Short Answer
False teachers should be addressed firmly with truth, not ignored or tolerated. The biblical response is to confront error, warn others, and if necessary remove them from church fellowship—while still aiming for repentance and restoration. Love is not passive; it protects the truth.
The Overview
The Bible consistently warns about false teachers and calls believers to respond with clarity and conviction. These individuals are often described as subtly introducing harmful teachings that can mislead others. Because of this danger, Scripture does not support a passive or overly tolerant approach. Instead, it calls for discernment, courage, and a willingness to confront error directly.
However, the response is not physical or aggressive in a worldly sense. Christianity does not use force or violence to deal with false teaching. Instead, the “weapons” are spiritual—truth, Scripture, and sound reasoning. Believers are called to expose error, refute false ideas, and defend the truth through biblical teaching and clear argumentation.
Within the church, the responsibility becomes even more serious. Leaders are called to protect the congregation by identifying false teaching and, if necessary, removing those who persist in spreading it. This is not about being harsh or unkind, but about safeguarding the spiritual health of the church. Allowing false teaching to continue unchecked can harm many people.
At the same time, the goal is not destruction but restoration. Even when someone is confronted or removed from fellowship, the hope is that they will recognize their error and repent. The balance is clear: stand firmly for truth, act decisively when needed, and still desire redemption for those who are in error.
Key Takeaways
- False Teaching Must Be Addressed
Ignoring it can harm the church. - Use Spiritual, Not Physical Means
Truth and Scripture are the primary tools. - Leaders Must Protect the Church
Removing persistent false teachers may be necessary. - Love Includes Truth and Correction
Grace does not mean tolerating error. - The Goal Is Repentance
Even strong action aims for restoration, not destruction.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:01 – 00:01:18] So, this is in regards to having to deal with wolf in sheep’s clothing because it I feel like there’s this frustration within the body of Christ where there’s um there’s sloppy agape. I understand, you know, mercy and grace. Um but at the same time obviously a good shepherd when having to deal with the wolf the shepherd is going to try to kill the wolf because if not the wolf is going to end up killing more people in the flock. So, in regards to having to deal with with them, how I guess what is
[00:00:40 – 00:01:32] the biblical way of actually um addressing this um accordingly? Because I feel like there’s people who will just are so quick to jump to grace. And it’s just like, wait a minute, there needs to be a kind of good lead. There needs to be, you know, there needs to be something addressed in regards to somebody who’s professing the name of Christ, but then going to find out. It’s just like, wait a minute, no, you’re far from that. if like you are coming off as somebody who the Bible would say is a
[00:01:06 – 00:02:05] wolf and sheep’s clothing. So, uh, how do you go about addressing that while also trying to maintain, uh, you know, mercy and grace and agape, however, you know, >> right? >> I’m trying to word it the best I can. >> No, that’s a great question. Super great question, Laura. And and here’s um the reality, right? All the New Testament passages that deal with false teachers give us a great template of how we deal with false teachers. And we don’t deal with them with a sloppy agape, as you
[00:01:36 – 00:02:29] put it. We we want to uh be very firm and clear and and in second Peter 2 for instance when it says you’re going to have false teachers among you and they’re going to secretly step in with their destructive heresies and and then it goes on to describe the judgment that’s going to come on false teachers. So I think the key there like we’d see in Jude that little short book of Jude about false teachers that have crept in is that we’re going to warn them and we’re gonna say you are you you have
[00:02:03 – 00:03:00] impending judgment coming your way. Book of First John, same way. There’s going to be judgment for false teachers. Now, if I was a Muslim, right, I would kill them with a literal sword. I would kill them with a literal gun. But according to second Corinthians chapter 10, the weapons of our warfare as Christians are different, right? And and they are arguments and and and responses to all the opinions that are raised up against the knowledge of God. And I’m supposed to be ready to punish every
[00:02:31 – 00:03:31] disobedience. And I do that not with weapons. I don’t do that like I would if I were a shepherd and take out my my dagger or my sword or or you know clobber them over the head with my staff. What I have to do is engage in argumentation. And argumentation is something that we do with false teachers and in our own churches. We have authority that is vested in the pastors also called elders also called overseers in the church that can then deny admission into the church. You can’t come in our church. you’re not welcome
