Belief always produces conduct, and thus, ungodly behavior signals the presence or influence of a false teacher. Who was the false teacher in Corinth?

Gnosticism is very much in vogue today in books and movies, and perhaps surprisingly, in the belief systems of many people who profess to be Christian.

False prophets—including the great False Prophet of Revelation—claim to speak for God, yet reveal themselves in predictable ways. Here is what to look for.

A major clue for discerning false gospels is that any teaching attempting to change the nature of God or Christ or their doctrines is anti-Christ and false.

Those who advocate doctrinal change portray God as a confused and false minister who lacks the power to instruct his chosen leaders to 'get it right.'

God's people will know false teachers by their fruits. Even as helpless sheep, we must exercise vigilance detecting the fruits of their preaching.

Corinth had four positive teachers, yet a mysterious fifth teacher was also influencing them and instilling beliefs that were the source of all the bad fruit.

False prophets promote the broad way, giving people what they want to hear. They replace God's truth with human tradition. They are identified by their fruit.

A new lie alleges that a tomb has been found with the remains of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and their alleged son Judah. It may undermine the faith of many.

Corinth was a hotbed of carnality, yet the four identified teachers were not the source of the problem. Instead, a fifth teacher was influencing them.

The end time, Jesus warns, will be one of massive deception, enough to make the very elect stumble. We need to be sure of God's Word to spot Satan's lies.

Many heresies have crept into the church over the past several years. Here is how Satan works to introduce heresy into the church, and what we can do about it.

Having credentials as a motivational coach or an entertainer does not qualify one to be a preacher, especially if he does not hold people accountable for sin.

Jesus is aware of all that transpires within His church—regardless of how out-of-control things may seem—and He will always act in the way that is best.

Considering the events and trends exhibited in the modern church of God, will it follow the disastrous example of early second-century Christianity?

In Scripture, foam is usually accompanied by a state of agitation, as in hurricanes, angry waves of the sea, nations being torn asunder, or demonic influence.

False ministers pander to the 'itching ears' of the audience, telling it what it wants to hear, catering to desires and lusts, fatally mixing truth with error.

Paul had received the same revelation from God that the original disciples had been given. They all preached from the same Source: Jesus Christ.

I John, addresses a congregation grounded in the truth but vexed from within by a number of anti-Christian teachings, including Docetism and Gnosticism.

For every pure thing God has created, Satan has manufactured a counterfeit, even passing himself off as an angel of light. He is the master imitator.

Christ warned that many would be deceived, though no one ever admits to being deceived. The Bible warns of deceptions from within and without the church.

Christ cautions the Pergamos congregation to shun the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Church suffers when it harbors those who compromise and offend.

Apostasy in nominal Christianity has come from major philosophers, serving as 'educators' within the worldly churches, causing great damage with their pens.

Are we 'once-saved, always-saved'? Once God grants us His grace, are we assured eternal life? The fallacies of the doctrine of 'eternal security' are exposed.

John's epistles are the only places the term "antichrist" is used. This word has taken on a life of its own, especially within Evangelical Protestantism.

The Olivet Prophecy lists deceit as the first danger confronting Christians who will be living in the disinformation age, strong enough to deceive the elect.

As we near the conclusion of our spiritual journey, the more dangerous obstacles we will face. Satan will pull out all stops to destroy us.

The book of Jude, a scathing indictment against false teachers, may be the most neglected book in the New Testament. False teachers twist grace into license.

The pressures and conflicts that the church has undergone is part of the spirit of the time that has embroiled religious and political institutions worldwide.

Sin has tainted the most faithful leaders. Most (perhaps all) church leaders have skeletons in their closets, but we follow them as they follow Christ.

In our quest for unity, we can never compromise with the truth. True love between brethren is impossible without an equal pr greater love for the truth.

All of us have anti-Christ tendencies in us, and must work vigorously to root out the anti-Christ elements within ourselves and to become like Christ.

Attributing the messages of God's spokesmen as coming from Satan constitutes speaking evil of dignitaries. Jude emphasizes submission to divine authority.

The most dangerous lap we encounter is when everyone around us tends to be compromising. Today, what was once aberrant behavior is now considered normal.

