How Not to Be Deceived

Paul wrote to Christians, "Let no man deceive you" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Ephesians 5:6) God's will is that believers are not deceived by false teachers or false doctrine that would lead them into wrong paths, unfruitful lives, or shame when all is said and done (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

But He didn't just leave it there. In His love, God gave us instructions how to prevent such deception. He tells us not to be deceived then tells us how not to be deceived. 

1. Test Everything 

God tells us to prove everything and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). There are two activities at play in this passage that give us a result: 

(1) We are to prove everything; that is, we are supposed to put everything we encounter to the test. 

(2) We are to hold fast to that which is good; if we are supposed to test everything, we must have a baseline. That baseline is the word of God. 

If we are intimately familiar with the Bible, we will immediately notice false teaching. Christians are to be narrow-minded when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith. 

The result: 

(3) If we examine everything through the eyes of the word of God, we will be able to spot false teaching. 

2. Scrutinize Teachers and What They Teach 

We are commanded not to believe everyone who calls themselves a Bible teacher (1 John 4:1). Furthermore, we are commanded to examine everyone who claims to be a Bible teacher so we will know if they are really from God. 

That means we do not simply sit in a pew and listen to someone teaching the Bible on a Sunday morning. We are to be active listeners—checking the verses, checking the speaker's words, and checking the doctrine in them. We are not supposed to just sit and believe everything that is being taught—open your Bible and check! 

The Bereans were an excellent example of this (Acts 17:11). Even though they had the famous Paul the Apostle standing in front of them teaching them, they took the time to search the Scriptures to see if the things Paul taught them were in-line with what was written in the Scriptures—to see if the things Paul said were so. 

3. Know the Word of God

How do we know what to scrutinize teachers about? 

How do we know what right doctrine is? 

God directs us to do what many of us seem to have an aversion to . . . study (2 Timothy 2:15)! 

We are commanded to study for three reasons: 

1. So we will enjoy God's approval. 
2. So we do not need to be ashamed. 
3. So we will correctly handle the word of God. 

Why would God command us to study? The answer is clear: 

• He loves us. 
• He cares about our welfare. 
• He does not want to see us suffer. 
• He does not want us to be ashamed. 

Parting Thoughts 

These days, in our social media, fake news environment, it seems people believe almost everything they hear. But the Lord commands us to search the Scriptures and study the word so we will not be ashamed. 

Paul wrote, let no man deceive you... and God shows us how not to be deceived. It's all there in the word if we look for it. 

So, how not to be deceived? Be rooted and grounded in the word of God, and you will be able to spot false teachers and false teaching a mile away! 

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By Jerry Smith

Feature image source: nicole-honeywill-703542-unsplash 

Open Bible image source: kelly-sikkema-275193-unsplash 

Open Bible listening image source: Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash 

Open Bible highlighting image source: rod-long-425679-unsplash