3 Characteristics of False Teachers

The New Testament warns believers that false teachers and false gospels will be an ever-present reality until Christ returns (click here to learn more). John Stott once wrote, “The church’s greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel” (Stott, The Message of Galatians, 12). As believers, it is imperative that we are able to identify false teachers either by their character (life) or their heresies (teachings).

To help a reader on their spiritual journey, this article will provide 3 characteristics of false teachers from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The method will be to utilize Paul’s condemnation of these false prophets who have infiltrated the Galatian churches as a guide to develop a picture of what they teach and look like. The goal is to help followers of Christ become better equipped so that they are able to identify a false teacher who seeks to lead them astray.

To begin, read Galatians 1:6-9,

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:6-9, emphasis added.

Characteristic 1: False teachers lead people away from God.

Paul wrote, “I’m astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). Paul shows his readers that false teachers lead people away from “him who called you in the grace of Christ” (Gal 1:6). The word “him” can be difficult to interpret. The “him” can refer to either Jesus Christ or God the Father. The context of Galatians 1:1-5 seems to indicate that God the Father is the originator of grace to his people through Christ. So, the “him” seems most likely to refer to God the Father, but the trinitarian nature of God–no matter if the “him” refers to Jesus or God–illustrates that the false teachers are causing these churches to desert the very God who called them to himself through the gospel of grace founded on the work of Christ.

Galatians 1:6 reveals that a false teacher is one who lives and teaches in a way that leads people to turn away from God. Think of this text in relation to Exodus 32. In Exodus 32, the people ask Aaron to make a golden calf because Moses is taking too long on the mountain. Aaron obliges to their request. Thus, Aaron gives in to the people’s demands, and God told Moses that the people have “turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them” (Exodus 32:8). One of the tactics of a false teacher is that they pander to our selfish desires like Aaron did to the people of Israel. This is one of the reasons they are so dangerous to the church. Their ability to play on the selfishness of people and overindulge in their own passions is why they are able to lead even God’s people to abandon the grace of God.

Characteristic 2: False teachers sow doubt and discord among God’s people.

Paul continued, that “there are some who trouble you” (Gal 1:7). Another interpretation of the word “trouble” could be to “throw into a state of confusion.” These false teachers are sowing doubt and discord among God’s people by introducing a false gospel into these churches. False teachers distort the gospel by either adding to or taking away from the good news of Jesus Christ. When they distort the gospel message, they stir trouble in the hearts, minds, and souls of God’s people.

These false teachers were questioning Paul’s God given message of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Gal 1:12). They were teaching a Jesus plus Judaism, which means a false gospel. To put it another way, the people were thrown into confusion because they began to probably question their own salvation–is Jesus alone enough for my salvation–and most likely began to teach a distorted gospel to others–i.e., Jesus plus something else. False teachers add, change, or subtract to the gospel in such a way that brings fear instead of freedom, problems instead of peace, and concern instead of confidence. Therefore, false teachers sow doubt and discord among God’s people.

Characteristic 3: False teachers distort the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul further stated that “there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7). The word “distort” means to change or pervert something. False teachers will distort either through subtraction, addition, or denial the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wants to make it very clear that any change to the gospel makes it no gospel at all. In fact, false gospels bring condemnation (cf. Gal 1:8-9). Believers need to understand that false teachers who distort the gospel in any way teach an eternally fatal message. In other words, their distorted teachings are a direct reflection of their position as a false prophet.

What Does This Mean for Us?

The characteristics of false teachers implies that faithful followers of Jesus Christ must think about and listen intently to everything we read or hear from those who handle God’s Word. Christians must ensure that we know the true gospel with such depth and accuracy that any false teaching becomes immediately recognizable. Believers should take everything they hear and are taught right back to the source of ultimate truth–the Bible. In fact, this is Paul’s argument later in this letter. He told these churches that the gospel he received and passed on to them had its origin in Jesus Christ, and that truth should highlight for them (and us) who the false teachers are in the church (cf. Gal 1:12).

From Paul’s letter to the Galatians, one can now identify the 3 characteristics of a false teacher. They are as follows: 1) false teachers lead people away from God, 2) false teachers sow doubt and discord among God’s people, and 3) false teachers distort the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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