Finder of False Teachers: Is this a new spiritual gift?

The Pharisees and Sadducees were masters at arguing points of the law in order to prove themselves knowledgeable and righteous! They often engaged Jesus in arguments, hoping to trap Him in some trumped up charge of blasphemy, thus having an excuse to put Him to death and regain control of the multitudes that Jesus had brought to the Light.

In one such instance, the Pharisees approached Jesus and asked Him if it was right for Jews to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, Caesar. If they couldn’t destroy Jesus by manipulating their own laws and tricking Him into sinning, they would try to make it look as if He was an enemy of Caesar, and Caesar would destroy Him. 

But Matthew 11 shows us Jesus’ heart in dealing with the Pharisees: He did not strive! He wasn’t looking for an argument or debate. Jesus’ discussions had clear motive: to draw people to God through Truth! His purpose was to bring the Kingdom of God to earth through His sacrificial life and death. He wasn’t out on the streets looking for someone to prove wrong, nor was He looking for a way to elevate Himself; He knew who He was and He was secure in it. He was looking for a heart that was willing to receive the blessing of God’s gift of salvation. If a discussion was necessary to accomplish this, so be it.

The Pharisees, however, were filled with pride at being experts in interpreting the law. They were self appointed judges, pointing out ‘false teachers’ (ie: Jesus, in their minds) as a means of proving their right to reign as religious leaders! They quoted the words of the law (often mixed with their traditions) but they missed the spiritual meaning and the heart of God within His Word! Jesus said to them “you miss the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You strain the gnat and swallow the camel…” In short, they made a practice out of finding fault, instead of practicing God’s love by serving others (Matt 22:37). 

These hard headed fault finders developed a ‘ministry’ focused on pointing out false teachers. In fact, they put so much energy into this ‘ministry’ that it consumed them and short circuited their own growth! And in their eagerness to be right, they completely missed the Word of God, which does not list this activity as a ‘gift’ or a ‘purpose’ within the Church. 

Recognizing false doctrine is a matter of exercising discernment based on having flooded one’s heart and mind with the Word of God through the Spirit of God. And while each of us should practice discernment in what we hear and see, Church leadership is to take responsibility for protecting their own sheep from false teachers as part of their ministry of serving the sheep. 

On an individual basis, we are responsible for what we see and hear, but we’re not responsible to point out ‘false teachers’ as though it were our ministry. And caution needs to be exercised in labeling ‘false teachers’ as a practice, because in doing so, there is a prideful assumption on our part that we are always right and others are always wrong. And if we are not 100% right in this practice, we border on blasphemy, which includes attributing the works of God to the devil (Matt 12). 

What are the gifts God has given you; qualities and spiritual endowments with which you can serve God and the Body of Christ? If you don’t know, please take the time to find out! You’ll find a small list of them in 1 Corinthians 12-13, but there are numerous gifts listed throughout the New Testament (administration, helps, gifts of healings, etc.). Please note that you’ll not find a gifted titled “finder of false teachers” within the pages of the Bible!