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Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Ephesians 5:6). God's will is that believers are not deceived by false teachers or false doctrine that would lead them into wrong paths, unfruitful lives, or shame when all is said and done (2 Corinthians 5:10). But God didn't just leave it there. He tells us not to be deceived, and He tells us how not to be deceived.
1. Prove and Hold Fast
God tells us to prove everything and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). There are two activities at play in this passage. First, we are to prove everything; that is, we are supposed to put everything we encounter to the test. Second, we are to cling to that which is good. Since we’re supposed to test everything and hold onto what is good, we need a baseline to test everything against and know what is good—that baseline is the word of God.
If we are intimately familiar with the Bible, we will immediately notice false teaching. Christians are supposed to be narrow-minded when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith. The result: If we examine everything through the lens of the word of God, we will be more apt to spot false teaching.
2. Believe Not Everyone
We are commanded not to believe everyone who calls themselves Christian. We are commanded to “test the spirits” to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1). Not everyone who claims to be a Bible teacher is really from God.
That means we do not simply sit in a pew and listen to someone teaching the Bible on a Sunday morning. We are to be active listeners—checking the verses, checking the speaker's words, and checking the doctrine in them. Don’t just sit and believe everything that is being taught—open your Bible and check.
The Bereans were an excellent example of this (Acts 17:11). Even though they had the famous Paul the Apostle in front of them teaching, they took the time to search the Scriptures to see if the things Paul was telling them were in-line with what was written in the Scriptures. If they did that with Paul, how much more should we be doing it with the people we call Bible teachers today.
3. Know the Word of God
How do we know what to scrutinize teachers about? How do we know what right doctrine is? God directs us to do what many of us seem to have an aversion to … study (2 Timothy 2:15). We are commanded to study for three reasons: (1) So we will enjoy God's approval; (2) so we do not need to be ashamed, and (3) so we will correctly handle the word of God. Why does God command us to study? Because clearly He loves us.
Parting Thoughts
These days, in the social media, fake news environment, it seems people believe almost everything they hear, read, or are told. But the Lord commands us to search the Scriptures and study the word so we will not be ashamed. Paul wrote, let no man deceive you … and God shows us how not to be deceived. It's all there in the Bible if we look for it.
So, how not to be deceived? Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good; don’t believe anyone without confirming it with what God says; be rooted and grounded in the word of God, and you will prayerfully be able to spot false teachers and false teaching a mile away then avoid it.
Note: All scripture passages are from the King James Bible unless otherwise noted.
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Author: Jerry S., Pastor, OLBC
Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more.
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