False doctrine is everywhere today, proliferating in our churches and on the internet. It’s almost impossible to escape and can be difficult to detect if we aren’t constantly marinating our minds on the Scriptures. As J. C. Ryle wrote, “False doctrine does not meet men face to face, and proclaim that it is false. It does not blow a trumpet before it, and endeavor openly to turn us away from the truth as it is in Jesus. It does not come before men in broad day, and summon them to surrender. It approaches us secretly, quietly, insidiously, plausibly, and in such a way as to disarm man’s suspicion, and throw him off his guard.” None of us are immune, so we all must remain diligent in discerning the truth.
False doctrine can come at you in the form of “Christian” movies and TV shows. As with all false doctrines, they will contain elements of truth, but rarely more than is necessary to keep you from becoming too skeptical. I’m not against entertainment if it is uplifting and honorable, but we should never look to it for truth. Major networks and studios will always be most interested in making money. That’s fine, they are a business and we should expect that. When it comes to being Biblically faithful and honest versus appealing to a wider audience, they will always opt for the wider audience and bigger payout. Adhering to sound doctrine never ends up first on the list, despite the best of their initial intentions.
When someone claims to have a “fresh revelation” of scripture, beware of false doctrine coming your way. I’m sorry, your favorite preacher has not discovered something new in Scripture that has eluded the most intelligent and studious minds for thousands of years. That’s preposterous and unabashedly arrogant. The Lord has given mankind all they need to know about Him in His Word. If you want to hear the voice of God, read what He says. He didn’t bury puzzles that only the brightest and best could find, but spoke plainly so the simplest of us could understand His message (1 Corinthians 1:27). When someone has a “fresh revelation”, it’s usually because they didn’t want to obey the revelation of God revealed in His Son and in His Word!
You will hear false doctrine woven into the songs we sing in our churches. This isn’t new. While most of traditional hymnody is rich in theology, a few did miss the mark in egregious ways. Today’s so-called worship music has shifted from magnifying the greatness of our God to putting the focus squarely on us. We are being empowered so that we can do anything. It’s all about us. We worship who we might become instead of the One doing a great work in us (Philippians 1:6). When you lift your voice in praise, make sure you are praising God for who He is, not what He might do for you.
Of course, false doctrine can slip into your life through many other means. Friends, colleagues, fellow church attendees, media, the list of possibilities is endless. Satan can and will use every tool at his disposal to deceive and render you ineffective in the Kingdom of God. Worse, he will do everything he can to keep you from ever coming to Christ and thus destroying your life for all eternity. Our only defense is to become students of His Word. We can’t detect the lies if we don’t know the truth. To avoid false doctrine, read and study the Word of God. Develop a rich prayer life with your Father. Preach and adhere to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and no other “gospel” (Galatians 1:6-9). This is how we keep ourselves from false doctrine.