I just have to say it straight away: there are many false teachings in the church today. Sadly, false teachings are everywhere and this post will look at the 10 common false teachings found in many evangelical churches today.
I’m not only talking about the blatant cults like Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses you may be aware of. I’m talking about the ones that may be sitting right next to you in church or the ones you may be in yourself unknowingly.
The Bible warns us constantly about false prophets and teachers who will come into the church to try and lead us astray (Matt 7:15). I know these people mean well, but they don’t know what they are doing.
They think they are helping God, when in fact they are leading people astray and into deception and swift destruction with their heresy (Rom 16:17-18).
I can guarantee you that if you ask 10 Christians what their biggest pet peeve is about their local church; at least 9 of them will say something along the lines of false teachings. And they are right! There are a lot of false teachings out there today.
In this article, I want to reveal some of the 10 most common false teachings in the church today, things that most people would consider Christian but which actually contradict the Word of God by adding or taking away from it.
See Also: 10 Signs Of False Doctrines [To Be On The Lookout For.]
10 Common False Teachings To Avoid.
Below are the 10 common false teachings you need to be aware of so that you don’t endanger your salvation or wreck your Christian faith built on sound doctrine.
- Jesus Christ Isn’t Divine.
- No One Can Be Holy.
- You Can’t Be Sure Of Your Salvation.
- There Is No Hell.
- The Prosperity Gospel.
- Once Saved Always Saved.
- All Religions Are Basically The Same.
- Universalism.
- Salvation By Works.
- There Is No Trinity.
1. Jesus Christ Isn’t Divine.
There are many false teachers and some false prophets who teach that Jesus Christ isn’t divine and that was just a human being or prophet like everyone else when John 14:7, 20:24-29 proves otherwise.
Denying that Jesus is God is one of the main ways Christianity differs from other false religions. The Bible teaches that He is God, but many people disagree with that basic truth about who the Lord Jesus Christ is and believe Jesus was just a great teacher or prophet.
Sadly, the false teaching and doctrine that Jesus Christ isn’t God are also common in some supposedly Christian denominations today which are just religious cults busy deceiving their followers with their destructive heresies.
2. No One Can Be Holy.
This is another false teaching and false doctrine that is taught by many false teachers in many churches today when God’s word is clear both in the old testament (Leviticus 20:26) and the new testament (1 Thessalonians 4:7) that God calls us to holiness.
A false teacher who teaches the false doctrine that you can’t be holy do so because they haven’t yet experienced the new birth that comes with genuine salvation that brings about the new nature of Christ in a believer to enable them to live a holy life that’s free from sin.
It’s this new nature of Christ that false teachers teaching the false doctrine of no one can live a holy life that is absent in them which is why they say you can’t be holy as they have failed to be holy themselves.
See Also. 10 Major Reasons Why Is It Difficult To Live A Holy Life.
3. You Can’t Be Sure Of Your Salvation.
Any false teacher or false prophet telling you that you can’t be sure of your salvation is lying to you because we are told in Romans 8:16 that you can be sure of your salvation as the Holy Spirit will bear witness that you are truly God’s Child if you are truly saved of course.
False teachers who claim you can’t be sure of your salvation and eternal life when Jesus Christ promises otherwise, lack understanding and don’t rightly divide the truth of God’s word.
Don’t listen to any false teacher who tells you that you can’t be sure of your salvation as you can know that you are truly saved as we saw in the above bible verse in Romans as God’s word teaches the doctrine of the assurance of salvation.
See Also: Can A Person Be Saved And Not Know It? [+ Sermon].
4. There Is No Hell.
Believe it or not, the false doctrine that there is no hell and that God is too loving to send anyone to hell is common more than you think when God’s word proves otherwise in Psalms 9:17 and Matthews 25:26.
False teachers who teach the doctrine of no hell forget that God is love as well as just and that He can’t let sin go unpunished. No wonder Hebrews 12:29 tells us that God is a consuming fire.
Any false teacher telling you that there is no hell is lying to you and you must avoid them at all costs and I am sure you have come across such religious cults that teach that there is no hell.
5. The Prosperity Gospel.
The prosperity gospel is a false teaching that has become increasingly popular in recent years. It holds that if you make God your number one priority, He will bless you with health and wealth.
As a result, many churches that teach this false doctrine have become very wealthy, while the poor parishioners who faithfully attend church remain poor. Unfortunately, this false teaching conveniently ignores the fact that Jesus was homeless and poor all His life.
There’s no doubt that God wants to bless us with good things (Deuteronomy 8:18) but we need to be careful not to confuse material blessings with spiritual blessings and forget that our real treasures are in heaven and not on earth.
6. Once Saved Always Saved.
This is another false doctrine and false teaching that is common in some Christian dominations and churches. It assumes that once you accept Christ as your Savior, you are guaranteed a place in heaven no matter what you do after you profess your faith in Him.
This false doctrine of eternal security has no scriptural grounding or truth to it whatsoever because Hebrews 10:39 clearly tells that it’s possible to fall away from the grace and faith you once had and that God has no pleasure in those who draw back to perdition.
The doctrine of eternal security comes from John Calvin who stated that you cannot lose your salvation even if you continue in sin after you repent and this false belief or doctrine is nothing but a license to sin, period.
7. All Religions Are Basically The Same.
I am sure you have come across people even some false teachers who claim that all religions are the same and that there are many ways to heaven and to find the truth.
But these false teachers teaching that all religions are the same and that they all lead to the same place forget the words of Jesus Chris He said in John 14:6 that only He’s the way, the truth, and the life and that none can come to the Father except by Him.
You must understand that not all religions are the same and that only Christ Jesus Can grant you eternal life and not the false religions of this world Satan has put in place with the sole purpose of leading as many as possible away from the one true God.
8. Universalism.
This false teaching or false doctrine found in some churches or denominations assumes that everyone whether they accepted Jesus Christ or not as their personal Lord and Savior will be saved in the end and that no one will go to hell.
But this false doctrine of universalism is found nowhere in the scripture but just a mere doctrine of men as God’s word says that not everyone will be saved as Matthews 7:13, 14 tells us which indicates only a few will be saved and enter heaven.
You must remember that God can’t false salvation on you if you don’t want to be saved because if that was the case, God will be violating your free will and this is why the doctrine of universalism is a false gospel you must not believe in at all.
9. Salvation By Works.
There is also another false gospel or teaching that you must be aware of as a believer in case you are not and that it’s this false belief that you can earn your salvation by good works or by simply being a good person which we are not (Psalms 14:1-3).
This false teaching of work-based salvation has become commonplace in the Christian church today forgetting what Ephesians 2:8, 9 tells us we are only saved by grace through faith and not by works lest anyone should boast.
You must understand that you can’t earn your salvation or buy your ticket to heaven by your good works because they will never be good enough. Only the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not your good works can grant you salvation.
See Also: 7 Reasons Why Good Works Cannot Save Us (+Sermon).
10. There Is No Trinity.
Last but not least, another false teaching that is common in many Christian Churches is that there is no trinity and that the trinity doctrine is false with no grounding in the scripture.
However, God’s word clearly says in 1 John 5:7 that three witnesses bear record in heaven which are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that all these three are one.
Therefore, anyone telling you that the trinity doctrine is false lacks a complete understanding of the scriptures and is in error. If you come across such people, just refute their false doctrine of no trinity with the above bible verse.
Last Words.
The above 10 common false teachings in many evangelical churches today you have just read must be a wake-up call for you as a true believer and put you in prayer so that you don’t get deceived by them. In closing, if you found this post beneficial, let me know in the comments below along with any questions you might have. Stay blessed and don’t forget to share.
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