The NT warns God’s people to beware of false teachers. We see throughout Scripture that false teachers are deceptive. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:13 that false teachers disguise themselves as apostles of Christ to accomplish their deceptive work.
To develop the necessary discernment to unmask deceivers, we must recognize that false teachers often look like genuine followers of Christ. They come as wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. They arise from within the church and disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
To identify false teachers, we must understand that they come disguised as true followers of Christ. Exercising discernment, therefore, demands that we examine those who claim to speak God’s Word to distinguish who is true from who is false.