False teachers are motivated first by money and reward—the 'wages of unrighteousness' that Balaam loved—along with fleshly appetites, unbelief, and a love of deception.
Scripture exposes greedy hearts (2 Peter 2:14-15) and links false teachers to Cain's faithless reasoning and Balaam's greed (Jude 11). Les Feldick stresses that many use the Word of God just to line their own pockets, while they also live on the level of animals, ridiculing truth they've never studied.
2 Peter 2:15 — This verse explicitly names Balaam's love of unrighteous wages as the way false teachers follow.
The New Testament directly answers this question by pointing to the examples of Balaam, Cain, and Korah. In 2 Peter 2:15, false teachers are those who 'have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.' Jude 11 similarly says, 'Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.' Their hearts are exposed in 2 Peter 2:14: 'Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.' Jude 10 adds that they 'speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.' And Jude 12 describes them as spots in feasts of charity, 'feeding themselves without fear.'
Les Feldick repeatedly identifies money as the core motivation. He says, 'Balaam was in it for one purpose, and that was to line his own pocket,' and he warns that today many are 'using the Word of God for no other reason but to enhance their own financial status.' This is the 'way of Balaam.' He also ties false teachers to Cain's lack of faith—they reason from the human side, not from faith—and to Korah's gainsaying, which is rebellion against God's order. Additionally, Les observes that false teachers live on the level of animals ('brute beasts'), ridiculing the Bible without ever studying it. They come into churches as 'spots in your love feast,' feeding themselves without fear, and they use the Word of God deceptively so that their teaching 'sounds so good' to seeking minds.
Balaam's error was that he thought he could profit by his spiritual gift. Les says Balaam was 'in it for one purpose, and that was to line his own pocket.' The Bible says false teachers 'follow the way of Balaam' because he 'loved the wages of unrighteousness' (2 Peter 2:15). Les also explains that the error of Balaam for reward is spelled out in Jude 11—they run greedily after payment in return for their spiritual manipulation.
Les points to Cain's problem: 'No faith.' Cain came to God on his own terms, with human reasoning instead of faith. False teachers, Les says, are 'as brute beasts'—their thinking is no higher than the animal world. They 'speak evil of those things they know not' (Jude 10) and ridicule the Bible because they have never studied it. Their motivation flows from the old Adamic nature, not from faith.
Les describes false teachers as having 'eyes full of adultery'—meaning they mix paganism with true Bible truth—and hearts exercised with covetous practices. They feast with believers while 'feeding themselves without fear' (Jude 12). They also use the Word of God deceptively; it 'sounds so good' to seeking minds, but it is an adulterated product. Their goal is self-gratification, whether financial, fleshly, or the pride of introducing something foreign, as seen in Korah's gainsaying.
Deceptive Appeal to Seeking Minds
Les shows that false teachers use good-sounding, deceptive teaching that appeals to eager, seeking minds—like the New Age movement that can entice sincere people.
Animal-Level Thinking and Self-Feeding
Les says false teachers live on the level of animals, corrupting themselves naturally, and they feed themselves without fear while ridiculing the Word of God.
Spots in Love Feasts
Les explains that false teachers are 'spots in your love feast'—they fellowship with believers but are filled with false teaching and are masters at adulterating the Word of God by mixing paganism with truth.
Creeping In and Denying Christ
Les describes how false teachers creep into churches, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness and denying Jesus Christ, while speaking evil of what they know not.
Ridiculing Truth
Les highlights that false teachers are 'filthy dreamers' who ridicule the truth of Scripture without ever having studied it.
Financial Greed (Balaamism)
Les states plainly that many use the Word of God to line their own pockets—that's Balaamism; Balaam's one purpose was to line his pocket.
Cain's Faithlessness and Balaam's Error
Les links false teachers with Cain's way (no faith) and Balaam's error (seeking reward), and notes they perish in the gainsaying of Korah.
Balaam Loved Wages of Unrighteousness
Les says Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness because he saw the wealth he could gain; today false teachers have hearts exercised with covetous practices.
Jude 10: But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Shows that false teachers operate on a natural, animal-like level and mock things they don't understand.
Jude 11: Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Directly connects false teachers to Cain's unbelief, Balaam's greed, and Korah's rebellion.
Jude 12: These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Describes how false teachers selfishly feed themselves while posing as part of the church.
2 Peter 2:14: Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
Reveals their covetous hearts and adulterated teaching as central motives.
2 Peter 2:15: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Names Balaam's love of unrighteous wages as the pattern false teachers follow.
Balaam was motivated by the wealth he could gain. As Les Feldick puts it, Balaam was 'in it for one purpose, and that was to line his own pocket.' Scripture says false teachers follow the same way because they love the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15).
Les explains Cain's problem was no faith. Cain operated from human reasoning instead of trusting God. False teachers likewise use natural reasoning, live as brute beasts, and speak evil of the spiritual truths they do not know (Jude 10-11).
Les notes that adultery in Scripture often refers to mixing paganism with true biblical truth, adulterating the Word of God. 2 Peter 2:14 says false teachers have eyes full of adultery and hearts exercised with covetous practices.
Watch the Teaching: Why Unbelievers Can't Understand the Bible — 1 Corinthians 2 Explained