Christ Teach Me

Never Trust A Teacher

  This article is a reprint under the Creative Commons License from author John Little, written on 02 Feb 2018.

I love teachers, and I am one.  My wife is one.  Teachers are great, and we need them.  But, you should never trust what they teach you.  And yes, that includes myself.

Why?  Deception.

There are too many corrupt, lying liars who are posing as good-hearted and well-meaning pastors, seminarians, theologians, professors, instructors, writers and YouTubers.  And, some of these ‘lying liars’ don’t know that they are a source of lies.  They have deceived themselves, and are passing that deception on to you.  And, that deception is killing us.

So, the best thing that I can do is encourage you to never trust me, or anyone who is in my position.

I have a thing about deception.  I really do.  I hate it.  I despise it.  And, I want to stamp it out, wherever I see it.  And, I am horrified at the thought that I could be a source of deception.  But, there is nothing that scares me more, than the thought that I would cause you damage in how you think, what you think, how you believe and Who you believe in.

I will stand before the Lord one day and answer for every word that I write and say.  If I should lead you astray, I will suffer loss for that.  I am also concerned about YOUR welfare.

If I say or write something that causes you to make a bad decision, you could suffer great harm.  And, you could pass on the errors that I told you, spreading that harm far and wide.  And, I know that I am capable of doing something like this.  And THAT is why I implore you to never trust me or any other teacher.

Be Able To Challenge What I Write And Say

Always, always check to see if I am right.  I know that I talk about some pretty difficult stuff, and you might not be able to check on everything for yourself.  But, my hope is that your understanding will grow to the point where you can challenge most of what I write and say.

Some of you have been able to do that, from day one.  And, I count it a blessing and honor to have such clear-thinking readers who can point out errors – or, the ‘possible’ errors.  My hope is that I always give such valuable readers the honor and respect that they deserve.

The Sophisticated Deceiver Would Say This

Of course, as I write this, I also know that a sophisticated deceiver would write all that I have written here, and more.  The best deceivers will also claim that you should never trust them, and that you should think for yourself.  So, don’t be lured into complacency, just because I warn you against trusting me.

Please remember that we will all stand before the Lord one day, and answer for what we do or say.  You won’t be able to blame me for deceiving you or tricking you into disobeying God.  You won’t be able to claim that I taught you wrongly, since YOU are responsible for learning how to tell the difference between truth and falsehood.

Your Responsibility As A Christian

Your responsibility as a Christian is to love the truth.  That responsibility cannot be delegated to anyone else if you wish to be a responsible and obedient follower of Christ.  The alternative is to remain a child in spiritual things.  If you want to remain immature in the spiritual and physical, place your trust in your fallible pastors and teachers.  If you want to remain stunted and ignorant, you can.   Being ignorant and deceived is a choice.  You can choose to never question what you hear in church.  You can choose to never question what you are taught in school.  And, we can see all around us a society that doesn’t question what it reads in newspapers or sees on their TV screens.

Unfortunately, if you are old enough, the choice to be ‐and become‐ ignorant and deceived might have been made so long ago, that you do not remember that choice.  But, I can see that choice, whenever someone complains about my criticism of the great Dr.  So‐and‐So.  I know of too many pastors who are horrified at the thought that I would disagree with their favorite theologian.  When I see that, I can tell that a choice to be ignorant and deceived has been made.

Never Be A Parosh (Pharisee).

Please.  Never be a Parosh (Pharisee).  The Christian Paroshim have earned the wrath of God; because, they lost their ability to love, to forgive, and to understand the core principles of the Bible.   Some of these guys are REALLY mean-spirited.  They know their Bible; but, they became far too proud of themselves.  And, I fear that many of them have lost everything.

How did they do that?

By placing their trust in a teacher.

These men did not ask themselves whether there were any errors in this Landmark idea.  They didn’t stop to ask whether they were inserting human logic and ignoring the logic of God.  Their errors may be small; but, remember, that big errors ALWAYS start out small.  In fact, you can’t get to the big lie, without the conditioning that you receive from a lot of small lies.

Most deceivers do not become that way overnight.  Deception takes time and starts out small.  Many errors are unintentional.  However, simple errors such as these should probably be dealt with in private.  People who call out small errors with arrogance, pride, and venom are deplorable.  Never listen to a man that is full of so much poison.

1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)
Without Love, You Have Nothing.
I do not care about how much truth someone has…
I do not care about that person’s intelligence or his command of the facts…
…If that person doesn’t have love.

Love should always be our guide:
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 
Love never fails.  But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

If you follow a teacher that does not have any love, you will be infected by their lack of love.  And then, you will lose everything.  False teachers value themselves more than God.  They may have much truth, but no love.  Faith in Christ can be twisted and even poison relationships with other Christians.  Never sacrifice your relationship with God for anyone else.  You will lose everything.  You may still believe you are Christian; but, your fruit will be poison.

I Have Learned The Hard Way.

I have learned in the worst way possible, never to trust a teacher.  No matter how much you might love and respect your teachers… No matter how right they are in so many areas… Always test the truth of what they say.  NEVER accept what someone says at face value.  Always check to see if a certain thing is true.  Read the Bible for yourself, so that when a spiritual ambush occurs, you will have the tools and armor to defend yourself.

My own spiritual life was poisoned.  And, my teacher allowed it.  For far too long, my fruit was bitter and damaging to others.  My life was not pointing people to Christ.  I was not reflecting the light of Christ into a dark and dying world.  I am grateful that the Lord set me on a different path.  If what I teach is of ANY value to you, it is only by the Grace of God.  I am a living, walking, talking example of why you should… Never trust a teacher.