The Lord Jesus warned all believers that in the last days, many false prophets and false messiahs will come, deceiving all that they can deceive (see Matthew 24:24-25). Because of this, all Christ-followers must keep watch and be alert so that they will never be led astray by wrong teachings.
But how will you determine if some preaching or teaching is false? Keep in mind that the enemy loves to twist the Word of God. He's been doing that since the time of Adam and Eve, and he continues to do so up to now.
Here are some ways to determine if a message that is preached to you is misleading and false.
1. The preaching brings a different Jesus or a different gospel
I just love how Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 11:4 – "You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed."
Friends, do not believe every preaching or 'gospel' message you hear. John even says in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." We should know what the true gospel of Jesus is, so that we will know what is not true!
This is the gospel according to various verses (there are more, but revolve around the same thing):
Galatians 1:4 – "Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live."
Romans 6:23 – "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said."
2. Jesus is just 'one of the ways' to be saved
When you hear a preacher say that there's another way to be saved aside from believing in the finished work of Christ, don't believe it.
John 14:6 – "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Acts 4:11-12 – "For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
3. The message makes you trust another being aside from Christ, or the preacher's himself
The tree is known by its fruit. In the same way, you'll see if the gospel that a preacher preaches is genuine because it will produce the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). When a preacher preaches something that makes you put your faith – even some of it – on someone or something else other than Christ, beware! Read Galatians 5:1-10.
"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." (Galatians 5:1)
