A biblical foundation needed to avoid false teachings
If you profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then it is absolutely essential that you have a biblical foundation for your faith. Jesus is the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4) and cornerstone of the Christian faith, (Ephesians 2:19-20) and the Bible is the precise message God chose to deliver to His people for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Chuck Colson founded Prison Fellowship, authored over 30 books, and was a principal signer of the 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together. This ecumenical document was signed by leading evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholic leaders in the United States, including Dr. Richard Land, J.I. Packer and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus.
Colson clearly understood the necessity and power of the Word of God.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
He wrote, “The Bible — banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it; dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it is more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints. Pieced together scraps of Scripture have converted whole villages of pagan Indians.”
The Bible reveals how to be saved from eternal punishment in Hell, and how to live a godly life as a follower of Christ here on earth. You see, the “holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). And “the Word of God is living and active ... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
It would be a huge mistake to assume you are already grounded in biblical doctrine simply because you attend a church. While some congregations provide solid Bible teaching, others are greatly lacking in this regard.
The Apostle Peter wrote, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).
Followers of Christ must base their lives and beliefs upon Scripture alone, even if it means disagreeing with their pastor or priest on certain doctrinal issues. The only reliable Church teachings are those rooted in God’s Word. Everything contrary to Scripture should be discarded by faithful Christians, regardless of who promotes it.
When Paul and Silas preached in Macedonia that Jesus was the Messiah, God's people in Berea evaluated Paul’s teaching in light of their Old Testament Scriptures. The Bereans “were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Our allegiance must always be to the Lord and His Word.
While addressing the religious leaders of their day, “Peter and the other apostles said, ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” (Acts 5:29). Are you committed to obeying God, even if it means rejecting particular doctrines your church body promotes? Church teachings, pastors, and priests are not infallible, whereas the Word of God is completely trustworthy and without error. Will you always agree with every Christian in your church on every doctrinal issue? Of course not, any more than your family members agree with one another all the time.
Professing Christians who undervalue Scripture and overvalue their denomination fail to grow into spiritual maturity, and some of them are not even spiritually reborn. Are you trusting in Christ alone for salvation, or are you relying upon good works and human effort to wash away your sins? It is well with your soul if you are saved, redeemed, justified, born again and forgiven. Spiritual conversion occurs on the front end of a person’s relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ (see John 3:1-7 & Romans 5:1,9).
Your church and its leaders are not infallible. Therefore, beware of those who claim that their congregation and denomination are the only ones faithfully teaching God’s Word. Such self-deception produces arrogance, rather than humility and genuine Christian discipleship. Sadly, some professing Christians fail to acknowledge and celebrate the true nature of Christ’s church on earth, which is made up of all believers across denominational lines.
Followers of Christ are called to “turn away from godless chatter” (1 Timothy 6:20). Bombastic false teachers and pretentious internet trolls are two of the biggest purveyors of such chatter in the world today. Genuine humility and spiritual discernment are necessary in order to avoid a Pharisaical attitude. Unfortunately, religious pride and self-righteousness is widespread.
Meanwhile, Scripture alone has the power to justify and sanctify every believer. Jesus prayed for His disciples: “Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth” (John 17:17).
If your spiritual life lacks a biblical foundation, it is not too late to start all over again.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
