2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. [15] It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Reading this immediately calls to mind various New Age gurus in the US and similar teachers in Japan. The amount of satanic deception in the world is staggering, and it calls for a level-headed commitment to the Truth. It is very important that Jesus didn’t just say, “I am the way,” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Likewise, it is significant that the very first piece of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6 is the belt of truth. Jesus said that we are to evaluate teachers on the basis of the fruit of their lives. (Matthew 7:15-20) We have the enormous advantage today of having the Bible readily available to most people, but you have to be familiar with the truth in order to spot falsehood, and many people never read the Bible for themselves. Sad to say, there are false teachers who spout Scriptures, and that’s what Paul is particularly warning about here. If we don’t study the Bible for ourselves and get the help of the Holy Spirit in understanding it and implanting it in our hearts and minds, then we are more easily deceived. We have two scales by which to measure teaching and teachers: “is it Scriptural?” and “what is the fruit?” Some Biblical teaching is true enough in itself, but binds people in legalism, so the fruit is not the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

As a teacher myself, I need to be very careful that everything I teach is God’s truth spoken in love. I am not to run around as a heresy hunter, but I am to ground the sheep, that are in my care, in the truth, so that they may recognize falsehood and not be deceived. I see little benefit in being an expert in various heresies, but I see enormous benefit in being firmly grounded in the truth! As 1 Corinthians 13 makes clear, everything I teach and do must be motivated by and permeated with love. Removing love from the equation makes it come out wrong every time (to use a mathematical analogy).

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of being a pastor/ teacher in the Body of Christ. Help me be true to You, Your Word, Your love, and Your Spirit, so that those I teach may be built up in Christ and not deceived. Thank You for the Internet, that makes the teaching I do available to so many more people. For most of those, I don’t have the opportunity to make corrections, so help me get it right the first time. Thank You for continuing to grow and shape me. May I be fully useful to You in every way You desire to use me, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!