Five Things False Teachers Say and Do. Wolves Don't Look Like Wolves.

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The most dangerous false teachers don't wear horns. They look like Christians and sound like the most loving people in the room. Here are five marks of a false teacher, straight from the Bible.

By Josh Goetzinger | RECONCILING ALL MEN | November 5, 2026

Why This Matters

Some of the most dangerous false teachers today don't walk around with a pitchfork and devil horns. They are the ones you would least suspect: the ones who seem the most Christian and the most loving. We live in a day full of false teachers, especially on social media, and who you listen to matters, because a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

The need for discernment shows up in the numbers. In its 2025 State of Theology survey, Ligonier Ministries found that 53% of American evangelicals agreed that everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature. That is more than half of the people who call themselves Bible believing Christians.

So how do you spot a false teacher? Here are five things they say and do, and what the word of God says about each one.

Five Marks of a False Teacher

The Bible says the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, and his ministers are no different. But God has not left us without a way to tell the difference.

1. They Twist and Misuse Scripture

False teachers will use the Bible, but they use it dishonestly. Even the devil quoted Scripture to Jesus in the wilderness. Peter warned that there are things in Paul's epistles "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). To wrest means to twist. They bend a verse to say what they want instead of reading it in context. Take "Judge not." False teachers use it to say you can't call them out, can't mark and avoid them, can't try the spirits. But Jesus was condemning hypocritical judgment, and He also said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

2. They Are in It for the Money

"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you" (2 Peter 2:3). Paul said they teach "things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake" (Titus 1:11). False teachers don't look at God's people as sheep. They look at them as customers, as a dollar sign. You'll hear about seeds of faith and prophecies for a price, and that you have to sow into their ministry to reap God's blessings. There is a biblical principle of giving, of tithes and offerings. But that is not the same as filling the pockets of false prophets. How many jet planes does Kenneth Copeland really need? How many millions does Joel Osteen really need? And "apostle" Kathryn Krick has been reported to charge thousands of dollars to speak.

3. They Tell You What You Want to Hear

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3). Like the false prophets of Jeremiah's day, they heal the hurt of God's people slightly, "saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14). Would you want a doctor who told you for ten years that you were fine when you had a terminal illness? That is what it looks like when most evangelicals believe people are good by nature, while the Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

4. They Look Right, Sound Right and Feel Right

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Man looks at the false prophet and sees a sheep. God looks inwardly and sees a ravening wolf. With their charisma, their testimonies, their beautiful buildings and their crowds, they lie straight to your face and manipulate your emotions. Once you know who they are, God tells you what to do: "mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Romans 16:17). Don't dialogue with them. Don't fellowship with them. Mark and avoid.

5. Their Living Won't Line Up With Their Preaching

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). Jude warned of "ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness" (Jude 4). They excuse sin by calling it grace, live however they want, and expect you to trust them while no one is allowed to question them or look at their private life. Examine the fruit on the tree. Is it corrupt, or is it good?

Wolves don't look like wolves. They look like sheep.

Church members, all you need is the word of God. The Bereans searched the scriptures daily to check even the apostle Paul. How much more should we check the teachers we listen to today? There are not some, not a few, but many. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).