “presumptuous” and “self-willed” (v 10). In other words, they view their own authority as taking precedence over the Bible’s authority.

Second: A false teacher is wilfully ignorant. Whenever I see false teaching, I wonder how supposedly “Christian” teachers could say something that is so totally at odds with the Bible. However, Peter tells us in verse 12 that false teachers “speak evil of the things they do not understand.” They are wilfully ignorant of Scripture on one hand, while claiming the moral authority of the Bible on the other.

Third: Lust is a sign of a false teacher. The passage describes false teachers by saying they: “walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority,”

“count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime,” and have “eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls.” Lust is a result of loving ourselves and pleasure more than God. The false teachers that Peter described were so brazen that they did not wait until the cover of night but were openly pursuing depravity during the day.

Fourth: False teachers are covetous and driven by greed. The passage says, “They have a heart trained in covetous practices.” In other words, they desired other people’s property and possession and worked to exploit those around them. As an example, Peter referenced the Old Testament prophet Balaam (v 15), who preferred wealth and popularity over obedience and righteousness to God. His covetous ways produced teachings of immorality and sin instead of truth and purity.

We Christians must always check everything through the lens of truth itself: the Bible. I encourage you to spend time in God’s Word, digging deep in Scripture, and committing it to memory. The more you understand and internalise the Bible, the easier it will be for you to discern truth from lie and solid doctrine from false teaching.

Prayer: Father God, Help me discern Your Truth, and to test everything against the scriptures. In the name of the Truth, the Lord Jesus. Amen.