53 Bible Verses about False Teachings

Yet I have a few things against you, because you have with you some that cling to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block in the way of the descendants of Israel--to eat what had been sacrificed to idols, and commit fornication. So even you have some that cling in the same way to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknowledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

But with respect to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to meet Him, we entreat you, brethren, not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled--either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us--through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here.

Now the Spirit expressly declares that in later times some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons; through the hypocrisy of men who teach falsely and have their own consciences seared as with a hot iron; forbidding people to marry, and insisting on abstinence from foods which God has created to be partaken of, with thankfulness, by those who believe and have a clear knowledge of the truth.

Yet I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and by her teaching leads astray My servants, so that they commit fornication and eat what has been sacrificed to idols.

but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is on account of these very sins that God's anger is coming upon the disobedient.

If you have died with Christ and have escaped from the world's rudimentary notions, why, as though your life still belonged to the world, do you submit to such precepts as "Do not handle this;" "Do not taste that;" "Do not touch that other thing" -- referring to things which are all intended to be used up and perish--in obedience to mere human injunctions and teachings?read more.
These rules have indeed an appearance of wisdom where self-imposed worship exists, and an affectation of humility and an ascetic severity. But not one of them is of any value in combating the indulgence of our lower natures.

When I was on my journey to Macedonia I begged you to remain on in Ephesus that you might remonstrate with certain persons because of their erroneous teaching and the attention they bestow on mere fables and endless pedigrees, such as lead to controversy rather than to a true stewardship for God, which only exists where there is faith. And I make the same request now. But the end sought to be secured by exhortation is the love which springs from a pure heart, a clear conscience and a sincere faith.read more.
From these some have drifted away, and have wandered into empty words. They are ambitious to be teachers of the Law, although they do not understand either their own words or what the things are about which they make such confident assertions.

But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be teachers of falsehood among you also, who will cunningly introduce fatal divisions, disowning even the Sovereign Lord who has redeemed them, and bringing on themselves swift destruction.

"Beware of the false teachers--men who come to you in sheep's fleeces, but beneath that disguise they are ravenous wolves.

I know that, when I am gone, cruel wolves will come among you and will not spare the flock; and that from among your own selves men will rise up who will seek with their perverse talk to draw away the disciples after them.

For there are many that spurn authority--idle, talkative and deceitful persons, who, for the most part, are adherents of the Circumcision. You must stop the mouths of such men, for they overthrow the faith of whole families, teaching what they ought not, just for the sake of making money.

and that from among your own selves men will rise up who will seek with their perverse talk to draw away the disciples after them.

So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

O Timothy, guard the truths entrusted to you, shunning irreligious and frivolous talk, and controversy with what is falsely called 'knowledge'; of which some have spoken boastfully in connexion with the true faith, and have erred. Grace be with you all.

Do not be drawn aside by all sorts of strange teaching; for it is well to have the heart made stedfast through God's grace, and not by special kinds of food, from which those who scrupulously attend to them have derived no benefit.

Their very eyes are full of adultery--being eyes which never cease from sin. These men set traps to catch unstedfast souls, their own hearts being well trained in greed. They are fore-doomed to God's curse! Forsaking the straight road, they have gone astray, having eagerly followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was bent on securing the wages of unrighteousness.

I have thus written to you concerning those who are leading you astray.

And in their immoral ways they will have many eager disciples, through whom religion will be brought into disrepute.

"Take care that no one misleads you," answered Jesus; "for many will come assuming my name and saying 'I am the Christ;' and they will mislead many.

So Jesus began to say to them: "Take care that no one misleads you. Many will come assuming my name and saying, 'I am He;' and they will mislead many.

For a time is coming when they will not tolerate wholesome instruction, but, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will find a multitude of teachers to satisfy their own fancies;

For, while they pour out their frivolous and arrogant talk, they use earthly cravings--every kind of immorality--as a bait to entrap men who are just escaping from the influence of those who live in error. And they promise them freedom, although they are themselves the slaves of what is corrupt. For a man is the slave of any one by whom he has been worsted in fight.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers have gone out into the world. The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God, and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is already in the world.read more.
As for you, dear children, you are God's children, and have successfully resisted them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.

For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, displaying wonderful signs and prodigies, so as to deceive, were it possible, even God's own People.

For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, displaying signs and prodigies with a view to lead astray--if indeed that were possible--even God's own People.

The appearing of the Lawless one will be attended by various miracles and tokens and delusive marvels--for so Satan works-- and by every kind of wicked deception for those who are on the way to perdition because they did not welcome into their hearts the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.

Then I saw another Wild Beast, coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. And the authority of the first Wild Beast--the whole of that authority--he exercises in his presence, and he causes the earth and its inhabitants to worship the first Wild Beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. He also works great miracles, so as even to make fire come down from Heaven to earth in the presence of human beings.read more.
And his power of leading astray the inhabitants of the earth is due to the marvels which he has been permitted to work in the presence of the Wild Beast. And he told the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the Wild Beast who had received the sword-stroke and yet had recovered. And power was granted him to give breath to the statue of the Wild Beast, so that the statue of the Wild Beast could even speak and cause all who refuse to worship it to be put to death.

Now the Spirit expressly declares that in later times some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons; through the hypocrisy of men who teach falsely and have their own consciences seared as with a hot iron;

But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ. If indeed some visitor is proclaiming among you another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or if you are receiving a Spirit different from the One you have already received or a Good News different from that which you have already welcomed, your toleration is admirable!

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers have gone out into the world. The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God, and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is already in the world.

