Beware of The Unrighteous Teacher

"A sacred regard to the authority of God ought to lead us to reject an error, however old, sanctioned by whatever authority, or however generally practiced."  - Charles Spurgeon

Fake news is not just exclusive to politics and the news media. It can also affect Christian teaching and the church. In both cases, untold damage may occur because of it. While it's true both may cause confusion and distrust, only one has certain eternal consequences.

Jesus regularly experienced this problem during the course of his earthly sojourn. Many questioned his authority and the truthfulness of his teachings. John, chapter 7, provides an example of this during the Feast of the Booths (of Tabernacles) in Judea.

While in Galilee, he desired to attend the feast, but as the obedient Son of God, he could not go so openly as his brethren. Instead, he went in secret, keeping a low profile to elude the Jewish leaders (John 7: 6; 10).

Meanwhile, people argued abouwhether he was truly righteous in his teaching, or a fraud. Eventually, he made it to the Temple, and began to teach (John 7: 12; 14). Some questioned his wealth of knowledge, considering he lacked any formal training (John 7:15).

A discourse occurs between Jesus and the crowd in John 7:16-31 as he tries to assure them that his only mission is to promote and secure the glory of God, and not secular interests as others might do.

Jesus provides guidelines by which the teachings of a genuine prophet of God can be measured against those who have only personal interests at heart. And, if they hold him (Jesus) up to these standards, they will see that he truly was sent by God (John 7:18).

We, too, must be cautious of false teachers and their teachings. The benchmarks Jesus gave for righteous and truthful teachers still hold true today. If in doubt, the best source for guidance is always found, both, in the Bible, and in quiet intercession (prayer) with Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Genesis 15:6; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:7; 1 Peter 3:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me follow the path of righteousness where I may find life, and not death, amen.

Stay blessed,

Kate