Why False Teachers Show Up When Scripture Is Being Taught Clearly

Should BTF actively correct and moderate false teaching when it appears on the forum?

  • Yes, Scripture commands us to guard the truth.

  • Yes, but correction should be done patiently and biblically.

  • Only if the teaching affects the gospel or leads people away from Scripture.

  • No, all views should be allowed equally.


Results are only viewable after voting.

David

Know the Bible
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I want to speak plainly about the Biblical Truth Forum. Some of you may be wondering why we have seen so many people show up lately bringing strange doctrines, attacks on Scripture, speculation, and teachings that do not line up with the Word of God.

Just let me say this: that should not surprise us.

When the light is turned on, bugs show up. When the truth is preached, error starts moving. When the Word of God is opened plainly, the enemy does not sit quietly in the corner and applaud. He tries to confuse, distract, divide, and pull people away from what God has actually said.

That pattern did not start on the internet. It started in the garden.

The serpent did not come to Eve with open atheism. He did not say, “There is no God.” He came with a question: “Yea, hath God said...” ~Genesis 3:1. That has always been one of Satan’s oldest tricks. Question the Word. Twist the Word. Add to the Word. Take away from the Word. Make people wonder whether God really meant what He said.

That same spirit is still working today. I am active on several other forums that call themselves Christian forums. In my opinion, many of them are not truly operating as biblical Christian forums when they allow almost any doctrine to be promoted as long as it is dressed up in religious language. False teaching gets tolerated, Scripture gets twisted, and those who try to correct error from the Bible often get treated like they are the problem.

My signature on those forums points people to Biblical Truth Forum. So yes, it is very possible that some people are finding BTF from those places and coming here to see whether they can bring the same confusion, the same arguments, and the same false teaching into this forum.

But BTF is not going to be that kind of place. We are not here to build a religious debate club where every opinion gets equal authority. We are not here to give every false doctrine a microphone. We are not here to let people turn Scripture into clay and shape it into whatever their system demands.

This forum exists to point people back to the Word of God.

Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” ~John 17:17. Not man’s tradition. Not private visions. Not denominational systems. Not popular teachers. Not internet theories. God’s Word is truth.

And when truth is the foundation, falsehood will always feel exposed.

Jesus warned us plainly: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” ~Matthew 7:15. Notice what He said. They do not come looking like wolves. They come in sheep’s clothing. They come sounding religious. They come using Bible words. They come acting spiritual. But inwardly, their teaching tears at the flock.

Paul gave the same warning to the elders at Ephesus. He said, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” ~Acts 20:29. Then he said, “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” ~Acts 20:30.

That is serious. False teaching is not just a difference of opinion. It can wound people. It can confuse new believers. It can pull attention away from Christ. It can replace the clear Word of God with speculation, pride, and man-made systems. It can cost people their very soul.

Peter warned the church too: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you” ~2 Peter 2:1. That phrase matters: “among you.” False teachers do not always stay outside. Sometimes they come right into places where Scripture is being taught and work from within.

Jude said certain men had “crept in unawares” ~Jude 1:4. They slipped in. They blended in. They did not announce their error at the door. But over time, their doctrine exposed them.

That is why BTF must stay watchful. Please hear me. This does not mean every new member is suspicious. It does not mean every disagreement is false teaching. It does not mean someone cannot ask questions, wrestle through hard passages, or grow in understanding. We welcome sincere believers. We welcome honest seekers. We welcome people who are still learning.

But there is a big difference between a humble person asking questions and a proud person pushing error. There is a difference between someone wanting Scripture explained and someone trying to explain Scripture away.

There is a difference between someone saying, “Help me understand this,” and someone saying, “I do not care what the Bible says, I am going to keep promoting my doctrine anyway.”

BTF must be a safe place for people who are genuinely looking for the truth. Not safe for false doctrine. Not safe for wolves. Not safe for endless speculation. Safe for sincere people to come, ask questions, and receive actual biblical answers without being attacked, confused, or pulled off course by false teachers.

That is why moderation matters. Some people think love means letting every voice speak. But Scripture does not teach that. Love protects. Love warns. Love tells the truth. Love does not hand the sheep over to wolves and call it kindness.

Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” ~2 Timothy 4:2. Then he explains why: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” ~2 Timothy 4:3.

We are living in a time when many people want religious talk, but they do not want sound doctrine. They want discussion, but not correction. They want a platform, but not accountability. They want to quote verses, but not submit to Scripture.

That cannot rule this forum. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” ~2 Timothy 3:16. If Scripture corrects us, we bow to Scripture. If Scripture rebukes our belief, our belief must change. If Scripture is silent, we do not pretend God has spoken.

Paul told Titus that a faithful leader must hold fast “the faithful word,” so he may “by sound doctrine both exhort and convince the gainsayers” ~Titus 1:9. Then he says why: “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers” ~Titus 1:10.

That is not harsh. That is biblical.

At the same time, we must keep the right spirit. “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” ~2 Timothy 2:24. We do not correct error because we hate people. We correct error because we love Christ, love the Word, and care about those who could be led astray.

So please understand. Sincere questions are welcome here. Honest discussion is welcome here. Growing believers are welcome here. People coming out of confusion are welcome here.

But false doctrine will be challenged. Attacks on Scripture will be corrected. Repeated error will not be allowed to dominate the forum. And those who come only to stir confusion, reject correction, or promote teachings contrary to Scripture will be warned, moderated, or removed.

We are not trying to be cruel. We are trying to be faithful.

A shepherd who sees a wolf and says nothing is not being loving. He is being negligent. A watchman who sees danger and stays silent is not keeping peace. He is failing his post.

BTF is here to keep pointing people back to Christ and His Word.

If people come looking for truth, we want them to find Scripture opened plainly. If people come confused, we want them helped patiently. If people come wounded by false teaching, we want them grounded in the truth.

But if false teachers come here trying to disrupt that work, they will be dealt with.

The flock must be guarded. The Word must be honored. Christ must remain central. That is not optional. That is biblical.
 
This forum exists to point people back to the Word of God.

Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” ~John 17:17. Not man’s tradition. Not private visions. Not denominational systems. Not popular teachers. Not internet theories. God’s Word is truth.

And when truth is the foundation, falsehood will always feel exposed.

BTF must be a safe place for people who are genuinely looking for the truth. Not safe for false doctrine. Not safe for wolves. Not safe for endless speculation ...

We are living in a time when many people want religious talk, but they do not want sound doctrine. They want discussion, but not correction. They want a platform, but not accountability. They want to quote verses, but not submit to Scripture.

A shepherd who sees a wolf and says nothing is not being loving. He is being negligent. A watchman who sees danger and stays silent is not keeping peace. He is failing his post.

BTF is here to keep pointing people back to Christ and His Word.
The flock must be guarded. The Word must be honored. Christ must remain central ...
Absolutely Brilliant,

Thank you so much David ... I want to share this with my network, and will give them just a "taste" of your post! The rest is up to them ...

You are NOT "lukewarm", and thank you for teaching us this : ) : ) : )
 
Good morning, David;

When my wife Hazel and I found Biblical Truth Forum there was something new and fresh about this Christian forum. We also learned it had launched in May 2025. We read the forum rules carefully and agree and will share why.

Speaking for ourselves, Hazel is a reader and an avid Bible study student. I'm more of a student, reader, teacher and writer. We believe God is our God of disciplined, organized structure, reference His order of the Bible. This benefits us in discipleship and part of this is listening, a KEY tool whether in a live class environment or sitting in front of our keyboard.

Our experience for the last 26 years with Christian forums, at first was exciting. The fellowship online was new to us, one person from another country or another state having the ability to fellowship online.

It also took years to learn that most leaders, moderators, staff (God bless them all) were not trained in the ministry of incessant prayer and leadership, as well as the areas of discipline and conduct with online Christian forums. Wisdom and discernment lacked in the leadership and the doors were wide open for "anyone" (with an underlying motive) to join.

We are to be out in the open, to be the salt and light in our fellowship on and off Christian forums. But here's what happens.

You wrote, "When the light is turned on, bugs show up. When the truth is preached, error starts moving. When the Word of God is opened plainly, the enemy does not sit quietly in the corner and applaud. He tries to confuse, distract, divide, and pull people away from what God has actually said."

The enemy brings in bruised egos, writing without thinking, posting but not listening, we can come up with all kinds of ungodly behavior that take away the Lord's glory.

This is why launching this site on the right foot with solid forum rules, is a good start.

Titus 1 teaches us that many claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. Titus 3 also warns us to avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

God bless you and thank you, David, for sharing this message and communicating it to the membership.

Finally, congratulations to BTF's 1st anniversary.

Bob
 
Last edited:
A Little History Behind Biblical Truth Forum

Here are some older pictures of the forum:
This is what my computer looked like in 1986:
I don’t know if I have ever shared much about the history behind Biblical Truth Forum, but this ministry did not start yesterday. It goes back a long way.

Back in 1986, I first went online using an old dial-up modem, a Commodore 64, a floppy disk, and even a cassette drive. Programs took forever to load back then. Nothing was fast. Nothing was fancy. But even in those early days, there was already a way to reach people online and talk about the Bible.

That was where this work began.

Before forums looked like they do today, many of them were called BBS systems, which stood for Bulletin Board Systems. Ours started as **The Christian BBS**. It was a place where people could come online, read, post, discuss Scripture, ask questions, and talk about the things of God. It was simple compared to what we have now, but the purpose was the same: to point people to the truth of God’s Word.

Over the years, I have talked with many, many people about the Bible online. Some were believers needing encouragement. Some were confused. Some were searching. Some wanted to argue. Some brought false doctrine. But through all of it, the goal stayed the same: keep pointing people back to Scripture.

The Bible says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” ~John 17:17. That has always been the foundation. Not man’s opinion. Not religious tradition. Not popular teachers. Not what sounds good. God’s Word is truth.

I kept the old forum, **The Christian BBS**, running for many years. In fact, I kept it so long that the company that made the forum software eventually went out of business and stopped providing updates. By 2023, the software finally stopped working, and I had to let it go.

That was not easy. Over the years, the old forum had grown to over 16,000 members. A lot of history was there. A lot of discussions were there. A lot of work had gone into it. But technology changes, and sometimes the old tools finally break down.

After that, I spent time on other Christian forums for a while. What I saw grieved me. So many places that claimed to be Christian seemed to be overrun with confusion, false teaching, man-made doctrine, and people twisting Scripture. It became clear that there still needed to be a place where the Bible is treated as the final authority.

That is one of the reasons Biblical Truth Forum was started.

BTF is not just another discussion board. It is the continuation of a work that began decades ago, updated for today, but with the same basic purpose: to give people a place to discuss the Bible, test all things by Scripture, expose error, encourage believers, and point the lost to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Modern Christian forums still carry the old message-board tradition forward. Even today, directory listings still use language like “Christian BBS” and “Christian message boards.” That shows that today’s forum culture did not appear out of nowhere. It grew out of the older bulletin board pattern where people gathered online to discuss Scripture, prayer, doctrine, news, and Christian living.

Some of those old sites are now inactive or broken, but the need has not gone away.

People still need the truth.

People still need the gospel.

People still need to be warned about false teaching.

People still need to be pointed back to the Word of God.

The online world has changed since 1986, but the Bible has not changed. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” ~Psalm 119:89. The technology may change. The platforms may change. The software may come and go. But the Word of God stands.

I also spent about five years working for a company called 711.net, which began as Rated-G. It was a Christian internet filtering service that blocked pornography and other harmful material online. So even outside of the forum itself, I have been involved in Christian online work for a long time.

Looking back, I can honestly say this has been a long journey. From a dial-up modem and a Commodore 64 to the forum we have now, the burden has stayed the same: share the good news of Jesus Christ, defend the truth of Scripture, and provide a place where the Bible is not treated as optional.

Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” ~2 Timothy 4:2. That verse still matters. In a day when many people want smooth words, soft religion, and doctrine without correction, we need to stay anchored to what God has actually said.

That is what Biblical Truth Forum is about.

We are not here to build a platform around personalities. We are not here to promote every religious idea that comes along. We are not here to let false teaching run loose under the name of Christian discussion.

We are here to hold the line with Scripture.

That is where this forum came from, and by God’s grace, that is where it needs to stay.
 
Our experience for the last 26 years with Christian forums, at first was exciting. The fellowship online was new to us, one person from another country or another state having the ability to fellowship online.

It also took years to learn that most leaders, moderators, staff (God bless them all) were not trained in the ministry of incessant prayer and leadership, as well as the areas of discipline and conduct with online Christian forums. Wisdom and discernment lacked in the leadership and the doors were wide open for "anyone" (with an underlying motive) to join.
Yes, this is my experience on the few Christian Forums that I have joined. They mean well, but allow too much "movement" away from the Gospel, in the way of personal opinions, and non-biblical interpretations of Scripture ... they are dangerous really!
We are to be out in the open, to be the salt and light in our fellowship on and off Christian forums. But here's what happens.
Cannot agree more ... we all have a part to play, no matter how small we think our contributions are, they are seen by God, and he knows our heart.
You wrote,
"When the light is turned on, bugs show up. When the truth is preached, error starts moving. When the Word of God is opened plainly, the enemy does not sit quietly in the corner and applaud. He tries to confuse, distract, divide, and pull people away from what God has actually said." Yes, and I do believe that things are changing, where people are waking up to the fact that we are in a Spiritual War, and that we are not just these fleshy bodies, and that we have all the time in the world ... I am seeing this subtly around me, the awakening or realisation. I believe God is Illuminating the Darkness like never before! "When all the Lights are On, Christ will Return" ... that could mean when God has revealed all, or it could mean that when all our own lights are on, inside our heads : )

The enemy brings in bruised egos, writing without thinking, posting but not listening, we can come up with all kinds of ungodly behavior that take away the Lord's glory.
So true, and I am sure that we have all guilty of this, either here on BTF or on other forums, and realising this is a sign of our Spiritual Growth 🙏🙏🙏
This is why launching this site on the right foot with solid forum rules, is a good start. Absolutely essential, and thanks to David and all his hard work (for God and for keeping this a "Safe Place")

Titus 1
teaches us that many claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. Titus 3 also warns us to avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

God bless you and thank you, David, for sharing this message and communicating it to the membership.

