Standard of Comparison

7/10/16                                   Matt                                      29

I picked up some groceries and before heading out had a conversation with a fellow shopper named Matt.  He told me why he considers himself “spiritual” but not “religious”.  “There are so many charlatans out there I don’t know who to believe” he said, “So I just have a general belief in God and don’t get into the details”.   “Charlatan” seems like an old-fashioned word for a guy in his late 20’s, but I knew Matt was referring to false teachers.   So I tried to give him some advice on how to figure out what is true in the midst of so many ignorant and false teachings.  “Jesus predicted there will be many false teachers who claim to teach in His name.  This is no surprise to God.   

So how do we recognize a false teaching?  The same way we know a counterfeit bill when we have one.  We need to compare it with the real thing.  God knew there would be many false teachers, so he gave us a standard of comparison.  He gives us the real thing in the Bible, so we need to constantly compare new ideas and teachings to the Bible, and we need to choose a church that is committed to teaching it, and get in the habit of reading it regularly and compare what we hear with what the Bible has to say.”  Psalm 119 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  God’s word is relevant now, more than ever, to keep us from the distractions and delusions of the false teachers and teachings all around us.