How can believers ensure they are not misled by false teachings today? The crisis of counterfeit words “Her prophets plaster for them with whitewash by seeing false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.” (Ezekiel 22:28) Israel’s teachers were painting over rotting walls with a thin coat of pious-sounding talk. God calls it “whitewash”—pretty on the surface, unsafe underneath. The same danger lingers today, but Scripture gives solid safeguards. Anchoring everything to the written Word • Treat Scripture as the final court of appeal (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Acts 17:11). • Refuse to add, subtract, or bend it to fit trends (Deuteronomy 4:2; Galatians 1:8-9). • Read entire books, not isolated lines, so context corrects distortion (Psalm 119:160). Testing the message and the messenger • Examine doctrine, not charisma (Matthew 7:15-20; 2 Peter 2:1-3). • Ask: Does it elevate Christ or self? (Colossians 1:18). • Compare promised results with biblical expectations—cross before crown (Luke 9:23). • Look for consistent, godly fruit in the teacher’s life (1 Timothy 4:16; James 3:13). Listening to the Spirit, not new “revelations” • The Spirit always agrees with the Word He authored (John 16:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21). • Genuine promptings deepen obedience to Scripture, not sidestep it (1 John 2:27). • Any prophecy or vision must submit to biblical scrutiny (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 John 4:1). Staying rooted in historic, accountable community • Place yourself under biblically qualified elders who guard doctrine (Titus 1:9). • Practice Berean-style dialogue: open Bible, open hearts, humble spirits (Acts 17:11). • Cherish creeds and confessions that summarize centuries-tested truth (Jude 3). Training discernment through disciplined habits • Daily intake of Scripture—lamp for the feet, light for the path (Psalm 119:105). • Regular corporate worship where truth is sung, prayed, preached (Hebrews 10:25). • Memorization and meditation that renew the mind (Romans 12:2). • Fasting and self-denial to silence appetites that false teaching exploits (1 Peter 2:11). Responding when error appears • Confront with gentle clarity, aiming to win the person, not the argument (2 Timothy 2:24-26). • Withdraw from teachers who persist in distortion (Romans 16:17). • Guard the vulnerable—children, new believers, the wounded (Acts 20:28-31). Living the difference When the foundation is Scripture, the Spirit guides, and the church walks together, believers stand tall even while the culture whitewashes. Truth in the heart, truth on the lips, truth in the life—that is how we stay unshaken by every wind of doctrine. |
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