The Test of Truth

“…always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7, ESV)

This context identifies men and women who flit from one false teacher to another

without ever coming to understand the truth of God. This present age in which we live is loaded with deceiving and damming false teaching that never leads to God.

With all of the false teaching and the seemingly demise of solid biblical teaching how does one determine between the real and the false? The Apostle John was well aware of this danger even in his day. His response is can be found in his first epistle, the fourth chapter and verse one:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, ESV)

Being a Christian is not a license for gullibility. The attitudes, actions, and advocacies of these false teachers can be “tested” by a number of tests to see if their doctrine and conduct line up with the Word of God.

Allow me to suggest at least three tests to apply to Spiritual Teachers and their doctrine:

First Test – Love for God

1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “But if anyone loves God…” Remember the old saying, “to know me is to love me?” To know God is to love God. It is unstoppable and natural response. The more we come to know God and His character the more we will love God. A believer cannot know God without loving God. Believers love God because of the glory of His very being – because of who and what God is.

False teaching or doctrine will command a love for the false teacher or for oneself, or for the things of this world.

Second Test – Character Produced

False knowledge actually causes the recipient to become proud. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers that, “”…all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up – to inflate, to blow up, to swell up, or to become proud – but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)

The true teaching of the bible builds Christ-like character. False teaching builds or develops character equivalent to that of the Pharisees.

Third Test – Zeal for Holiness

Jesus Christ was horrifically crucified on the cross. He was made to be a curse on behalf of sinners. God the Father imputed our sin to His own Son. He hurled the full force of His wrath and fury against His own Son as He bore the penalty for sin. God did not sacrifice His own Son to merely provide a “fire insurance policy” for your soul. Forgiveness of sins, the hope of heaven, streets of gold, and “mansions over the hillside” are not the immediate reason for salvation.

We read, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son…” (Romans 8:29, ESV)

We also read:

“But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory…) 2 Corinthians 3:18)

The Apostle Peter wrote, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it its written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)

When you apply the test of holiness to your teachings, do they lead you to pursue holiness? False teaching or knowledge leads us to pursue sensuality. False teachers and false teachings are known by their drive to pursue the passions or appetites of the flesh.

Naturally one can develop a far more extensive lists of tests to determine the validity of truth or the exposure of lies. Let's start simple and begin with these three. 

Taking Aim

Over the last forty (40) years I have written a number of quotes, comments, pithy sayings, and poems in the fly-leafs of my bibles. Each Tuesday I am going to share those various entries from my bibles with you. I hope they will be as much of blessing to you as they have been to me. Sometimes I will be able to give credit where credit is due and sometimes I won’t be able to credit the source. I apologize for this to each one who contributed these gems over the last forty (40) years.

TODAY'S TREASURE:

In Glorifying God, I must aim at magnifying God's character and nature. Gods' glory must be the ultimate end of all my actions.

Knowing and Doing

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “The next doctrine leads to still clearer

conclusions. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it." 

Being ignorant or not knowing the laws and commands of God can be very dangerous. We can often “break” or violate Divine principles and not be aware of them. However we may still face the consequences.

As believers we face an even greater danger and that is being satisfied with intellectual knowledge. Obtaining biblical knowledge is very beneficial and can be very rewarding. If we stop there, simply obtaining knowledge, that knowledge can be absolutely of no value to us. As a matter of fact it can even be dangerous, because it can delude into thinking that we need to nothing further.

Pastor James encountered this in his day causing him to write,

          “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving                                                                     yourself.” (James 1:22, NKJV)

The Puritans truly took this and similar scriptures to heart! If there was one thing that characterized their preaching it was the fact that they emphasized application. In fact, at times I have encountered “application” that was longer than the exposition. They were adamant about it. I think we can take a lesson from the Puritans. It seems to me application has gone by the wayside in most sermons today.

I have listened to a “running commentary” on a text, (in place of an exposition), only to hear the preacher end his sermon with, “let’s pray.”  I have no doubt that the preacher is counting on the Holy Spirit to apply the word preached and make specific or individual application. Unfortunately this is shooting for the stars in many congregations. Only a few may be so disposed to truly search their heart and find specific application of the sermon for themselves. Learning something does not necessarily lead to action.

Walter Kaiser wrote in his Towards an Exegetical Theology, “We cannot be acquitted as scholarly exegetes until we have led the church to understand how to respond to the very words that we have analyzed most critically and carefully.”

I say we have not preached adequately or effectively if we have not preached to the mind, emotion, and volition of those who hear us. We must preach for decision. This is part and parcel of the definition of exposition.

Even though expository preaching has gained immense popularity very little is actually being done. Exposition not only includes a thorough exegesis of a certain passage, but it includes relevant application.