Then I saw three foul spirits, resembling frogs, issue from the mouth of the Dragon, from the mouth of the Wild Beast, and from the mouth of the false Prophet. For they are the spirits of demons working marvels--spirits that go out to control the kings of the whole earth, to assemble them for the battle which is to take place on the great day of God, the Ruler of all.

Thirsting for riches, they will trade on you with their canting talk. From of old their judgement has been working itself out, and their destruction has not been slumbering.

Take care lest there be some one who leads you away as prisoners by means of his philosophy and idle fancies, following human traditions and the world's crude notions instead of following Christ.

The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God, and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is already in the world.

For this reason I would have you understand that no one speaking under the influence of The Spirit of God ever says, "Jesus is accursed," and that no one is able to say, "Jesus is Lord," except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

As for you, you have an anointing from the holy One and have perfect knowledge. I have written to you, not because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you know it, and you know that nothing false comes from the truth. Who is a liar compared with him who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He who disowns the Father and the Son is the anti-Christ.read more.
No one who disowns the Son has the Father. He who acknowledges the Son has also the Father.

"Beware of the false teachers--men who come to you in sheep's fleeces, but beneath that disguise they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will easily recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from brambles? Just so every good tree produces good fruit, but a poisonous tree produces bad fruit.read more.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a poisonous tree good fruit. Every tree which does not yield good fruit is cut down and thrown aside for burning. So by their fruits at any rate, you will easily recognize them.

For you tolerate it, if any one enslaves you, lives at your expense, makes off with your property, gives himself airs, or strikes you on the face.

Dear children, let no one lead you astray. The man who acts righteously is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who is habitually guilty of sin is a child of the Devil, because the Devil has been a sinner from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for the purpose of undoing the work of the Devil. No one who is a child of God is habitually guilty of sin. A God-given germ of life remains in him, and he cannot habitually sin--because he is a child of God.read more.
By this we can distinguish God's children and the Devil's children: no one who fails to act righteously is a child of God, nor he who does not love his brother man.

So teach and exhort. If any one is a teacher of any other kind of doctrine, and refuses assent to wholesome instructions--those of our Lord Jesus Christ--and the teaching that harmonizes with true godliness, he is puffed up with pride and has no true knowledge, but is crazy over discussions and controversies about words which give rise to envy, quarrelling, revilings, ill-natured suspicions, and persistent wranglings on the part of people whose intellects are disordered and they themselves blinded to all knowledge of the truth; who imagine that godliness means gain.

When I was on my journey to Macedonia I begged you to remain on in Ephesus that you might remonstrate with certain persons because of their erroneous teaching and the attention they bestow on mere fables and endless pedigrees, such as lead to controversy rather than to a true stewardship for God, which only exists where there is faith. And I make the same request now.

But from irreligious and frivolous talk hold aloof, for those who indulge in it will proceed from bad to worse in impiety, and their teaching will spread like a running sore. Hymenaeus and Philetus are men of that stamp. In the matter of the truth they have gone astray, saying that the Resurrection is already past, and so they are overthrowing the faith of some.

As for you, let the teaching which you have received from the very beginning continue in your hearts. If that teaching does continue in your hearts, you also will continue to be in union with the Son and with the Father.

I marvel that you are so readily leaving Him who called you by the grace of Christ, and are adhering to a different Good News. For other "Good News" there is none; but there are some persons who are troubling you, and are seeking to distort the Good News concerning Christ. But if even we or an angel from Heaven should bring you a Good News different from that which we have already brought you, let him be accursed.read more.
What I have just said I repeat--if any one is preaching to you a Good News other than that which you originally received, let him be accursed.

This is the charge which I entrust to you, my son Timothy, in accordance with the inspired instructions concerning you which were given me long ago, that being equipped with them as your armour you may be continually fighting the good fight, holding fast to faith and a clear conscience, which some have cast aside and have made shipwreck of their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

Provide yourself with an outline of the sound teaching which you have heard from my lips, and be true to the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That precious treasure which is in your charge, guard through the Holy Spirit who has His home in our hearts.

But I beseech you, brethren, to keep a watch on those who are causing the divisions among you, and are leading others into sin, in defiance of the instruction which you have received; and habitually to shun them. For men of that stamp are not bondservants of Christ our Lord, but are slaves to their own appetites; and by their plausible words and their flattery they utterly deceive the minds of the simple.

But of this be assured: in the last days grievous times will set in. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, profane. They will be disobedient to parents, thankless, irreligious, destitute of natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers. They will have no self-control, but will be brutal, opposed to goodness,read more.
treacherous, headstrong, self-important. They will love pleasure instead of loving God, and will keep up a make-believe of piety and yet live in defiance of its power. Turn away from people of this sort. Among them are included the men who make their way into private houses and carry off weak women as their prisoners--women who, weighed down by the burden of their sins, are led by ever-changing caprice, and are always learning something new, and yet are never able to arrive at real knowledge of the truth. And just as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so also these false teachers withstand the truth--being, as they are, men of debased intellects, and of no real worth so far as faith is concerned. But they will have no further success; for their folly will be as clearly manifest to all men, as that of the opponents of Moses came to be.

But hold yourself aloof from foolish controversies and pedigrees and discussions and wrangling about the Law, for they are useless and vain. After a first and second admonition, have nothing further to do with any one who will not be taught; for, as you know, a man of that description has turned aside from the right path and is a sinner self-condemned.

No one has God, who instead of remaining true to the teaching of Christ, presses on in advance: but he who remains true to that teaching has both the Father and the Son. If any one who comes to you does not bring this teaching, do not receive him under your roof nor bid him Farewell. He who bids him Farewell is a sharer in his evil deeds.