Creator, Father, King #296

We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

WE LIVE IN AN age of advancement, where all around us, the message seems to be, “Newer is better!”

• NEW VIDEO GAMES!
• NEW PHONES!
• NEW TABLETS!
• NEW COMPUTERS!
• NEW CLOTHES!
• NEW CARS!

If you don’t have the latest-and-greatest gadgets, gizmos, thingamabobs, and doohickeys . . . well, friend, you’re on the outside looking in!

At least that’s what the world constantly tells us.

Yes, new technology and other material things can be extremely helpful in our daily lives. But “newer is better” doesn’t always apply. When it comes to teachings, doctrines, and beliefs about Christianity, newer is certainly not better. We must cling to the original truth.

What’s It Mean?

Scripture doesn’t need any revisions, modernizations, or upgrades. There’s no such thing as “The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Version 2.0.”

That’s because God is completely truthful, eternal, and unchanging. What was perfectly true thousands of years ago when God breathed out his Word through the divine inspiration of his Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) is just as true today. Jesus declared this in Matthew 5:18 and 24:35.

Yet false teachings and “new spiritual fads” have been around since the start of the church. Almost every New Testament book contains a warning against false teachers.

Look, for instance, at today’s verse. The imagery is of a ship on a storm-tossed sea, as gale-force winds threaten to blow it off course or even capsize it. In this metaphor, the ship represents an immature believer, and the winds are “new teaching” that doesn’t align with Scripture.

In a world filled with faddish, even demonic, teaching that can scuttle the vessel of young faith, how can you differentiate between what’s true and what’s false? Here are a few tests you should apply to any spiritual instruction you hear or read:

• Does it align with the rest of Scripture?
• Does it uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ as “most important” (1 Corinthians 15:3)?
• Will the message lead you toward spiritual growth and godly worship or away from them?
• Does the messenger’s personal life line up with godly living and the message he or she is preaching?

Remember, newer is not better when it comes to the timeless perfection and sufficiency of Scripture. Set your life’s course according to God’s Word!

Now What?

Read Jeremiah 6:16 for another reminder of the Bible’s eternal truth.

Did You Know?

Scripture reserves harsh words for those who preach a false gospel (Galatians 1:8-9).