An Example of False Teachings

I would like to give you an example of how false teachings and fake gospels can show up in the real world. They are cleverly disguised and not easy to spot; you must know the Gospel extremely well yourself so you are not “tricked” or “deceived.”[1] Jason Jackson writes about receiving a “Christian” tract being handed out. Upon examining it, he writes:[2]

Two ladies walked up the driveway. They handed me a small, tri-folded brochure that contained the service times of their church group. It advertised the religious group as being “independent of any denomination, Bible-based in every part of ministry, soul-winning and missions minded, and distinctively Christian.” The tract claimed that the religious body is “an old fashioned, independent, Baptist Church that believes, preaches, and practices the Bible.”

Their claims to being Bible-based, however, are negated in that section of the tract titled, “How to have a home in Heaven.” Four points are designed that, supposedly, guide one to salvation. Unfortunately, the teaching is hardly “independent of any denomination … and distinctively Christian.”

Some may object to this review, saying that it is neither friendly nor loving. But Paul asked on one occasion, “So then am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16 [RV]).

The loving thing to do is to tell the truth. We must not judge people superficially or hypocritically (Mt. 7:1), but we are required by God to evaluate what we hear, “handling aright the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 [ASV]). The truth will set us free; error will cause us to be lost (Jn. 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:18).

So what does the tract say about “How to have a home in Heaven”? Here are the points and scriptures that are discussed—just as they appear in the tract.

1. All have sinned. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 [KJV]).
2. The penalty for sin is death and hell. “For the wages of sin is death …” [Rom. 6:23 ASV] “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev. 20:14 [KJV]).
3. Jesus died to pay for our sins. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8 [KJV]).
4. Trust Jesus as your Savior and your only hope for Heaven. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom. 10:9 [KJV]). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

After making these four points, the following conclusion was given:

“Pray a simple prayer to God, from your heart, such as the following: ‘Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. If I were to die today, I would deserve to go to hell to pay for my sins. I believe that you came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross to pay for my sins. I believe that you arose from the grave, and I ask you to forgive my sins. I am trusting only You to take me to heaven. Thank you for saving me, Jesus. Amen.’”[3]

A Kindly Response

Like the Bereans of Acts 17:11, let us examine the Scriptures to see whether these things are so.

1. While allegedly pointing people to heaven, there is nothing said about repentance. But Jesus said, “Except you repent you shall all likewise perish” ([see] Luke 13:3 [KJV]). And Paul declared that God commands men everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30). If God commands it, can we ignore it, and still be faithful teachers of his Word?
2. There is no mention of baptism in this section. But Paul was urged to arise, be baptized, and wash away his sins, “calling on his name” ([see] Acts 22:16). Peter preached, “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto [to obtain] the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38 [ASV]). The apostles taught that baptism is essential for salvation because Jesus had said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16 [NKJV]). Can we teach less than what Jesus taught?
3. There is not a single example in the New Testament where the non-Christian was instructed to pray for salvation. There are many examples, however, when believers were baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

Error is often mixed with truth. The devil himself quoted the Scriptures (cf. Mt. 4:6). There are a number of truths within this tract. Every verse is true, because they are quotations from the Bible. But one must consider all that the Bible says about salvation if he is going to obtain a home in heaven.

“The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160 [ASV]).

As you can see, the tract was full of false teachings despite being from a well-meaning, “independent of any denomination, Bible-based in every part of ministry, soul-winning and missions minded, and distinctively Christian” church (their very own words). Unfortunately, false teachings won’t be clearly labeled as such for you when you encounter them in the real world. They are cleverly disguised by mixing some Bible verses in with what appears to be very biblically sounding language.[4] It can be very hard to spot false teachings, especially for the new Christian.[5] Indeed, the tract appears to be very biblical on the surface, but in fact, it is not in agreement with what is taught in Scripture, as you should now know after reading this book.

And finally, in my experience, and as mentioned in the prior chapter, false teachings, like the “wolves” who teach them, tend to travel in packs. Whenever you see one false teaching, you will almost always find additional false teachings from that same group or church. For instance, where you find the (1) “sinner’s prayer” false teaching (as this tract contained), you will almost always find additional false teachings as well, such as: (2) you are saved by “faith alone”; (3) baptism is a good work of man; and (4) “once saved, always saved.” This goes for Bible prophecy as well. Whenever a group or church teaches the Gospel incorrectly, they will almost always have false Bible prophecy (particularly end-times prophecy). The converse is also true: Wherever a group or church teaches false end-times Bible prophecy, they will almost never teach the true and correct Gospel.

I hope you have seen the daunting task you will face in seeking scriptural truth instead of man-made opinions, “traditions,” schemes, false teachings, and fake gospels. I had to sort through nearly fifty false teachings myself (many of which I have identified for you in this book) in order to find the true and correct Gospel, “which was once for all handed down to the saints” in Scripture (Jud 3). Yes, the “wolves” had also deceived me for many years.[6] So please don’t just blindly believe whatever you hear being taught or preached as actual biblical truth (by me or anyone else) without fully checking it against Scripture for yourself (Act 17:11).[7] Amen.

[1] See the chapters “The Armor of God” and “Beware the Wolves” for verse references.

[2] Jason Jackson, “How to Go to Heaven—Sincere, but Wrong,” Christian Courier, https://christiancourier.com/articles/how-to-go-to-heaven-sincere-but-wrong.

[3] This is an example of a “sinner’s prayer,” which I have been warning you about throughout this book.

[4] Also, don’t be tricked by the fancy theological-sounding words that the “wolves” like to use either. For example, they shout that they rely on sola scriptura, indicating that they mean the Bible is complete, true, and the final authority on all matters. While that in and of itself is correct, good, and noble, saying such does nothing whatsoever to prevent them from misinterpreting Scripture! I’ve actually found that it is the “wolves” themselves who shout “sola scriptura” the loudest!

[5] See the chapter “Press On to Maturity.”

[6] See the chapter “Beware the Wolves.”

[7] See the chapter “Being a Berean.”