Scripture does not leave us adrift in a sea of opinions, feelings, and persuasive personalities. The command to discern truth from error is not optional—it is a divine safeguard for the church. God has made it unmistakably clear: we are to test every teaching, every spirit, and every claim against the unchanging standard of His Word. To neglect this is to invite deception and compromise the very purity of the faith entrusted to us.
The Mandate to Test
John, the Apostle of Love, does not mince words:
"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)
The proliferation of false prophets is not a distant threat—it is a present reality. John’s exhortation is not to judge by “feeling,” charisma, or some mystical sense of “anointing.” The test is doctrinal, not emotional. A false prophet is revealed by a false message. The content must be measured against the Word of God, not our subjective impressions. To rely on feelings is to make ourselves vulnerable to the very deception Scripture warns against.
The Noble Pattern: Scripture as the Standard
The Bereans are commended for their nobility—not because they were gullible, but because they received the word with readiness and then searched the Scriptures daily to see if what they heard was true (Acts 17:11). This is not passive listening; it is active, continual discernment. The believer who has hidden God’s Word in his heart is equipped to compare every teaching with the truth he knows. When a contradiction arises between man’s word and God’s, the choice is clear: “We must obey God rather than men.”
The wisdom literature reinforces this:
"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going." (Proverbs 14:15)
"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." (Proverbs 27:12)
To accept every teaching without examination is not humility—it is folly. Prudence, rooted in Scripture, protects us from the consequences of error. To prioritize God’s authority over human opinion is the only path to faithfulness.
The Reality of Deception
Jesus Himself warned that the last days would be marked by rampant deception:
"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5)
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:11)
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
Paul echoed this warning to the Ephesian elders, declaring that after his departure, “grievous wolves” would enter the flock, and even from among their own number men would arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples (Acts 20:29-30). The threat is not merely external; it is internal. The church is endangered not only by attacks from without, but by deception from within.
The Call to Contend
It is not enough to quietly discern error. Jude urges us to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). False teachers do not announce themselves; they creep in unnoticed, turning the grace of God into license and denying the Lord Himself (Jude 1:4). The purity and faithfulness of the church depend on believers who will not only recognize error but speak up and stand against it.
Contending for the faith is not a secondary issue—it is salvific. If we surrender this ground, we lose more than doctrinal precision; we forfeit the inheritance of sonship, the assurance of justification, and the cleansing of conscience that Christ purchased. To accept error is to allow deception to take root, endangering both ourselves and the flock. The cost is nothing less than the collapse of the foundation upon which our hope rests.
The Inevitable Resistance
Let us be clear: to test, to discern, and to contend will bring resistance. The world—and even many within the visible church—will oppose those who insist on the absolute authority of Scripture. Yet this opposition is not a sign of failure, but of faithfulness. God has called us to this very task: to guard the deposit, to protect the purity of the church, and to refuse every compromise that would undermine the finished work of Christ.
To shrink back is to betray our stewardship. To stand firm is to preserve the faith for ourselves and for those who will come after us. This is not merely wise—it is biblical, and it is essential.
