You Better Believe It!

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." ~ 1 John 4:1

I really appreciate the way my mom does that. When she visits a church, hears a teaching, and things of that sort she tests it against the Word. She doesn't pick apart every little thing that was said to argue it, but I can see the way she personally tries the spirit of it even when it seems to many to be a good sermon filled with good arguments to back up their point.

When a person teaches, they will -in general- emphasize the Scripture that supports their own view and try to discredit the verses that support the opposing view.




To often we go to church and accept all the preacher says without question. We are trusting our eternal soul's destiny to them.

One's personal opinion, or a particular tradition one inherits is of no importance when searching the Scripture. When one accepts a view largely in blindness adhering to it without there own investigation of the Scripture they are likely to be deceived. We must be careful. It is very easy to fall into such a snare when we make added teachings or respected men a final authority. As I said, this happens largely out of blindness on our part, but when we allow someone else to interpret God's Word for us we are making them our final authority and trusting them with our eternal soul's destiny.

Commentaries can be helpful, strong Christian friends can bless one's growth, preachers are needed, but we must, out of a whole-hearted love for the Lord and thankfulness of the pureness of His Word, search all Scripture before accepting any belief.

No mere man can know the mind of God. We all must be open to correction.

Say you had the opportunity of speaking with Paul the apostle. That's right, the man once known as Saul who heard the Lord's voice -spoke with Him!- and through whom God wrought special miracles, so that his handkerchiefs were brought unto the sick and the sick were healed.

Indeed, you had one or two hours to hear Paul preach. You would want to take notes, record every word, right? This guy was one of the major authors of the Bible after all! I think most of us Christians would receive his every word.

Well, Paul taught some in a synagogue in Berea, and they received his words, but they didn't accept them without question. They daily searched the Scripture to see whether or not what he taught was truth. Acts 17:11 calls them "more noble" for readily receiving the word and searching the Scripture.

When I feel presses with a question (or questions) about the Word of God, I want to find a respected teacher's writing on the subject, or ask my parents. All of that can be fine as long as we long as we remember preachers, teachers, brothers and sisters in Christ, they are only people maybe close to God, but they do not have God's omniscient, divine, boundless knowledge. God has given us His words. May we never despise them by accepting another person's. The first and last source we look to should be the Lord. 

Romans 14:5,6 says, "One man esteemet one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks." [emphasis added]
Brothers and sisters in Christ will have different beliefs sometimes, but we should each understand why we believe what we believe. Not have are argument with excellency of speech, "not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God"! (1 Cor. 2:4-5)

Beloved in Christ, God will bless the students who diligently search of His Word. How often are we told to seek for truth in the Bible?

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and abraideth not; and it shall be given him."

~James 1:5