Counterfeits Can Be Hard to Recognize
A few weeks ago, one of our deacons showed me what appeared to be a clip from America’s Got Talent. The song was emotional. The audience was moved. The singer even brought Jesus into the lyrics.
I thought it was real.
Then I learned that the entire thing had been created with artificial intelligence.
Looking back, one reason it fooled me was simple: I was not looking for something fake. I was sitting in a familiar place with someone I trusted. My guard was down, and at first glance the counterfeit looked genuine.
Artificial intelligence may be making this problem more obvious, but it did not create it. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jude warned Christians about another kind of convincing counterfeit.
Bottom Line
Genuine teachers point others to Jesus. False teachers point others to themselves.
False Teachers Rarely Arrive Looking False
“I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches.”
Jude 4
The teachers Jude warned about were not obvious outsiders standing against the church. They had quietly made their way into the Christian community.
They attended the gatherings. They formed relationships. They gained trust. Then they began distorting the truth.
That makes Jude remarkably relevant today.
We have access to more sermons, podcasts, videos, books, social-media clips, and spiritual content than perhaps any generation before us. A few taps on a phone can place hundreds of voices in front of us.
But accessibility does not equal reliability.
So how can we recognize the difference between someone who faithfully points us toward Christ and someone who only appears spiritually trustworthy?
What Does a Genuine Teacher Look Like?
1. Genuine Teachers Are Humble
“This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.”
Jude 1
Jude could have introduced himself in several impressive ways.
According to Mark 6:3, Jude was one of Jesus’ half-brothers. He could have emphasized that connection. He could have reminded people that he grew up in the same household as Jesus.
Instead, he simply calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ.
His life was submitted to someone greater than himself.
When evaluating a Christian teacher, do not begin with charisma, creativity, church size, popularity, or social-media following. Ask a more important question: Who does this person consistently point me toward?
2. Genuine Teachers Root Their Identity in Christ
Jude describes believers as people who have been called by God, loved by God, and kept by Jesus Christ.
Those truths also shaped Jude’s own identity.
That matters because when a Christian leader’s identity depends on ministry success, applause, influence, or the approval of others, ministry can slowly become a way of meeting the leader’s own needs.
But when our identity is secure in Christ, we are free to serve people without needing them to validate us.
Our ultimate identity is not pastor, teacher, ministry leader, parent, or volunteer. For those who have trusted Christ, our deepest identity is that we are children of God who have been called by grace into His family.
3. Genuine Teachers Care for God’s People
“May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.”
Jude 2
Before Jude warns his readers, he prays for them.
He had wanted to write about the salvation they shared, but circumstances required him to warn them about the danger threatening the church.
Why change his plans?
Because he cared about God’s people.
Genuine teachers pray for God’s people.
False teachers prey on God’s people.
What Are the Warning Signs of a False Teacher?
Warning Sign #1: They Reject the Lordship of Jesus
Jude says the false teachers had distorted God’s grace into permission for immorality.
Their message was essentially, Because God is gracious, you can live however you want.
Jude says they had therefore denied “our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Notice the contrast:
False Teachers
I am my own master.
Biblical grace does not mean Jesus saves us so that we can continue living under our own authority.
Grace frees us from sin so that we can belong to Christ.
The question is not merely, “Did they mention Jesus?”
Ask: “What Jesus did they present?”
Was He Savior but not Lord?
Was there forgiveness without repentance? Grace without obedience? Jesus without authority?
Genuine teachers submit themselves to the biblical Jesus.
False teachers eventually reshape Jesus to fit themselves.
Warning Sign #2: They Place Themselves Above God’s Authority
Jude 5–11 contains what can initially seem like several disconnected examples.
- Israel rebelled against God.
- Angels abandoned the boundaries God established.
- Sodom and Gomorrah rejected God’s design.
- Cain rebelled.
- Balaam pursued personal gain.
- Korah rejected God’s appointed authority.
Different stories. Different circumstances.
But one thread runs through all of them:
Rebellion against God’s authority.
And underneath rebellion is pride.
Pride does not always look like someone shaking a fist toward heaven.
Sometimes it sounds much more reasonable:
“I know that’s what the Bible says, but…”
“Culture has changed.”
“That may have been true then…”
“I know God says this, but I feel…”
At its core, pride says, I know better than God.
And if we search long enough online, we can almost always find someone willing to tell us what we already want to believe.
Discernment therefore requires more than finding teachers who agree with us.
We must be willing to submit ourselves to God’s Word even when God’s Word disagrees with us.
Warning Sign #3: They Use People Instead of Serving Them
Jude’s language becomes incredibly vivid in verses 12–13.
