Knowing when to trust who can be a difficult part of life. This is nothing new; Eve was deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and that serpent has been spinning lies designed to misguide ever since.
Jesus addressed this issue for His followers in His sermon on the mountain.
Matthew 7:13-20 New International Version (NIV)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Here He uses three similes to illustrate His point: a wolf, a road, and a tree.
The wolf is deception. He dresses so as to blend in with the flock, then uses their trust against them. The sad thing is that, many times, people who are playing this role don’t know they are the wolf: they teach what they believe, but what they believe is erroneous. If it is not the accurate Word of God, it is false.
The roads or path’s represent doctrines. When mankind chooses to ignore parts of the Bible – or attempt to rewrite it through “interpretation” – he is choosing the broad path, the easy path. This is a comfortable walk, with lots of company, and few obstacles. Because it’s easier, many naive Christians choose it over the narrow path, which is a strict adherence to the pure Word of God. But, only the narrow path leads to salvation.
The good tree and bad tree represent the lives and preaching of believers – for we are all preachers. If our lives and speech accurately reflect the teaching of Jesus, we will produce good fruit. Fruit being the evidences in our lives and the faith of those who choose to follow our example. If we are living a bastardized theology we are espousing error and living a conflicted lifestyle. We may praise Jesus and encourage others to believe, but if we then engage in things that are clearly not biblical, we offer confusion to potential initiates and offer fuel to those who insist that all Christians are hypocrites.
In the paragraphs before the passage quoted above (beginning in Matthew 5) Jesus explains the lifestyle he wants his followers to have, beginning with the Beatitudes and touching on murder & hatred, adultery, divorce, swearing, retaliation, love, charitable deeds, prayer, fasting, money management, being judgmental, and seeking God’s favor. I encourage you to read these carefully.
Much of this discussion is based on being able to know what is biblical and what is not. How do we know that? That’s simple: read the bible. If you have truly accepted Jesus (or are willing to and are “seeking God’s face”) God will teach you through His Word.
Listening to sermons given by Godly teachers can be educational and inspiring, but without a basis upon which to judge, how will you know if what they are saying is truth? Many false teachers are wonderful orators and can give a moving speech with just enough truth to be convincing, but the end result is dissent in the faith.
Even in the days immediately following the ascension of Jesus, when the Apostles were spreading the word and expanding the new church, false teachers were creeping in to twist the message. Paul repeatedly warned not to give heed to the false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) for they will destroy the faith by turning it to evil (the broad path) and will proliferate the bastardized faith (bad trees).
That was months after Christ arose. Two thousand years later, that trend has had a lot of time to pick up speed. Today, entire denominations are rewriting the Bible to “modernize” it so it more closely relates to modern society’s needs. Some are trying to go so far as to say that there is no sin. Jesus died to erase sin, so we can do anything we want and it is acceptable.
If we read on in Matthew 7 we are told a story of two men building their homes. One digs down deep into the earth to lay a foundation on bedrock before erecting his house. The other builds atop the sand. All is well until a storm comes and flood waters roll through. The house built on rock withstands the flood, the one sitting on the sands crumples and is washed away.
A deep, solid foundation of faith built on the rock solid truth of God will keep your spiritual house standing against the storms of life. A spiritual house built on the shifting sands of public opinion, will be washed away by the first adversity to come along.
Building a solid foundation takes time and effort, but pays off. Study the bible, seek the truth of God. Pray for enlightenment. Don’t rely entirely on the preaching of others. Develop a discerning spirit so you can separate truth from twisted. Matthew 7:21 quotes Jesus as saying:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Don’t end up among that group. Learn the truth for yourself. Read your Bible. False teaching can come from naiveté, arrogance, or selfish gain. The problem we face today is the ease with which people can grab a microphone, create a webpage, or self-publish a book. As Christians, we must make careful choices about whom we listen to, and have the strength to turn away when a suspicious teacher is tickling our ears and offering false teaching.
