The enemy’s lies rarely sound like this:

“I want to destroy your life.”

They usually sound much more appealing.

“God didn’t really mean that.”

“The consequences won’t be that serious.”

“You deserve to do what feels right.”

“Surely a loving God wouldn’t expect that.”

“You can have Jesus without repentance.”

Those ideas are not new.

In the Garden, Satan told Eve that disobeying God would not bring the consequences God had warned about.

In Jeremiah’s day, false prophets told the people essentially the same thing:

You don’t need to worry. Judgment isn’t really coming.

And today, false teaching often follows the same pattern.

Sometimes it comes from people who are sincerely mistaken.

Sometimes from those with their own agenda.

And sometimes it comes wrapped in words that sound compassionate, enlightened, or even Christian.

So how do we know what is true?

How do we recognize teaching that sounds good but quietly contradicts Scripture?

And how do we guard ourselves from repeating the same mistake as the people in Jeremiah’s day—trusting a lie because it tells us what we want to hear?

God has not left us defenseless.

But we do have a responsibility.

We need to know His Word.

Know how to study it.

And test what we hear against what God has actually said.

Because the most dangerous lies are often the ones that sound almost true.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 27 & 28
Psalm 119.33-40
Proverbs 27.18
2 Thessalonians 3.1-18

False Teachers: Would You Know One If You Heard One?

Jeremiah 27 & 28:

False Teachers & Prophets

The serpent tempted Eve to disobey God by telling her, “You will not surely die!” In other words, your disobedience won’t result in painful consequences. Then he went on to tell her she could, in fact, be like God.

But the devil is a liar, and as if to make that point, God recorded pages and pages of genealogy, and after each name it says, “… and he died and was buried with his fathers.”

In Jeremiah’s day, false prophets told the people that the consequences of their sin wouldn’t be that bad either, but it was a lie.

Today, false prophets may not look as obvious, but they’re out there. They’re preachers and teachers. Sometimes they’re counselors, psychologists, and therapists. Other times, they’re college and university professors. They’re politicians and judges and activists and Planned Parenthood employees.

They Prophesy Falsely When They Say …

Today’s false prophets say, “The Bible isn’t true. It’s just a book of myths.”

God says:

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1.20-21).

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3.16).

Or, when they say, “Jesus was a good man, but not God.”

Jesus said:

I and My Father are one (Jn. 10.30).

He can’t be both a good man and a liar.

Just the Way You Are

They prophesy falsely when they say, “Jesus loves you just the way you are” without explaining that, apart from the gospel, we are His enemies. He died, so we don’t have to stay the way we are.

God’s Word says:

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mk. 1.15).

They prophesy falsely every time they say, “You don’t need to feel guilty. You need to do what’s right for you.”

Guilt is not always a bad thing. Apart from Christ, we’re all guilty, so guilty that the only remedy was for Jesus to die in our place! Often, the guilt and consequences are the very things God uses to draw people to Himself.

2 Corinthians 7.9-10 says:

9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

It’s Your Body

They prophesy falsely every time they say to a young woman, “It’s just a fetus; besides, you have a right to do what you want with your own body.”

But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; ¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good (Rom. 2.8-10).

Despite what the false prophets say, the truth is that our bodies belong to the Lord. He created us, and our bodies are to be temples in which the Holy Spirit can dwell (1 Cor. 6.19).

You Were Born That Way

Other false prophets, some of whom claim to lead Christian churches, prophesy falsely when they say, “It’s OK. You were born that way.”

It’s true that we were all born sinners, though we’re tempted to sin in different ways. But that’s precisely why we need a Savior, not an excuse to give in to our sinful nature.

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (2 Cor. 5.15).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5.17).

What Kind of a God …?

Others question God by asking, “What kind of God lets all these bad things happen?” As if God is obligated to bless a people who have denied His right to rule them! As Job told his wife:

‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2.10).

Or … Just Ask Jesus into Your Heart

They prophesy falsely when they say, “Just ask Jesus into your heart” without talking about the need to repent and turn away from sin.

Joel 2.12 says:

‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’

And Jesus said:

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Lk. 26.20).

And Acts 26.20 says:

… and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

It’s not wrong to pray a prayer of salvation, but it isn’t a “magic formula.” Each person needs to first understand and accept the gospel: that Jesus died for guilty sinners, that He rose from the dead so that we can have new life, and that He is Lord, not just Savior (Rom. 10.9-10).

The acceptance of that truth may be expressed in a prayer. It may happen in a church pew, at an altar, in a home, in an alley, or in a hospital bed. Faith may come alive as the Word is preached, as the gospel is shared one-on-one, as a person reads the Bible, or as the Spirit of God brings gospel truth to remembrance. It may look very different from one life to the next, but in some way an understanding of our inability to redeem ourselves (Rom. 3.10-12, 23, 6.23), that Christ died the death we deserved (Rom. 5.8), and that He offers us salvation as a free gift (Rom. 6.23; Eph. 2.8-9) must come alive.

The Truth of the Gospel

If you’re reading this and that truth is coming alive in your heart, talk to God. No fancy words are required. Admit you’re a sinner and ask Him to forgive you, accept what He did for you, and ask for His help to live a life that’s pleasing to Him. It’s that simple.

But it doesn’t stop there. Get a Bible if you don’t have one, or download a Bible app and begin reading it. You might start with one of the gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). Then find a good Bible-teaching church, attend regularly, and get connected. If you need help finding a good church, this website or this one can help you find one in your area.

As for the False Prophets …

And as for the false teachers and prophets … there will come a time when some will hear what Hananiah heard at the end of chapter 28:

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, ‘Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.’ 16 Therefore thus says the LORD. ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.’
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 119.33-40:

Teach Me, O Lord

I was struck by the requests the psalmist made to God. “Teach me, O Lord … Give me understanding … Make me walk in the path of Your commandments … Incline my heart to Your testimonies … Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things … revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant … Turn away my reproach … Revive me in Your righteousness.”

Apart from His gracious work in our lives, we are no better than the false prophets. Like the psalmist, we must continually cry out for His grace, intervention, conviction, guidance, and help, for apart from Him we can do nothing!

Proverbs 27.18:

Serve Faithfully Wherever You Are

Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; so he who waits on his master will be honored.

No matter what work we have to do in this life, there is great reward in doing it faithfully. Even the lowest of servants will be honored by faithfully serving their master. This reminded me of a little servant girl in 2 Kings 5.1-4:

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, ‘Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.’

As a result, Naaman came to know the One true God, and though we don’t know her name, God certainly does, and He saw fit to honor her in His Word!

2 Thessalonians 3.1-18:

Admonish Him as a Brother

While most of us are not prophets, we have greater influence in the lives of others than we may think. And while God has called us to love others, whether we see them as our brother, our sister, our friend, or our enemy, it does not mean that we look the other way or condone sin.

Here in this chapter, Paul tells the Thessalonians:

And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother (vv. 14-15).

Other passages of Scripture make it clear that this applies to fellow believers, not outsiders. We often have it backward. We are quick to condemn the sinful lifestyles of unbelievers instead of remembering that they act like the devil because they’re dead spiritually.

Meanwhile, we look the other way when people who profess faith in Christ act like the devil: living together outside of marriage, committing fornication, responding in sinful anger and unforgiveness, gossiping, being unloving and unsubmissive, or provoking their children to anger. Instead, we need to love them enough to “stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10.24) and, at times, admonish them as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Coming Up:

In the next few days, we’ll talk about how our thoughts run our lives, whether our faith is genuine, God’s teaching on women, and more.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.

And if this post spoke to you, consider sharing it on your favorite social media platform.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years.

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)