False teachers are described as:
Dangerous reefs capable of shipwrecking people.
Shepherds who care only for themselves.
Clouds promising rain but producing nothing.
Fruitless trees incapable of producing life.
Wild waves churning up shameful deeds.
Wandering stars unable to provide reliable direction.
Every picture points toward the same reality:
They appear to offer something they cannot actually provide.
Most importantly, Jude describes them as shepherds who care only for themselves.
That is the opposite of biblical spiritual leadership.
A shepherd exists for the sheep.
A false shepherd eventually believes the sheep exist for him.
Do they serve people—or use people?
Warning Sign #4: Remember That God Sees What We Cannot
Jude’s warning eventually moves toward judgment.
False teachers may deceive people. They may hide their motives. They may build large followings. They may even convince themselves that what they are doing is justified.
But they cannot deceive God.
Jude points backward to God’s judgment in history and forward to His coming judgment.
God sees.
God knows.
God will judge rightly.
Before You Examine Everyone Else, Examine Yourself
It would be easy to read Jude and immediately begin making a list of questionable pastors, podcasters, authors, and teachers.
But the attitudes Jude exposes in false teachers can also begin growing in our own hearts.
Ask Yourself
Is there pride within me?
Is there an area of my life I refuse to submit to Scripture?
Am I serving people—or using them?
Who does my life point toward: Jesus or me?
Jude’s warning is not only for pastors.
Every Christian has influence.
Parents influence children. Teachers influence students. Friends influence friends. Small-group leaders influence their groups. Volunteers influence the people they serve.
May our lives say what Jude’s introduction said:
I am a servant of Jesus Christ.
Bad Theology Hurts Real People
Several months ago, I watched a documentary about a false religious leader named Samuel Bateman.
His control over his followers did not happen overnight.
Little by little, trust became influence. Influence became authority. Authority became control.
Eventually, people surrendered enormous portions of their lives to a man who increasingly treated his own words as though they carried divine authority.
The devastation left behind was not merely theological.
People were deeply hurt. Families were damaged. Lives had to be rebuilt.
Bad theology hurts people.
And when the gospel itself is distorted, the consequences are eternal.
Discernment is not primarily about winning theological arguments online.
It is about knowing the truth that leads us to Jesus.
Don’t Judge Jesus by People Who Don’t Look Like Him
For some people, this subject is deeply personal.
Church hurt is real.
People who claim to represent Jesus sometimes represent Him terribly.
Some Christian leaders fail because they are sinful human beings who make mistakes and need repentance and grace. Others deliberately manipulate, control, and use people for themselves.
If someone claiming to represent Christ has hurt you, remember this:
Don’t judge Jesus by people who don’t look like Him.
Look closer at Jesus Himself.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
Jesus is not the selfish shepherd Jude describes.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
He did not use the sheep to preserve Himself.
He gave Himself to save the sheep.
He lived the life we could not live. He died the death our sin deserved. He rose from the grave.
And through repentance and faith in Him, sinners can become exactly what Jude describes at the beginning of his letter:
Called by God
Loved by God
Kept by God
That is the Jesus worth following.
Know the Genuine
In a world filled with voices shouting, “Follow me,” Christians need discernment.
But one of the best ways to recognize a counterfeit is to become deeply familiar with the genuine.
Know the gospel.
Know God’s Word.
Know the biblical Jesus.
Then test what you hear against Scripture—not your feelings, preferences, political tribe, favorite teacher, or whatever the algorithm keeps feeding you.
Genuine teachers point others to Jesus.
False teachers point others to themselves.
Before Giving Someone Spiritual Influence, Ask:
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Do they submit themselves to Jesus and His Word?
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Do they present the biblical Jesus as both Savior and Lord?
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Does their character increasingly reflect Christ?
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Do they serve people or use people?
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Does their ministry ultimately point people toward Jesus or toward themselves?
Life Application
Take Inventory of the Voices Influencing You
This week, choose one teacher, podcast, YouTube channel, social-media account, or other source of Christian teaching you regularly consume and evaluate it through Jude’s warning.
Don’t begin with whether you like the teacher.
Don’t begin with whether the teacher agrees with you.
Begin with Scripture.
Then turn the mirror around:
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Where am I resisting what Scripture says because I would rather believe something else?
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Am I serving the people God has placed around me, or am I using them?
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Does my influence point people toward Jesus—or toward me?
In a World Full of Counterfeits
Know God’s Word.
Know the gospel.
Know Jesus—and keep your eyes fixed on Him.
Bible Shorts • Week 1
Watch or Listen to the Full Message
Explore Jude’s warning about false teachers and discover how knowing the genuine Jesus helps us recognize spiritual counterfeits.
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