Discovering False Doctrines
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)
The life of a true believer hinges on the Word of the Lord. Yahweh directs the path of those who acknowledge Him and who follow Him. To follow Him is to be able to follow His commandments and His word, applying them to your everyday. Yet, to be able to apply the right thing, you must be knowledgeable on what is the wrong and how to avoid them. In theological terms, you must therefore be able to decipher and understand false doctrines.
In a previous article, titled False Doctrines, we explored the idea of false doctrines and their biblical origins. It revealed that the false doctrines are teachings that do not coincide with Yahweh’s Word or vision; oftentimes, they are sentences that have been misconstrued in a sinister way. This continued with elaborating the first time that a false doctrine is seen in the Bible: that is in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:3 - 8). It’s used as an example of how the enemy misconstrues the word of the Lord and lures in the children of the Lord to perdition.
But how does one decipher what is false doctrine?
Discovering a false doctrine within yourself is a hard task. It requires introspection and critical thinking. Above all else, you must be willing to read the Bible critically and use it as a mirror: who you are versus who you should be (James 1:23 - 25). Therefore, look at anything that you do and ask yourself:
Is whatever practice I’m doing in accordance with what the Bible says?
What Bible verse can be applied to this practice?
Who am I glorifying in what I am doing? Myself, the enemy or the Lord?
If you are able to answer these questions without fail and whatever you do is in accordance with what the Lord has asked of you, then continue. If not, repent immediately so that you may not fall again into that same sin (Acts 3:19).
Let’s take an example: the idea of statues of Marie and Jesus. Believers are split on the issue. Ask yourself: is it in accordance with what the Bible says? No it is not: , in fact, it is contrary to Exodus 20:4 - 5. You are not glorifying God when you bow to those statues: you give glory to the enemy through idolatry.
In this search for truth, you must be willing to abandon your pride, for God graces the humble (James 4:6). Yahweh may talk to you and correct your ways: you must be open to that, for He does it out of love for you and for your betterment (Hebrews 12:5 - 11). He may send others to talk to you about false doctrines, be open to listening to them as whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence (Proverbs 15:32). We need to decipher true and false doctrine, as it is the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation.