What Did Jesus Say about False Christians?
Jesus did not say one word about ‘false Christians,’ nor in any of his teachings did he ever condemn the sheep. The only people Jesus ever condemned were ‘false teachers’ – those who took it upon themselves to be religious leaders of men, but who were intentionally misleading them. He said:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
– Matthew 7:15-20
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
– Matthew 23:13
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
– Matthew 23:23-24
Jesus never condemned people for being mistaken or misled; though he did warn them of the dangers of blindly following after men:
“He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
– Matthew 15:13-14
When Jesus saw those who were misled, instead of ridiculing or reviling, he felt pity for them, and sought to help them by sharing the good news of the Kingdom:
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
– Matthew 9:36-38
As followers of Jesus, and sharers in his religion, we should respond to people who we believe are being misled in the same manner as Jesus did – with a sincere desire to help them – not condemn them as false brothers.
