Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.
Matthew 7:15 (CSB)
A prophet is someone who speaks for God. False prophets say they speak for God, but God never sent them.
Jesus says false prophets come “in sheep’s clothing.” That means they look like they belong with God’s people. They use Bible words. They sound nice. But inside they are like wolves. They hurt the people they say they’re helping.
How can we spot a false teacher? Often by what they leave out. They never talk about sin. They never call anyone to turn away from sin and come to Jesus. They make following Jesus sound easy, or they make it all about money.
Jesus isn’t telling us to be suspicious of every Christian. He’s warning us about people who teach a different way to God than the one God gave.
So we should check what we hear against the Bible. In Acts 17, the people of a town called Berea did exactly that. They studied the Scriptures every day to see if what they heard was true. And the more we read the Bible, the easier it is to spot what’s wrong.
One caution. If a religious leader is pressuring you for money, or pushing you to cut off family and friends who love you, that is a warning sign. Talk to a pastor or a Christian friend you trust.
Wolves take from the sheep. Jesus does the opposite. He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He gave His life for us on the cross.