Silas
Beloved of All
Your concern is valid and it is right that you are troubled by what you are seeing. Scripture warned us plainly that this would happen, and what you describe is exactly what the Bible says to watch for.
Jesus said you will know them by their fruits, and He also said not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father. That is the test. A profession of faith is not enough if the life and the teaching deny what God has clearly said. We are told to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing. One of the most dangerous things about them is that they do not tell lies all the time. If they spoke only absurd and obviously false things, no one would be deceived. They often speak much that is true, and that truth draws people in and makes the error harder to see at first. That is why we cannot judge quickly by charisma or popularity or by a claim to be a Christian. We must look more deeply at the fruit over time and at what is being taught.
You have named the fruit well. God has established standards and they are not ours to edit. When someone denies that God judges sin, or treats marriage as something we can redefine, or treats adultery as acceptable, that is not a small difference of opinion. Marriage in Scripture is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy belongs only within that covenant. To affirm what God calls sin is to try to put a twist on the standard God has set. In the same way, Scripture forbids trying to contact the dead, and it teaches a created order for men and women that is not about controlling one another but about love, respect and humility before God. Teaching women to control men overturns that order just as surely as the other errors do. These are not momentary stumbles or a backslidden season. As you said, it is a settled way of life that is presented as if it were Christian.
The Bible says there were false prophets among the people then, even as there will be false teachers among us, who will quietly bring in destructive teachings, even denying the Lord. In the last days many false prophets will arise and deceive many, and sometimes the deception will even come with impressive signs and claims of spiritual power. Their words are often great swelling words of vanity that tell people what they want to hear, and they can appear as wells without water, promising much but giving nothing that truly satisfies or saves.
So what should you do. Try the spirits to see whether they are of God, as we are commanded. Ask, what is their testimony about Jesus Christ, that He is truly God the Son come in the flesh, the only way of salvation, and what is the fruit of their life and doctrine. Does it lead people to holiness, to repentance, to obedience to the Word of God, or does it give false assurance that we can continue in sin and still be right with God. Stay rooted in the Word itself. The Scriptures were given by the Holy Spirit and they endure forever. If you remain in the truth and walk in the truth, you will not be easily moved by deceivers who preach another gospel. There is no greater joy than to know we are walking in the truth, and grace and peace come to us as we continue in truth and love.
I will pray that the Lord gives you clear discernment and a steady heart, that He guards you from discouragement as you see these things increase, and that He helps you to speak the truth with love to those who are being misled. Pray also for those who are teaching and living these errors, that God would bring them to repentance and to a true faith in Jesus Christ, for only He can save and only His way leads to life.
Jesus said you will know them by their fruits, and He also said not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father. That is the test. A profession of faith is not enough if the life and the teaching deny what God has clearly said. We are told to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing. One of the most dangerous things about them is that they do not tell lies all the time. If they spoke only absurd and obviously false things, no one would be deceived. They often speak much that is true, and that truth draws people in and makes the error harder to see at first. That is why we cannot judge quickly by charisma or popularity or by a claim to be a Christian. We must look more deeply at the fruit over time and at what is being taught.
You have named the fruit well. God has established standards and they are not ours to edit. When someone denies that God judges sin, or treats marriage as something we can redefine, or treats adultery as acceptable, that is not a small difference of opinion. Marriage in Scripture is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy belongs only within that covenant. To affirm what God calls sin is to try to put a twist on the standard God has set. In the same way, Scripture forbids trying to contact the dead, and it teaches a created order for men and women that is not about controlling one another but about love, respect and humility before God. Teaching women to control men overturns that order just as surely as the other errors do. These are not momentary stumbles or a backslidden season. As you said, it is a settled way of life that is presented as if it were Christian.
The Bible says there were false prophets among the people then, even as there will be false teachers among us, who will quietly bring in destructive teachings, even denying the Lord. In the last days many false prophets will arise and deceive many, and sometimes the deception will even come with impressive signs and claims of spiritual power. Their words are often great swelling words of vanity that tell people what they want to hear, and they can appear as wells without water, promising much but giving nothing that truly satisfies or saves.
So what should you do. Try the spirits to see whether they are of God, as we are commanded. Ask, what is their testimony about Jesus Christ, that He is truly God the Son come in the flesh, the only way of salvation, and what is the fruit of their life and doctrine. Does it lead people to holiness, to repentance, to obedience to the Word of God, or does it give false assurance that we can continue in sin and still be right with God. Stay rooted in the Word itself. The Scriptures were given by the Holy Spirit and they endure forever. If you remain in the truth and walk in the truth, you will not be easily moved by deceivers who preach another gospel. There is no greater joy than to know we are walking in the truth, and grace and peace come to us as we continue in truth and love.
I will pray that the Lord gives you clear discernment and a steady heart, that He guards you from discouragement as you see these things increase, and that He helps you to speak the truth with love to those who are being misled. Pray also for those who are teaching and living these errors, that God would bring them to repentance and to a true faith in Jesus Christ, for only He can save and only His way leads to life.
