Avoiding Bad Doctrine

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned, Keep away from them. - Romans 16:17

Africa’s Victoria Falls produces a cloud of mist that is often heavy enough to impair visibility. Once a man was walking the path that skirts the giant gorge, and he noticed a sign on the rim but could not make it out. Not wanting to miss whatever it might be noting, he slithered and slid through the mud out to the very brink only to read the message:

“Danger! Crumbling Edge.”

As Christians, it can sometimes be easy to unwittingly miss the danger you’re in until you’ve gone too far. This is especially true when it comes to right and wrong ideas of God. You flip through the channels on TV at night and come across a preacher whose message sounds great at the beginning. But when you really understand the kind of gospel he’s preaching, you realize it may be very different from what the Bible teaches.

Sadly, many once-faithful followers of Christ have built their house on this “crumbling edge” of mistaken faith, and their whole spiritual life has fallen out from under them because they forgot to stand on the high ground of biblical truth.

So if you find yourself tempted to walk out into the heavy mist of dangerous doctrine where things may not seem as they should, watch out for the warning signs! Stay grounded in the truth of Scripture. Recognize when what’s being taught is not what the Bible teaches. When you do that, you can be sure you’ll build your faith on the solid rock of good doctrine and not on the crumbling edge of bad theology.

Prayer Challenge:

Ask God to give you wisdom to discern between biblical and unbiblical teaching. And when you do hear false doctrine, flee from it and cling to the truth of the Bible!