Beware these “TikTok pastors”!
In 2 Corinthians 11:13–15, we read, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.“
We’re warned by the Holy Spirit that there will be “false apostles”—false teachers—who are nothing but “deceitful workmen,” who masquerade as servants of the one true God but are really “ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15) and “ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). These teachers are dangerous and headed for destruction.
Jude 1:12–13 warns, “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”
When it comes to false teachers, many Christians feel uncomfortable calling them out for their errors (or their sins). Some even try to defend them or shield them from any criticism (especially if they generally have a good reputation and an enthusiastic following). But the Bible doesn’t do that!
Over and over, the Scriptures warn of false teachers and the destruction they can wreak on the church. You’ll find these warnings in the Gospels and all throughout the various Epistles. God cares about doctrine and the purity of his message! It’s part of our contending for the faith (Jude 1:3).
That’s why it’s appalling to me as a Christian to see “pastors” taking to social media platforms like Tik Tok to share with potentially millions of viewers that they doubt God’s existence, that the Bible never says that sex outside of marriage is wrong, that God is “queer,” that the Bible is not pro-life, or that it has errors:
“I’m a pastor who regularly doubts whether or not God exists.”
“The Bible doesn’t say sex before marriage is sinful.”
“I’m a queer Christian pastor.”
“Is God queer? Yes.”
“God tells priests to perform abortion in the Bible.”
“There’s errors in the Bible.”
“Is Jesus God? No.”
Can these individuals really be called “pastors”? I would call them “TikTok false teachers!”
One of the things I consistently see with a lot of these influencers is their view of the Scripture—it’s a very low view! They look at Scripture as written by humans, and since humans are imperfect and make mistakes, Scripture can’t be trusted.
Let’s see what Scripture itself claims. The Bible states over 3,000 times that it is the word of God, not the word of men. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 reads, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” Of course, then there’s the well-known verse that many people would be able to recite by heart, 2 Timothy 3:16, which states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
This is, in truth, the Word of God. What these false teachers are doing is imposing their ideas on Scripture.
I want to warn people, in 2 Peter 2:1-2, 15 we read, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed… They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
That’s what’s happening.
Beware of false teachers. Many people simply watch TikTok, listen to these people, and believe whatever they say. You know what you need to do? Be like the Bereans at Acts! Search the Scriptures yourselves, interpret Scripture with Scripture.
The Bible itself says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:25).
You need to study. You need to read God’s Word. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. It’s God’s Word that “sharpened a two-edged sword,” not man’s word. It’s God’s word that will not return unto Him void.
Make sure that you read God’s word and let it speak to you, and beware of false teachers on TikTok. Our society continues to decline, and we see chaos and craziness all over our world. But this decline isn’t random decay. It has a root cause: a loss of belief in God’s Word.
