How can Acts 5:38 guide us in discerning true from false teachings? Setting the Scene Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee, addresses the Sanhedrin as they debate what to do with the apostles. He reminds them that human-devised movements come and go, but God’s work endures. Key Verse “‘So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their undertaking or work is of human origin, it will fail.’” (Acts 5:38) Principle for Discernment • Human schemes collapse under their own weight. • God-originated truth proves unstoppable (v. 39). • Time and testing reveal the difference. Testing Teachings Against the Standard of Scripture • Isaiah 8:20 — “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 — All Scripture equips us “for every good work,” giving a sure measuring rod. • Acts 17:11 — The Bereans examined “the Scriptures every day” to confirm Paul’s message. If a doctrine contradicts the plain, literal teaching of Scripture, it is of human origin and destined to fail. Watching the Fruit over Time • Matthew 7:16-20 — “You will recognize them by their fruit.” • Galatians 5:22-23 — God-birthed teaching produces love, joy, peace, and the other fruit of the Spirit. • James 3:17 — Wisdom from above is “pure, then peaceable, gentle… full of mercy and good fruit.” A movement lacking these fruits reveals its earthly source. Practical Steps for Discernment 1. Hold every teaching under the light of the whole counsel of God’s Word. 2. Look for Christ-centered focus (John 16:14); error shifts attention away from Jesus. 3. Observe long-term fruit in lives and communities affected. 4. Seek confirmation from mature, biblically grounded believers (Proverbs 11:14). 5. Rely on the Holy Spirit, who “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Encouragement to Stand Firm Truth endures because God upholds it. Falsehood, however persuasive for a season, eventually collapses. Anchored in Scripture, you can discern wisely, stay faithful, and avoid the snare of teachings “of human origin” that are certain to fail. |
    |