4 Oct 2012
I John 4:1
I John 4:1: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
This is a call to discernment – something that today’s church desperately needs. There are far too many people who simply believe everything their pastor (or favorite author) tells them. The Bible does NOT say “believe everything you’re told”. No, it says quite the opposite! Don’t just believe what you’re told; instead be like the Bereans and compare all teachings to what the Scripture has to say.
This is vital! God has not called us to be loyal to our denomination or to what our parents taught us; God has called us to be loyal to Him and Him alone. We need to be constantly comparing everything we hear to the Word so that we can tell the good from the bad. If we discover that something we have been taught is unbiblical, the proper course of action is to reject the teaching and believe what the Bible says. Denominational loyalty should never, ever trump the Word of God.
The world today is full of false prophets – men who preach a false gospel, or who pervert the gospel of Christ. The only way you will ever spot them is to compare their teachings to the Word. Don’t just take their word for it – check for yourself!