Agreement

1 John 4:1
    
    I’ve noticed in the comment section many of my bulletin articles people agree with questioning “false religions” but they are never comfortable with questioning their own religion. It seems like the prevailing concept is, “That’s right, you go ahead and call out those false teachers… but don’t look over here because I’m not ready to question what I believe.” I’m going to make it more personal. I want to speak to the individual. If you are comfortable with questioning every belief, religion, doctrine, or faith system but your own, then I would encourage you to heed the following. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from food which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Tim. 4:1-3). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). Over and over again, in the first century the Holy Spirit inspired these men to write about those departing from the one true faith. If it was true in the first century, how much more true is it now? If you only ever listen to people with whom you agree (live in an echo chamber), how will you ever know if the doctrine you believe is true or not? We should strive to be in agreement with the Bible, because it is the only source of God’s revealed word (Jude 3, 2 Tim. 3:16-17). I love you all!


In His service,
Steven Hugley