10. The Bible is God’s main message to us. Other messengers must be in line with the Bible.
Paul cuts it straight in Galatians 1:8 when he says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”
It doesn’t matter if the most influential Christian leader starts to teach things that are out-of-line with the Bible. No matter who they are, they are dead wrong. It doesn’t mean you should hate on them, it just means follow your Bible first and foremost.
Bible teachers are just paperboys. They don’t write the news, they just deliver it. Christian leaders need to line up with the Word. We should be like the people of Berea in the Book of Acts, “The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (17:11).
11. Think: Are there Bible verses that directly contradict what I am believing or saying?
Before you go shouting on social media about your “pet theology,” think, are there other parts of Scripture that directly contradict what I’m teaching?
Yes, God is more loving than we realize (1 John 4:8), but He is also more holy than we can imagine (1 Peter 1:16).
Yes, we are called to speak truth courageously (Ephesians 4:15), but we are called to do all things with loving kindness (1 Cor 16:14).
Yes, we are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we are also called to grow in holiness and lay down our lives to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23).
Yes, we are saved upon trusting in Christ, but we are also being saved (1 Cor 1:18), and will be ultimately saved in eternity (Matthew 24:13).
Yes, God works out sanctification in us (Philippians 1:6), but He also calls us to work toward it (Hebrews 12:14; 1 Timothy 6:11).
Yes, we are blameless before God (Colossians 1:22), but we are also the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).
Yes, God does amazing miracles for us (Psalm 77:14), but we must also endure great hardships (Acts 14:22).
It’s often “both and” in the Scripture. To ignore this common theme in the Scriptures is to ignore the whole counsel of God
12. Let the Word dwell in you richly.
Colossians 3:16 calls to us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Eric Geiger explains, “Paul writes this because he knew that regular elevation of God’s Word in both the individual and the community would result in the flourishing of life as God intended it. The word of Christ must dwell richly among us. Not scarcely among us. Not in small doses among us. But richly among us.”
