… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, (Ephesians 4:14).
Give yourself a chance for this Scripture to be fulfilled in your life. Study the Bible so that you will not become ignorant like a child who knows very little and so that you will not become gullible and a victim of deception who is easily swayed by false teachings.
What to do to avoid being deceived by false teachers
Religious matters or issues related to faith are not things you should take lightly, because they have eternal consequences on a person. Religion or faith matters can either send you to eternal, blissful life or to eternal damnation. That is why you need a guide, a light, to guide you as to what to believe, who to believe in, and what to accept as true. That light is the Bible – the Scriptures – the Word of God. The Bible says, “Your (God) word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).” The only way to be rescued from the deception of false teachings is the knowledge of the word of God – study the Bible daily. The Bible is God’s accredited book of instruction to all mankind. It is not from man, because the holy men who contributed to the writing of the Bible were inspired by God. It is written –
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
The Jews at Berea understood the infallibility and the sacredness of the Scriptures many years ago such that when Paul and Silas went to preach to them, they used the Scriptures to filter their teachings; I mean, the Berean Jews searched the Scriptures to see whether Paul and Silas were speaking the truth. They would not have believed Paul if they had not found evidence of their teachings in the Scriptures. It is written –
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:10, 11).
Thus the Jews of Berea used the Bible as a light to guide them on what to believe – they would not believe anything that is not supported by the Scriptures.
Christians ought to do likewise now. Every Christian should use the Bible to filter whatever he believes, whatever he accepts as true, whatever doctrine he is taught, and whatever his church’s core doctrines are to see whether there is any proof for them in the Bible. As a Christian, if you realize that you believe in something or you have been taught something that is not supported by the Scriptures, you have to reject it for the sake of your salvation.
Jesus thought us the doctrine of purging ourselves – purging ourselves of false doctrines, bad habits and any unworthy, deceptive, sin-causing thing in our lives. He said,
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:29, 30)
Therefore purge yourself, your heart and your mind, of false beliefs, false doctrines, false teachings, false practices, false rites, and false rituals, etc. for they are meant to drag you into sin and damnation.
The Bible will teach you to differentiate between falsehood and the truth if only you will diligently search and study it.
Importance of daily Bible study
As a Christians, we must study the Bible daily if we really do not want to be ignorant of the teachings of the Bible. Reading the Bible acquaints us with the word of God and the word of God, in its turn, becomes:
- A filter that separates the false teachings from the truth so that we will be able to easily recognize false teachings when we hear them.
- A light to guide our decision making so that we do not make mistakes.
- A light to direct our heart on what it should believe and what it should not believe so that we would not be deceived.
- A corrector to correct our own misconceptions – those wrong ideas or beliefs we have held all this while.
Conclusion
The only way for Christians to overcome false teachings is to commit themselves to daily Bible study to get enlightened by the Bible so that they will be able to withstand any deception invented by false prophets, false preachers, false pastors, false teachers, and false apostles.
Food for thought
- Do you really have a biblical proof for every doctrine you believe in?
- Have you taken the time to use the Bible to filter all the doctrines of your church or fellowship to see whether they will lead you to salvation?
- Do you have a daily Bible reading habit?
- What would you do if you discover that certain ideas, opinions, beliefs, etc. that you have upheld all this while have no proof in the Bible?
- What will you do if you discover that certain teachings of your church are not supported by the Bible?