Beware the "false teacher?" Is it me?

A few days ago, Tim Challies concluded a series he had done on false teachers and took the opportunity to sum up some of the seven key lessons he learned from that exercise (here). We must we know about such hucksters so we do not become duped or deluded about what God has said. After all, the cosmic collapse began when the charlatan of charlatans planted the catastrophic seed with, "Did God really say?"

As salient as Challies' article, it got me to wondering about those I declare false teachers saying the same thing about me. What better way to cause even greater confusion in the church than having the false teachers start shouting that folks who profess the things I profess are the false teachers.

Who's to say, right? Looking at Challies' warnings, might such be used against me?

As I noted, people who profess the same creed I do are common, right? Is that wrong? 

I don't announce myself to be a false teacher, either. As such, am I deceptive? 

Am I dangerous, too? Do I pick and choose my doctrines and ignore or subvert others? 

Am I a divisive force among the true church? Let us be clear in dividing light and darkness. Let us not divide light from light. 

Do I scratch the itch you have? Is that my desire?

Am I intentionally deceiving you?

Does the true message of Jesus Christ make me sick?

I ask none of this to subvert Challies' excellent points. Here's the deal: if we're trying to figure this out on our own, we're hosed. False teacher/good teacher cannot be discerned through argument. The only way to tell a counterfeit bill from a real bill is to compare the bill in hand to the real thing.

We compare to the word God has given us, the Bible.

God provided it to us. Where at one time nobody had their own Bible, today homes teem with copies of the Bible--pick your translation--and if they don't, every translation is available free online. Despite its ubiquity, the Bible is less read by Americans and by those in the Church than ever before. And lions prowl the streets seeking whom they may devour.

The only way for you or me to discern whether a teacher is rightly or wrongly preaching or teaching God's word is compare what they declare to the entirety of God's word, not just what they profess but what they deny or omit.

The Church in America and around the world will continue to be deceived to its destruction if they continue to whitewash or ignore the black and white of God's clear word (note the increased impotence of mainline denominations over the past fifty years).

That task is not to be shouldered by the pastor alone, though he shares the burden. Each member must be nourished by God's word every day. A believer who has no heart for the words of the Bible is like the athlete avoids the gym like a liberal avoids Limbaugh.

To discern the false teacher, I must know well the true Teacher. I must know well the words and voice of my God and King so when the song of the seductive siren begins, I'll recognize it in a moment and avoid the enticements found there (John 10:27).

If unrecognized, great will be my fall.