Finally, congratulations to BTF's 1st anniversary. 🙏:love:🌈🍯🎂
 
A Little History Behind Biblical Truth Forum

Here are some older pictures of the forum:
This is what my computer looked like in 1986:
I don’t know if I have ever shared much about the history behind Biblical Truth Forum, but this ministry did not start yesterday. It goes back a long way.

Back in 1986, I first went online using an old dial-up modem, a Commodore 64, a floppy disk, and even a cassette drive. Programs took forever to load back then. Nothing was fast. Nothing was fancy. But even in those early days, there was already a way to reach people online and talk about the Bible.

That was where this work began.

Before forums looked like they do today, many of them were called BBS systems, which stood for Bulletin Board Systems. Ours started as **The Christian BBS**. It was a place where people could come online, read, post, discuss Scripture, ask questions, and talk about the things of God. It was simple compared to what we have now, but the purpose was the same: to point people to the truth of God’s Word.

Over the years, I have talked with many, many people about the Bible online. Some were believers needing encouragement. Some were confused. Some were searching. Some wanted to argue. Some brought false doctrine. But through all of it, the goal stayed the same: keep pointing people back to Scripture.

The Bible says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” ~John 17:17. That has always been the foundation. Not man’s opinion. Not religious tradition. Not popular teachers. Not what sounds good. God’s Word is truth.

I kept the old forum, **The Christian BBS**, running for many years. In fact, I kept it so long that the company that made the forum software eventually went out of business and stopped providing updates. By 2023, the software finally stopped working, and I had to let it go.

That was not easy. Over the years, the old forum had grown to over 16,000 members. A lot of history was there. A lot of discussions were there. A lot of work had gone into it. But technology changes, and sometimes the old tools finally break down.

After that, I spent time on other Christian forums for a while. What I saw grieved me. So many places that claimed to be Christian seemed to be overrun with confusion, false teaching, man-made doctrine, and people twisting Scripture. It became clear that there still needed to be a place where the Bible is treated as the final authority.

That is one of the reasons Biblical Truth Forum was started.

BTF is not just another discussion board. It is the continuation of a work that began decades ago, updated for today, but with the same basic purpose: to give people a place to discuss the Bible, test all things by Scripture, expose error, encourage believers, and point the lost to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Modern Christian forums still carry the old message-board tradition forward. Even today, directory listings still use language like “Christian BBS” and “Christian message boards.” That shows that today’s forum culture did not appear out of nowhere. It grew out of the older bulletin board pattern where people gathered online to discuss Scripture, prayer, doctrine, news, and Christian living.

Some of those old sites are now inactive or broken, but the need has not gone away.

People still need the truth.

People still need the gospel.

People still need to be warned about false teaching.

People still need to be pointed back to the Word of God.

The online world has changed since 1986, but the Bible has not changed. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” ~Psalm 119:89. The technology may change. The platforms may change. The software may come and go. But the Word of God stands.

I also spent about five years working for a company called 711.net, which began as Rated-G. It was a Christian internet filtering service that blocked pornography and other harmful material online. So even outside of the forum itself, I have been involved in Christian online work for a long time.

Looking back, I can honestly say this has been a long journey. From a dial-up modem and a Commodore 64 to the forum we have now, the burden has stayed the same: share the good news of Jesus Christ, defend the truth of Scripture, and provide a place where the Bible is not treated as optional.

Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” ~2 Timothy 4:2. That verse still matters. In a day when many people want smooth words, soft religion, and doctrine without correction, we need to stay anchored to what God has actually said.

That is what Biblical Truth Forum is about.

We are not here to build a platform around personalities. We are not here to promote every religious idea that comes along. We are not here to let false teaching run loose under the name of Christian discussion.

We are here to hold the line with Scripture.

That is where this forum came from, and by God’s grace, that is where it needs to stay.
David, this is amazing ... thank you for sharing your journey with us ... simply Wonderful!
It would be good to have this information (history of BTF) available on the site.
We are so Blessed ...
 

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