Led by His Spiritনমুনা

God expects us to be wise and prudent—not accepting every person who claims to be promoting the truth without examining whether their teaching lines up with the Bible. The Christians in Berea were praised for their diligence in this regard. “These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). There are many false teachers, and someone who blindly accepts their teaching will fall into error.

Donald Barnhouse wrote, “In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into molds, and allowed to cool. Some people would shave off silver and keep excess, still using the coin. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honour who put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called dokimos or ‘approved’.”

We need to be committed to following the truth and rejecting error. But often false doctrine is presented in clever packages that make it sound good. The discerning Christian who is able to judge the real from the fake is a Christian who knows what the Bible says. Our feelings and ideas are subject to error, but the Holy Spirit-inspired Scriptures are perfect and guide us to what is right. We must measure all doctrine and practice by the standard of the Word of God.