And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of tight. 2 Corinthians 11:14
4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus[b] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. 1 John 4; 1-3
24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. Matthew 24; 24-26
Saint Augustine
In the Apostle Creed it states these words,” I believe in the holy Catholic church: the communion of saints: “ While Saint Augustine was a bishop in a Catholic Church; however, it not the Roman Catholic system that added to God’s Word In which they corrupted the true church with their doctrines. Yet, there’re some that true follower of Christ and His atoning works.
Saint Augustine was born 13 November 354 –died 28 August 430. He lived an immoral life, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions had no control of his lustful desires. Perhaps you could describe him as the prodigal son a parable told by Jesus Christ Luke 15:11-32.
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A short period he got involved Manichaeism, a Christian heresy. It taught an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness.
Through the prayers of his holy mother Monica. Augustine, finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion; however, did not become a Christian then, because he thought he could never live a pure life. As he stated “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” Just then he heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul, and read the first passage his gaze fell on. It was just what Augustine needed, for in it, St. Paul says to put away all impurity {Colossians 3:5] and to live in imitation of Jesus. The atoning work of Jesus being forgive for his sins brought him peace according to Augustine there was flooded of peace and a great calm.
He became the Bishop of Hippo Regius modern-day Annaba, Algeria, located in Numidia in North Africa where he served as bishop for 35 years.
Perhaps brief stint with Manichaeism help him aid in the battle with heresy in his day a cult practice false religion The founder Mani, an Arsacid Persian by birth, was born 216 AD in Mesopot- amia now Iraq, which was ruled by Persia. He believed that the teachings of Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus were incomplete, and that his revelations were for the entire world, calling his teachings the “Religion of Light. Jesus in Manichaeism possessed three separate identities: (1) Jesus the Luminous enlighten one, (2) Jesus the Messiah and (3) Jesus patibilis (the suffering Jesus). The Manichaean taught a dualistic philosophy dividing the world between good and evil principles or regarding matter as intrinsically evil and mind as intrinsically good. Mani was a true Gnostic.
When the true gospel was spreading rapidly in the first century. Another religious sect known as Gnostic was established It was arguably the biggest heresy of the early Church.
Gnostic define; of or relating to knowledge, especially esoteric mystical knowledge or of, relating to, or possessing intellectual or spiritual knowledge.
The Greek word is gnos which means “to know.”
There belief according Merriam Webster Dictionary, distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis meaning to know.
There practices came mixture of religions, such as, Judaism, Christianity, and Greek philology such as Neopythagoreanism and Middle Platonism.

There’re some who claim to Christian Gnosticism according to gota questions.org, they wrote these words, “The principles of Gnosticism contradict what it means to be a Christian. Therefore, while some forms of Gnosticism may claim to be Christian, they are in fact decidedly non-Christian.
Gnosticism was perhaps the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first three centuries.
Gnosticism is based on two false premises. First, it espouses a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.
Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from the Bible, but acquired on some mystical higher plain of existence. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God.
As intelligent person Augustine would be drawn the Manich- aeism cult because its intellectual prowess and its attraction. Even thou it is a false religion. Since his gifts was given by God he would later use his gifts to expose such religion as Pelagianism, Semi Pelagianism his twin brother, and Donatism.
Pelaiius believe that human being a choice to obey God moral law, and God gave them ability and responsibility to obey it. Pelagius saw Christians using human fragility as an absolving excuse for their imperfect living of the Christian life. His response was: “That is nonsense. God has given you freewill. You can choose to follow the example of Adam, or you can choose to follow the example of Christ. God has given everyone the grace he needs to be good. If you are not good, you simply need to try harder.”
Augustine believes all have sinned, and believed in original sin where Adam and Eve fell into sins, and humankind fell with them. Jesus Christ was the only sinless one who left his heavenly kingdom came into world as a man, and atone men and women from their sins by sacrificing Himself on the cross.

Saint Augustine belief in exposing heresy by using the scripture debating them public foam. That if he expose there err those who lack of understanding scripture would fall under his bad teaching
Scripture states,“And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14. The heresy were Pelagian and Donatists

The Pelagian controversy occupied Augustine from at least the year 412 onwards. A council held at Carthage condemned the Pelagians for their attacks upon the doctrine of original sin.
Augustine strongly affirms the existence of original sin, the impossibility of a sinless life without Christ, and the necessity of Christ’s grace. Augustine’s works are intended partly for the common people.
Several bishops like Julian of Eclanum, the former bishop at Eclanum in Italy. Follow Pelagian teaching known as Semi Pelalagianism.
The battle with the Donatists was more direct. In the beginning 303, the emperor Diocletian ordered his armies to destroy all Christian churches and scriptures. The following year, he ordered everyone in the empire to burn incense honoring Roman gods. Many Christians refused and were martyred. Others gave in and gave up their copies of scriptures, and even turned others Christians started believing in the Donatists hearsy .
Donatists held their own worship services that were distinct from mainstream Catholic services. They featured prophecies– sometimes even from members of the congregation themselves. Confession became a public ritual in which the repentant sinner confessed sins in great detail before the whole Donatist congregation.
Augustine was moved by the lawlessness of this movement. He product a serous of writing against them. His hopes were to settle this controversy peacefully. But, he quickly found that reason and good manners would get him nowhere. Overtime he felt that it was necessary to uses forces and consented military coercion. Even thou it trouble him using force in about religion.
As the persecution of Christians died down, so did the split between Donantists and mainstream Catholics. Donatism suffered a major blow when Augustine, writing in northern Africa where Donatism was widely practiced, wrote a defense of the Catholic doctrine of restoration, promoting the Catholic position that any Christian could be forgiven of any sin, even one so heinous as betraying other Christians to persecutors. Ultimately, Augustine’s view won out over Donatist beliefs, and the sect faded away over the following century.
Saint Augustine Quotes

“ Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
“I was in misery, and misery is the state of every soul overcome by friendship with mortal things and lacerated when they are lost. Then the soul becomes aware of the misery which is its actual condition even before it loses them.”
“Too late came I to love you, O Beauty both so ancient and so new! Too late came I to love you – and behold you were with me all the time .”
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
He that loveth little prayeth little, he that loveth much prayeth much.
Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.”

Impact On Society
His writing and works had impacted such men as Martin Luther and John Calvin who shaped .
Consider him to be one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation resulting from his teachings on salvation and divine grace. Shaping the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation and divine grace.

Wrote many books such as, City Of God, Confessions Of Saint Augustine, the works of Saint Augustine, and on free choice of the will. Many of these books are still classics.

Augustine thoughts on such themes as the nature of human society, justice, the nature and role of the state, the relationship between church and state, just and unjust war, and peace all have played their part in the shaping of Western civilization.

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”

“Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.”

Both the Roman Catholics and the Protestants embraced his teaching.

He is often considered the father of orthodox theology.

He was declared as a Saints by the Roman Catholics.
In the Apostle Creed it states these words,” I believe in the holy Catholic church: the communion of saints: “ While Saint Augustine was a bishop in a Catholic Church; however, it not the Roman Catholic system that added to God’s Word In which they corrupted the true church with their doctrines. Saint Augustine would expose this their creeds as a false doctrine Yet, there’re some within Roman Catholic Churches that are a true follower of Jesus Christ and His atoning works.