The Only Answer for Deceit

How does someone know if they’re deceived, or if they’re in a church that’s been deceived and deceiving their members? We know that the only answer is for the Holy Spirit to remove the scales of deception from their eyes. Then, through studying the scriptures and by the illumination of God’s word, they’re able to identify false teachings and practices. In many cases, the solution for the deceived individual is salvation. They are false converts who have been seduced by a false gospel – they need to be born again to grasp spiritual truths (1 Corinthians:2:14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
See All...). This is precisely why so many warnings concerning false teachers and their false teachings fall on deaf ears. In other cases, despite their biblical ignorance in areas and need for sound doctrine, people need to be convicted of their sin – because inevitably you’ll find that their motives for believing what is false, are impure.

—Rick Becker (South African Apologist, particularly focusing on the New Apostolic Reformation and associated false teaching).