[00:03:01 – 00:03:56] on the property. Uh you can’t be here. And that just takes strong leadership. And if someone is so um conflated the concept of being nice with loving, then maybe you’ll never have a leader that does that. But a leader needs to invoke church discipline upon false teachers by saying you’re not welcome here because your influence is bad. It’s unbiblical. It’s not what the Bible says. And because the Bible warns us so much in the New Testament about false teachers in First John, second Peter, the book of
[00:03:29 – 00:04:12] Jude, we need to make sure that we’re aware of them. When we see them, we call them out. But if they’re not willing to change, then we say, “You need to get out of here.” Now, they’re never going to get off the internet. They’re never going to get off of YouTube, right? They’re never going to get off of of trying to bombard our people with their false doctrine. But then again, upon the leaders of the church, their responsibility is to teach well, to ground people, and root them in the
[00:03:51 – 00:04:35] truth. So they’re not, as Paul said to the to the Ephesians, they’re not driven and tossed by every wind of doctrine. And that’s the problem. I had to do it this weekend at at my church. Here we are in the lobby and people are getting their theology from YouTube, right? And I guess, you know, there’s decent people on YouTube. I I think I’m teaching the truth and I’m on YouTube, but the point is they’re hearing all kinds of things. And if they can’t sort them out, right,
[00:04:13 – 00:05:10] we have to blame that in part on the pastors, assuming they’ve been sitting under the same pastors for a long time, they should be able to know the difference. So, the weapons of our warfare, we’re all about war. And then and that that war motif is very important. Uh it’s important for our own sanctification. In a book I wrote on envy, I I use that as the theme throughout the book. Certainly, God calls us to warfare against our sinful desires, but it also calls us to warfare to protect our doctrine, but it’s not
[00:04:41 – 00:05:27] warfare with real weapons, which I know that, you know, you’re not expecting your pastor to kill any false teachers, but you know, I would say there are other religions that certainly say, “Well, we do kill false teachers. We kill people that blaspheme God.” We don’t do that, right? You can blaspheme Christ and we’re going to we’re going to kick you out of church, but we’re not going to murder you. And so, that’s where we go. We go to the scriptures and we know that we need better uh
[00:05:04 – 00:06:06] argumentation. We need better arguments. We need to really lay down biblical truth in a real way and we need to be able to um see it and spot it and protect our flocks from it and then train people up in good doctrine. Lord, does that help? >> It does. So essentially there were there would be a point where we could mark and avoid without you know I wasn’t deliberately saying for us to actually unlive anybody you know >> right I know that >> but you know that that’s what a shepherd
[00:05:35 – 00:06:23] did back then right >> um with with the wolves so right >> um but yeah it’s essentially mark and a void would be that and then I guess praying and interceding for that individual and hopefully they do come to repentance >> right and if you’re talking about a church context is more than avoid it’s kick out, right? You should remove them from the fellowship and they should know they’re not welcome here and and you’re you’re not supposed to come back until
[00:05:59 – 00:06:48] you repent. And and false teaching needs to be dealt with that way. And hopefully people are so well taught at the church that they go to that once there is a false teacher that’s that’s called out as a false teacher, they’re going to leave on their own because they’re thinking, “Wow, I’m I’m I’m I’m already found out.” Because even as it says in scripture, they often seek in they often sneak in secretly and they bring in their destructive heresies. So when
[00:06:23 – 00:07:14] pastors are aware and they can say this teaching is wrong and anybody who teaches this is wrong, that’s usually enough for some false teachers to say I’m I’m not even welcome in this church anymore and they’re right. They’re not if you’re teaching false doctrine. So I do think it’s more than just to mark them and avoid. That’s something we should do in the marketplace, but we should definitely um excise from the church. We we kick them out. You’re not welcome to be in this church until you
[00:06:48 – 00:07:37] repent of your false teaching. >> All right, Laura. I hope that helps. And I don’t know what kind of false doctrine you’re dealing with, but uh I know that there’s a lot of it out there and we need to be careful and pastors need to take the lead. So, I appreciate that. But, uh when you spot it, certainly go to your pastor and let them know what you’re seeing
