Beware of False Teachers and False Disciples--Matthew 7:15-23

True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

I cannot logically separate these two passages in my mind and therefore will combine them into a single blog, even though it may be quite long as this is one of the key passages that led me to want to start writing these blogs in the first place.  I am concerned that so many today are being led astray by false teachers and believing in a false gospel to the point where some may even believe they are disciples of Christ, but are actually not following after Him at all.

So, first, let's focus on how we can know if a message that someone is preaching is from God and if the teacher/prophet is from God.  Also, before we continue, let's straighten out something important here that the world "prophet" is not necessarily someone who tells you what's going to happen in the future.  The prophet is a role from the Old Testament where God gives His message to the prophet to tell the people "Thus says the LORD...."  Usually the prophet's message is rooted in the violation of God's Law, the need for repentance, and the coming judgment for those sins if we do not repent.  While we may not immediately see this as an act of grace on God's part, we see that God is saying,the He is willing to withhold judgement if you would only repent and return to Him and His Law.  God does not love to judge people, but His justice requires that sin be punished.  So how do we know whether the message of a particular prophet comes from God or from Satan when someone tells us they have heard a message from God?

1 John 4:1-6 New International Version (NIV)
4 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. 2 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, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

So we can recognize a false prophet if what he says will come to pass does not, we know he's false if his message does not glorify God or says that Jesus is not God in the flesh or they teach us to disobey God's Law.  But what is this part about a tree and its fruit?"  I believe the answer to this is spelled out in the book of Galatians.

Galatians 5:16-25 New International Version (NIV)
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

A tree does not choose what kind of tree it is and what kind of fruit it will produce.  It is in its DNA.  An apple tree produces apples because it is an apple tree and it is impossible for it to produce anything other than apples.  A grape vine produces grapes because it is a grape vine and it is impossible for it to produce anything else.  A lost man has an identity consistent with the description of verses 19-21 because that is his nature.  It's not simply his identity because he does those things, he does those things because that's his identity.

A person who is saved and full of the Holy Spirit has been given a new heart and a new identity in Christ, and should therefore have different "fruit" because they have a different "root"--they are a completely different type of tree.  Just like you wouldn't walk up to a cherry tree to pick an orange, you shouldn't walk up to a Christian and find someone who is living in sexual sin or who swindles people or who is selfish or a gossip, etc.  You should see someone full of the nature, character and attributes of God who they claim is their father (remember children resemble their father--whether that be God or the devil).  Are we full of the fruits of the Spirit or the fruits of the flesh?  This tells us who is in control and can help us spot false teachers and false disciples.

Now for one of the scariest passages in Scripture.  It is possible for some people to think they are saved and not be saved because they have believed in a false gospel which is a gospel of works that is centered on one person..."I."  Notice how many times the false disciple takes credit for all the "good" things done, even though done "in your name."  Jesus corrects the thinking quickly that it's not all about the externals (the fruit that we can see), but will ultimately be able the internal (the "root" we can't see) when He says, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

It doesn't come across very clearly in the New International Version, but it's more clear in the New American Standard Bible (NASB), " And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS..’  The part in capital letters is a quote from the Old Testament, but it's also the part I want to focus on--they practice lawlessness.  It's not just that they've committed evil deeds, it is their lifestyle and they are good at it.  They have lives as if there is no moral law of God to live by.

Jesus would later say "My sheep know my voice and they listen to me (obey my commandments)," and "If you love me, you will keep My commandments."  Those who hate God will not be able to love His Word and His Law.  Ultimately, it will be for Jesus to look at them and say "Well done my good and faithful servant" or "Depart me from...I never knew you," but we today should be discerning so as to not be lead astray ourselves and not let those who are in our watch-care to be lead astray.  "Be as shrewd as serpents but as harmless as doves." as you discern truth from error and confront the lies of Satan with the truth of God's Word (as Jesus did in Matthew 4), making sure to always give all the praise and glory to the only God and King who deserves it.

I know that was a lot, and it might spark a lot of discussion.  I could have made this much longer if I would have tried to cite specific examples of false teachings, false prophets and false disciples, but we can talk more one-on-one if you have a specific concern about if something you're heard, or maybe something you believe, is true or in error.