In Touch - Jan. 19, 2009

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2009 Jan 19

January 19, 2009
Dealing With False Teachers
2 Timothy 4:3-4

In a certain town, there lived two foolish Christians. The first disregarded scriptural training, so when his faith was challenged, he couldn’t find the verses or words to defend his beliefs. The second imprudent believer felt too weak to make good decisions. But he sought wisdom from people with stronger personalities instead of trusting the Lord.

Along came an enthusiastic fellow with exciting new ideas about religion. Sadly, he didn’t have a faithful walk with the Lord, which made him a poor candidate to lead anyone in spiritual matters. Instead of grounding himself in the Word, this false teacher followed his own preferences, focusing on whatever pleased or satisfied him at the moment. His teachings sounded good to the two foolish believers, and they fell victim to his ideology and charm. Though their ears were tickled, they were totally ineffective as witnesses for Christ, since God cannot use a man or woman steeped in fallacy.

In such a situation, Christians would be wise to follow John’s counsel and “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). We can do this by comparing what we hear with Scripture and by seeking the counsel of godly mentors. In this way, we will not be deceived by hollow words or erroneous interpretations of God’s Word.

Have you ever heard a perspective on the Bible that was too good to be true—or too awful, for that matter? To guard against being deceived, meditate on the Scriptures (Eph. 6:17) and maintain an active prayer life.

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