Paul lists four telltale markers to help us identify false teachers... personal motivation, their message, their master, and their methods. Let’s examine each marker carefully.
The Motivation of False Teachers is to Promote Themselves by causing Dissensions and Stumbling Blocks.
Romans 16:17 says... “Keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned….” We need to understand that Paul is not saying that true teachers avoid all controversy! Jesus Himself provoked a lot of dissension by confronting the hypocritical religious leaders (Matt. 10:34-36; 23:1-36).
Paul contended vigorously with the Judaizers in Galatians, where he tells how he confronted Peter publicly because he had come under their influence (Gal. 2:11-15). When the gospel or other core biblical truth was at stake, Paul believed in the necessity to contend strongly for the faith. In fact he sums up his entire ministry by saying that he had fought the good fight (2 Tim. 4:7). He was not opposed to controversy when the integrity of the gospel was at stake.
But the word that Paul uses here translated “dissensions” is a deed of the flesh (Gal. 5:20). And these dissensions are “contrary to the teaching which you learned.” This dissension stems from self-centered, self-exalting motives. False teachers attempt to build a following because they love promoting themselves and being the center of attention. They’re after power, fame, money, or sinful sexual gratification. They don’t seek to exalt Christ and Him crucified. They don’t hold firmly to the gospel of justification by faith alone. By adding the word “stumbling blocks” (9:33; 11:9), Paul shows that these men created dissension by teaching damnable heresies. Invariably, those who stood for the gospel would rightly oppose them. The result was dissension in the churches. But at the root of it, these false teachers were motivated by promoting themselves, not Christ.
The Message of False Teachers is to Contradict core Biblical Truth.
Their message was “contrary to the teaching which you learned.” Paul is mainly referring to the truth of the gospel which the Romans had believed and which Paul had set forth so clearly in his letter. There are many areas of doctrine where godly Christians may differ and yet still be saved, such as various views of end-times prophecy, church government, music and other secondary issues.
But there are core doctrines where all true Christians must agree or you cease to be Christian in any biblical sense of the word. All of the cults promote a way of salvation by works that detracts from God’s glory through the cross of Christ. All false teachers undermine the person and work of Christ through their self-promotion which leads to distortions of doctrine. If you abandon core biblical doctrines for the sake of unity, the unity you end up with is not Christian unity. So pay attention to the message. IF it’s different than what the Bible teaches... there’s a BIG problem.
The Master of False Teachers is their own Appetites, NOT the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul explains in Romans16:18... “For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites.” False teachers are in the ministry for their own profit and gain. They take people’s money so that they can live lavishly. They love power and being in the limelight. Often false teachers take advantage of women in their congregation for their own sexual gratification. But they do not preach or live in submission to Christ as Lord. To the contrary...True teachers seek to submit every area of their lives to Christ as Lord and God.
The Method of False Teachers is to use Smooth and Flattering Talk to Deceive the HEARTS of the NAÏVE.
False teachers are usually nice, likable, and gregarious folks. They flatter you by telling you what you want to hear. They smile as they tell you how great you are and how you can have your best life now. They don’t talk about anything negative, like sin and God’s coming judgment. They say... “People are beat down enough as it is. When they come to church, they need to hear a positive message, like God’s love and acceptance” (apart from repentance, of course). They use biblical verses, often out of context, and biblical language, but they [intentionally] change the meaning of the terms. For example, both the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses talk about believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord, but their “Jesus” is not the Jesus of the Bible.
Important to remember, false teachers speak to the desires of the heart. That’s the key to their deception, it takes place in the heart, which involves both the mind and the emotions. Deceivers know how to manipulate people’s feelings. They tell you stories that tug on your heart. They get you laughing. They often ridicule those who stand firm for biblical truth and portray them as mean, angry, and unloving. They appeal to greed and the desire that we all have to be healthy. If you’ll just send them a gift, they’ll pray for your prosperity and healing. By preying on your feelings, they lure you into their web of deception. So to recognize false teachers, watch their motives, their message, their master, and their methods.
