Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Galatians 1:6-10 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7, NIV

This passage speaks of those who “pervert” the Gospe l. To pervert is to twist, turn around and change the meaning.

3. False ministries practice deceit by teaching fabricated or forged words (not being totally honest with themselves or others) (2 Pet. 2:3a).

By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words… 2 Pet. 2:3a

There are three words used by Peter in the above passage that fill out the meaning for us. The three words are “ covetousness, exploit and deceptive. ” The word covetousness is a word that means a greedy desire to get more. The word exploit is a word that means to use a person or thing for gain. The word deceptive is a word that is used only here in the Bible and literally means molded out of wax or clay. This word for deceptive can refer to carefully molded and crafted words used to manipulate people to attain their covetous desires. These are words that are constructed on the spot for this occasion and for a specific purpose. But like wax they will not endure the heat.

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