Exposition is determining the meaning and intent of the original author and finding relevance to twenty first century believers by the way of application. We as preachers need to find the dominant thought of the text, drive it home with every point, and call for a specific response, or application.

We need to know and do!

The Basis of Belief

Everyone who understands the nature of God rightly necessarily knows that God is to be believed and hoped in, that he is to be loved and called upon, and to be heard in all things.

William Ames

Peace

“…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:1b

The greatest need that man has is peace with God. The forgiveness of sin, the promise of heaven, and the enticement of an abundant life are by-products of having obtained peace with God. As a matter of fact man cannot enjoy any blessings from God until man has been reconciled to God. Any prayer, any offering, and any service to God before peace has been made with God are absolutely useless.

Although man perceives God to be a God of love, mercy, and acceptance, man in general is quite ignorant of the fact that hostility exists between God and unredeemed man. We read,

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be.” (Romans 8:7, NJJV)

We read also, “Do you not that friendship with the world is enmity with
God?” (James 4:4b, NKJV)

          “The primary purpose of the Christian Gospel is not to give us blessings. I emphasize the primary purpose. Its primary function is to reconcile us to God. It is ‘to bring us to God.’ It is to put us into the place in which we can ask God for blessings, and God can bless us. Nothing must ever be put before that.”  (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Exposition of Chapter Five – Assurance)

Thanks be to God! We have been reconciled and God has made peace with man. It seems to me that we should busy at all times repeating that simple but pregnant phrase over and over - “we have peace with God!”  This realization should fill each believer with a sense of absolute wonder and amazement. Using today’s vernacular, this realization should “blow us away!” We should be amazed that we have ever been justified at all. As a matter of fact, as we ponder this great truth of the Apostle Paul it should cause the blessedness of Charles Wesley words to thunder through our hearts:

And can it be, that I should gain

An interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain;

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love, who can it be

That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Is That Really a Fact, "Jack?"

Duck Dynasty’s Deadly Deceit

As many channel surfing couch potatoes who have gone before me, I came across a program called “Duck Dynasty.” At first I couldn’t believe it was a real program with real people. I initially thought that it was some scripted “Jerry Springer” type spoof of a show.

Having found it somewhat interesting and immensely humorous I became a fairly regular viewer. I think I liked what many Americans have come to like is the “clean” format of the show, the emphasis on family values, and the prayer around the dinner table in the last frame of the show.

After some research I found out a couple of facts, one of which disappointed me tremendously. First, the “family” seems to have “Christian values” and a testimony of deep love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Apparently the network does not share these values and commitments. I read that the producers edited out much of any biblical or Christian reference during the filming. I also read where the producers begrudgingly permit the final scene around the dinner table to remain to be viewed.

The second thing that I discovered troubled me deeply. Especially, since the family and show has found great favor on Facebook. The families featured on the show belong to White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ. This church is a “Disciples of Christ” church. This means that they teach and hold to the fact that water baptism is an absolute essential part of salvation. Their position states that one can “trust Christ” but is not baptized, there there is no salvation. Unfortunately this position is both unbiblical and heretical. Water baptism is an essential part of the Christian experience, but it has nothing to do with the salvation of a sinning soul.

The above “picture” was the first thing I saw when I fired up Facebook one day last week. Uncle Si is quoted as saying, “If you ain’t saved, you ain’t going to heaven! That’s a fact, Jack!”

Well Uncle Si, I am compelled to tell you the truth and to warn you, if you are trusting in water baptism or anything at all in additional to the atoning work of Christ on the cross, then you ain’t going to heaven! The Disciples of Christ and from what I could read, the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ are non-Christian entities. There is no salvation in either organization.

I am deeply troubled that almost no one on Facebook (who claim to be Christians) takes the time to research the doctrine or theology behind many of these types of postings. Rather than contend for the truth it seems easier to show ignorance or indifference to the truth by hitting the like button. I wonder how many who click “like” really know the deceitful error they are “liking?”  The following link, “A Few More Things You Should ABout Duck Dynasty” may be helpful to you also.

Welcome Back!

Good Morning!

Welcome to the Month of May. I have to admit I am glad April is over. As you know I took a break from normal posting in order to participate in this year’s A-Z challenge.

This year’s challenge did not seem as “fun” as the previous three (3) years had been. I am glad to be able to get  my blog back to normal. Beginning tomorrow Gospel-driven Disciples will be posting as normal.

Thanks to all who visited my blog during this challenge! Thank you for viewing and reading what I posted. I especially am thankful for those who took their precious time to comment! Thank you! Thanks to Lee and all those who helped this challenge as hosts, advisors, and as encouragers!

Tomorrow:  A short comment on Facebook's love-affair with Duck Dynasty - has anyone stopped to investigate?