Therefore, knowing how false teachers operate, what should our response to them be? Paul says... “Keep your eye on them and turn away from them.” The noun related to the verb “keep your eye on” is used in Ezekiel 3:17 to refer to the watchman on the wall. His job was to keep his eye peeled for the enemy and to sound the alarm when he saw them coming so that they could prepare for battle. Since these false teachers often disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15) or as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matt. 7:15), you have to be discerning and always on-guard to spot them.
Paul does not tell us to engage in dialogue with them or to invite them into our church to see if we can find some common ground as we discuss their heretical ideas. Sometimes division or separation is both the necessary and the godly thing to do. Christian leaders especially have to be careful. For example, when Billy Graham invited Roman Catholic leaders to sit on the platform with him at his crusades and he used the Catholic Church to follow up with those from Catholic backgrounds who responded to his message, he sent a strong message to the untaught that the Catholic Church preaches the same gospel taught in the New Testament. The problem is, Catholics don’t teach what the Bible teaches. They preach salvation by grace through faith plus works, which is precisely the Galatian heresy. Paul preached salvation by grace through faith alone. The difference is not minor, because Paul said that the Galatian heretics were damned (Gal. 1:6-9)!
Should you invite cultists who knock on your door to come in and discuss their beliefs so that you might lead them to Christ? Maybe, but be very careful! The cults do a very good job of training their people to overcome objections. They can take you to every verse that seems to support their heretical teaching. If you’re not knowledgeable, they will confuse you and draw you into their heresies. Be kind, be polite but don’t engage in pointless debates and arguments.
Obedient Christians especially need to be on guard against false teachers as Paul counsels in Romans16:19...“For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.” Why does Paul begin this verse with “for,” which seems to be explaining the warning of verse 18? The sense seems to be that Paul rejoiced to hear about the obedience of the Roman believers to the gospel, but that obedience also made them a prime target for these false teachers. False teachers rarely make converts out of pagans. Rather, they go for unsuspecting Christians who lack discernment.
Paul also says, “I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.” Or, in Jesus words (Matt. 10:16, ESV), “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” In the context, “good” refers to sound doctrine in line with the gospel. “Evil” refers to the corrupt doctrine of the false teachers. While it’s helpful to have a basic knowledge of what the cults and other false religions teach so that you can avoid their errors and witness to them, it’s not edifying to study these errors in depth. Some who are targeting a particular false religious group may need to study their teachings more thoroughly. But generally our focus should be on being wise in the Scriptures. Knowing the truth will equip you to refute the errors of false teachers.
Paul concludes his warnings with a promise and a blessing as he states in Romans 16:20... “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” Ultimately, it’s the God of peace and His grace that protect us from falling prey to false teachers. This passage was Paul’s first mention of Satan in Romans. He is no doubt thinking of the first temptation in the garden, when the serpent deceived Eve. God promised that her seed (Christ) would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). The implication is that Satan is behind all false teachers who deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting, just as he deceived Eve. Remember, in this context of spiritual warfare, where God will crush Satan, Paul calls HIM “the God of peace.” He makes peace both between us and Him and peace between believers through the cross of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:14).
Satan was defeated at the cross (Col. 2:15). But until Christ returns the battle rages as the enemy seeks to deceive and devour Christians. We win the battles against him as we put on the full armor of God and resist his evil schemes (Eph. 6:10-20; 2 Cor. 2:11; James 4:7; Rev. 12:11). He will be finally defeated when Christ throws him into the lake of fire (1 Cor. 15:25; Rev. 20:10).
While we should not ignore Satan and we should respect his cunning and power, we should not fear him. The Bible is clear that God will finally triumph and Satan will lose (1 John 4:4).
“Grace” takes us back to Romans 1:7... “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” God’s grace is at the heart of the gospel. False teachers invariably subvert the grace of God, either by teaching salvation by works (legalism) or by promoting licentiousness. Knowing and experiencing God’s grace sustains us in the battle against the enemy. His grace motivates us to study His Word of truth, which protects us against the deceptive lies of false teachers.