Human bodies have frequencies and react to incoming frequencies. As we live in the Babylonian system, Satan's frequencies penetrate into our nervous systems.

We need the ability to discriminate in spiritual matters. Grace does not cover unrepented sins nor fellowship with those contemptuous of God's laws.

A prophecy in Zechariah concerns prophets or church leaders who, being ashamed of their false teachings, will claim they were farmers rather than ministers.

Outcome based religion exalts numerical growth and feeling good over the truth of God, promoting the use of modern psychology over 'divisive' biblical doctrine.

Because of the culture of deception fostered by Satan and his children, we must develop discernment to tell the difference between truth and falsehood.

God's hand was definitely involved in the scattering of the church. We should respond by growing and preparing ourselves for His Kingdom.

Be wary of things and people that appear attractive and fair on the outside, but are actually foul and destructive underneath. Evaluate the fruit.

John says that those who do not confess Christ as 'coming in the flesh'—or 'as appearing in flesh'—in the present—are deceivers and antichrists.

Change agents have attempted to apply traditional Christian terminology to politically correct referents, distorting and defiling the original meaning.

Scripture warns about end-time deceivers who will seduce church members to ungodly beliefs and ways. We must make righteous judgments to reject what is false.

We tend to think of the early Church as a 'golden age' of unity and momentum. But early church members experienced problems similar to what we face today.

In evaluating the dubious fruits of a false minister, we must realize that belief and conduct are inextricably linked and the linkage must be with God's Word.

After we accept Christ's sacrifice, we desperately need to come out of sin, walking in light rather than darkness, having continuous fellowship with God.

Satan's biggest targets for disinformation are God's called-out ones. How can the true disciples be identified?

Rick Warren, the energetic and ambitious founder of the Purpose Driven Church movement, is now seeking to syncretistically merge Islam and Christian faiths.

Satan uses lies and disinformation to promote self-satisfaction over obedience to God. The way to the kingdom is through self-denial, even suffering unjustly.

Life consists of a series of choices, often a dilemma of a pleasurable choice on one hand and a difficult choice (that produces more growth) on the other.

Spiritually, apostasy is rebellion against God or the abandonment of faith. It will increase as Christ's return nears, so we must be on guard against it.

Inspiration and doctrine were meant to be complementary rather than adversarial. Many believe they have found new truth when they have recycled old heresies.

Satan and his demons know that their time is short and are determined to destroy as many people as possible, especially the Israel of God.

The Apostle John exhorts us to test and discern the spirits, judging between the true and the false, using the scripture as the steady standard of truth.

Christ severely criticizes the church in Pergamos for idolatry and following the doctrine of Baalam. To those who overcome, He will grant eternal life.

Prosperity gospel preachers twist verses out of context to convince people that God will give them anything. They fail to mention that God does not give His benefits to just anyone.

Ups and downs, blessings and trials, have characterized every era of the church. God's people are always battling something negative between the brief highs.

We face the same kind of pressures and stress that Timothy faced, with perilous times ahead of us, threatening the existence of the nation and the church.

A major heresy is that God is completely about love and no correction. However, the rod of correction is an essential part of being guided safely.

A Christian's foremost responsibility is to love God wholeheartedly. A decline similar to the Ephesians' loss of their first love affected the first-century church.

Colossae and Laodicea were susceptible to fast-talking teachers, whose plausible words eroded the true Gospel in favor of pagan thought and practice.

Any syncretism with the world will lead to confusion. We must separate from the world in terms of its religious practices and its false gospels.

Antichrists manifest several characteristics, including fostering deception and confusion, preventing fellowship, and creating intense spiritual conflict.

Because judgment is now on the house of God, we must be diligent, making sure of our calling because it is not yet a sure thing without effort on our part.

Because we act on what we believe, any affront to our belief system will alter our choices and behavior, placing us on a destructive trajectory.

The true church of God is an invisible, spiritual organism, of those people that have and are led by the Spirit of God, who hold fast to apostolic teaching.

To establish sound doctrine, we must build on the foundation Christ's teaching, taking the straight and narrow course rather than the wisdom of this world.