“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
This is something all believers are called to do. There are people out there with so-called “discernment” ministries who make it their sole responsibility to call out false teachers. I got caught up listening to some of these ministries, and all they left me with were a critical spirit and a lot of anxiety.
The problem with most of these ministries is that anyone who doesn’t agree with their theology (which often includes the idea that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for today and that women can never under any circumstances teach theology to a group that includes men) is considered a false teacher.
As I’ve learned from studying the Bible myself how to “test the spirits,” I have found several important components.
1. Does the teacher/pastor adhere (teach and live out) the primary doctrines of the faith? These are summed up nicely in the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
https://www.gotquestions.org/apostles-creed.html
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
2. Do they teach a full Gospel or just the part that sounds good? One pastor is on record saying he doesn’t like to talk about sin, he just wants to be encouraging. This is, at the very least, a red flag.
3. Do they teach the full counsel of God, meaning do they cover all parts of scripture or are they sticking to certain topics or books of the Bible? Do they bring in cross-references from other parts of the Bible when they are teaching through a book of the Bible? One thing I’ve noticed is that prosperity teachers will often teach the “blessing” part of a passage and not the “cursing” part of the passage. (This is often from the Old Testament. For reference, see Deuteronomy 28 and Malachi 3:8-12–note that Israel is under a curse for not bringing in tithes and offerings). I’m not implying that all teachers who teach this way are false teachers, I’m simply pointing out where I see inconsistencies that can lead people into wrong theology.
4. Do they correct, rebuke, and encourage or do they only encourage? One famous pastor is on record saying that he doesn’t preach about sin, he just wants to be encouraging to people. In 2 Timothy 4:2-4, part of Paul’s instructions to pastors/elders says, “Preach the word in season and out of season, correct, rebuke, and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
What are your thoughts? What else would you add to this?