THIRD QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #12
SEPTEMBER 19, 2026
"DEALING WITH FALSE TEACHERS".

 

But, I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him" (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, KJV throughout).

Paul doesn't spell out a single slogan for this "false gospel" in this passage, but he identifies three connected dangers:

•Another Jesus—a distorted view of Christ, one different from the Jesus revealed by the apostles.

•Another spirit—influence that does not come from the Holy Spirit.

•Another gospel—a message of salvation different from the ones the apostles preached.

Paul repeatedly warned that false teachers and a false gospel go together. False teachers do not merely make minor mistakes—they distort, replace, or add to the true gospel, leading people away from Christ.

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Paul's concern was that they looked and sounded convincing while subtly changing the message about Christ and the gospel. False teachings usually begin with small distortions that eventually undermine the gospel. In Galatians, Paul is even more direct:

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9).

The true gospel is not ours to alter. Adding human works as a basis of justification or changing Christ's work produces "another gospel," which Paul says is really no gospel at all.

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7).

False teachers often have selfish motives. Paul describes them in several places:

•They seek personal gain (1 Timothy 6:3-5).

•They deceive with persuasive words (Colossians 2:4).

•They exploit people (2 Corinthians 11:20-22).

•They desire followers for themselves rather than for Christ (Galatians 4:17).

What exactly is "another gospel"? As you study, you'll find that Scripture describes several distortions:

•Adding human merit to Christ's finished work (Galatians 5:2-4, Galatians 6:12-14).

•Replacing Christ with human traditions (Mark 7:1-13).

•Denying who Jesus is (1 John 4:1-3).

•Using religion for personal gain (2 Peter 2:1-3).

•Presenting a form of godliness without its transforming power (2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

•Accepting teachers because they tell people what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1-4).

What did Ellen White say about false teachers?

Christ had foretold that deceivers would arise, through whose influence "iniquity" should “abound", and "the love of many" should "wax cold." Matthew 24:12. He had warned the disciples that the church would be in more danger from this evil than from the persecution of her enemies. Again and again, Paul warned  the believers against these false teachers. This peril, above all others, they must guard against; for by receiving false teachers, they would open the doors to errors by which the enemy would dim the spiritual perceptions and shake the confidence of those newly come to the faith of the gospel. Christ was the standard by which they were to test the doctrines presented. All that was not in harmony with His teachings they were to reject. Christ crucified for sin, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high - this was the science of salvation that they were to learn and teach. —Acts of the Apostles, p. 473.

In all ages, philosophers and teachers have been presenting to the world theories by which to satisfy the soul's need. Every heathen nation has had its great teachers and religious systems offering some other means of redemption than Christ, turning the eyes of men away from the Father's face, and filling their hearts with fear of Him who has given them only blessing. The trend of their work is to rob God of that which is His own, both by creation and by redemption. And these false teachers rob man as well. Millions of human beings are bound down under false religions, in the bondage of slavish fear, of stolid indifference, toiling like beasts of burden, bereft of hope or joy or aspiration here, and with only a dull fear of the hereafter. It is the gospel of the grace of God alone that can uplift the soul. The contemplation of the love of God manifested in His Son will stir the heart and arouse the powers of the soul as nothing can. Christ came that He might re-create the image of God in man; and whoever turns men away from Christ is turning them away from the source of true development; he is defrauding them of hope and purpose and glory of life. He is a thief and a robber. —The Desire of Ages, p. 478.

We may all gain a deep and rich experience here if we will seek for it with all our hearts, humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and letting God - not ourselves - do the lifting of us up. Christ in the heart is the death blow to all our self-love. Selfishness and covetousness - which is idolatry - lead a man to wish to be his own Saviour and to trust proudly in his own human, finite capability and merits for salvation. They will fail him every day if he does this, and be to him eternal loss hereafter. He will be like the blind leading the blind; both will fall into the ditch.—1888 Materials, p. 467.

If you read The Glad Tidings by E. J. Waggoner from beginning to end, you'll find that Waggoner viewed the false teachers in Galatia as people who:

•Believed in Christ but did not trust Him completely.

•Added human requirements to the gospel.

•Shifted confidence from Christ's righteousness to human performance.

•And thereby turned the good news into a message of bondage rather than freedom.

For Waggoner, the issue was not merely circumcision. Circumcision was the symptom; the deeper problem was any teaching that moved a person's confidence away from Christ and toward self—and this is what false teachers do. They want the glory and the honor that only Jesus deserves. They want the praise of men.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).

 

—Eric Lance