We live in a day and age when false prophets, deceivers, and many false teachers are finding the Church of God easier and easier to prey upon as we have abandoned sound doctrine for experiences. Rather than discipling the people, many today would rather promote feel good, easy believism, watered down teaching that does not exalt God, bring forth repentance, or produce holiness in the life of the hearers.
Jesus warned His Apostles that many false christs and false prophets would come in His name (Matthew 24:3-5). Paul the Apostle warned the elders in Ephesus that false teachers would come in like wolves among sheep (Acts 20:29-31). Paul further warned Timothy that the time was coming when men would not endure sound doctrine but would turn their itching ears away from the truth to myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
How vital it is that we be grounded in the Bible. Our faith must rest upon the authority of the Word of God and not upon our feelings, emotions, or experiences. We must know what we believe (John 8:31-32) and remain true to the faith until the very end (2 Peter 3:17-18). We must not allow personal experiences to become our basis for our faith or we will fall (Matthew 13:18-23). Paul warned that a curse would be on anyone who proclaimed any other gospel than the one the Galatians received (Galatians 1:6-9).
This is why systematic study of the Word of God is important to our faith. Christianity is not a faith in faith but is faith in a historical person and His work, Jesus the Messiah. Our faith is based on historical events such as Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. As Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:16-21, our faith is based on the sure foundation of the Word of the living God. Our faith is not based on mystical experiences, cosmic voices, or other subjective experiences, but our faith is in the inerrant truth of God.
In our day and age, our popular culture loves the T word as does the modern Church it seems. That T is tolerance. However, tolerance has come to mean “blind acceptance of all things without any absolutes.” I believe we are to love the T word as well, but that word is truth. In reality, truth is much more loving than tolerance. Because of the truth, I declare that all men must repent and be saved (Luke 13:5; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30). Because of truth, I declare that only Jesus is the only way to salvation from sin (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:1-6). Because of truth, I declare that all are guilty apart from the grace of God in His Son (Romans 3:19-24). Because of truth, I declare that the Bible alone is the inerrant, infallible Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and that the Bible alone speaks the absolute truth of God (Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 5:17-18).
May the Church reclaim a love and devotion for God’s Word that will help us all to stand in the midst of so much error.
[Link to original post and comments at Roy Ingle’s website]
