Red Flags

We live in a media-rich society. Since the advent of the radio, television, motion pictures and internet, people have been able to communicate with each other like never before. This has opened doors for people to get their messages out in a matter of minutes to a large audience - something that just a couple hundred years ago would have taken a lifetime to achieve. The power to communicate equates to  the power to enlighten, the power to persuade, the power to motivate, the power to influence, the power to confuse or the power to mislead.

I'll never forget a technical communications (English) class I took as an undergraduate college student. On the first day of class the professor stood up and waxed eloquent on his philosophy of life and learning. I remember thinking, "This guy is not going to be much fun." However, there were several things he said on that first day that have stuck with me ever since, and he quickly became one of my favorite professors.

Our classroom was directly across a courtyard from the library. During his speech, he pointed across the courtyard to the library and said, "Do you see that building over there? It is full of books that are full of lies. It is also full of books that are full of truths. You have to determine which books contain the lies and which books contain the truths." He was right. The problem is how do we determine truth from untruth - not only in books, but also on the radio, television, movie screen and internet? This is especially true when it comes to religious teaching and preaching.

To borrow this quote from my professor I'd point out, "There are many teachers and preachers out there teaching lies. There are many teachers and preachers out there teaching truths. You have to determine which ones are teaching lies and which ones are teaching truths." Of course, this is sometimes easier said than done.

The problem is most folks who are teaching false doctrines sometimes slip just enough truth into their messages to make it seem like it is complete Biblical truth. But, how do we know for sure? The best way is to know the entire counsel of Scripture ourselves. However, to know Scripture we have to be students of Scripture. We have to read, mediate, compare Scripture to Scripture and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. However there are some "red flags" that we need to look out for when we listen to and are motivated by other people's teaching.

The first set of questions that we should ask are "Does the teaching agree with the whole of Scripture? Are there other passages that seem to teach something different than what is being presented?" If so, beware! This is a red flag! God is not a God of confusion and Scripture does not contradict itself. If we think it does, then the problem is with us and not the text.

The second set of questions that  we should  ask are, "Who is the teaching focusing on? Is it primarily focusing on God or is it primarily focusing on man?" If the answer is "Man", you have another red flag. True Biblical teaching focuses on God and what God has done for man. It does not focus on how man can "work" God's system to achieve some benefit. This is not to say that there are no promises directed toward us in Scripture. However, we must be careful not to become more focused on the promises than we are on the Promise Giver.

The third set of questions that we should ask are ,"What is the source of the teaching? Is it Biblical or is it outside of the Bible?" The Bible is God's Word. It is His special revelation to us. It is inspired. True Biblical teaching is firmly rooted in the Biblical text and not other works. This is not to say that other works cannot be used by a teacher or preacher, but the primary source must be Scripture. If it is not, then it is a red flag.

The fourth question we should ask is, "Is the teacher claiming that they have discovered some new truth that will revolutionize your faith?" If so, beware! This is a red flag! There have been thousands of years for godly men and women to study and contemplate Scripture. While it is not impossible to think that the Holy Spirit could enlighten a teacher/preacher with a truly brand new doctrine, the chances of that are very small indeed.  There can, of course, be new applications for Biblical truths, but the truths themselves do not change.

The fifth question that we should ask is "Is there a 'magic formula'?" It usually goes something like this: "If you just do ___________ God has to do _______________." In other words, we can somehow hold God over a barrel and force Him to do something simply because we followed the right formula. God is not a genie in a bottle who is subject to our wants and wishes. God is Sovereign and we answer to Him - not the other way around. "Magic formulas" equal red flag.

The sixth set of questions that we should ask are,"Is there a  'the secret teaching'?" Is the speaker communicating that he/she won't tell you what you need to know until you do ___________?" When you hear this, hold on to your hearts, minds and pocketbooks because this is a huge red flag!

The seventh question that we should ask is "Does this teacher/preacher like to teach on a single verse while ignoring all text before and after that verse?" If so, this is another red flag. I had a different professor come into class one day and declare: "The Bible states  that there is no God!" Needless to say, this ruffled a few feathers. (By the way, I went to a secular university and not a Christian university.) After several of us became really upset and told him that he was crazy, he made his point. "The Bible says that 'The fool has said in his heart there is no god.'" His point was very simple, but profound. Context is critical. Without context you can twist Scripture to support  just about any belief you want. 

In Acts 17:10-15 the Apostle Paul shared the Gospel in the town of Berea. The Bereans were commended because they "examined the Scriptures daily" in order  to verify what Paul was saying was true. We must do the same when we evaluate other people's teaching.

This brings us full circle to my original point: We must be students of Scripture. It doesn't matter who the teacher is, we must confirm everything he/she says with the whole counsel of Scripture.

Blessings,

David