“How to "Test the Spirits"”

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

(2 Timothy 2.14-17)

In Timothy’s day, there were many people presenting as God’s word what was really their own mistaken opinion.  Not much has changed!  Then, as now, even the efforts by those who preached the truth too often descended into “irreverent babble.”  When two people disagree about God’s will or word, both usually cite supporting Scriptures; but neither is convinced, and out of a desire to justify themselves, they pull apart each other’s cherry-picked verses, often resorting to redefining words in common use.  There are today a wide variety of resources for Bible study, including complete translations, as well as supplemental materials.  Much—perhaps most—of it is garbage, but that still leaves an enormous amount that is excellent, albeit imperfect.  This blessing is turned into a curse, when we use them inappropriately. 

For example, self-taught novices or M.Div-holding ministry professionals who once took two “Beginner” courses on Greek and Hebrew, anoint themselves as experts and proceed to lecture the world about the true meaning of the Bible in its original languages, on the basis of false etymologies, uncommon definitions, and motivated readings.  Worse, people who beforehand were perfectly content to read the Bible in a decent translation and exercise their own rationality in interpreting it while giving a healthy dose of deference to the wisdom of the ages, end up believing the nonsense, out of novelty bias or misplaced trust in someone who seems to know what he’s talking about.  But we’re not supposed do this!  “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1Jn 4.1). 

These resources are wonderful blessings!  But they must all be handled with discernment.  You probably know to be careful even about trusting a do-it-yourself instructional video on the internet.  How much more care should you take, in determining whether to trust someone’s interpretation of God’s word?  A handful of observations can help you decide.

Results

Paul said the false teachings “ruin” (2Ti 2.14) the people who receive them—will spreading them bring different results?  No, it “will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (v16).  Is the teacher’s own life a shambles? 

Expertise

“Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads” (De 1.13).  Is there reason to trust claims the teacher makes, if you can’t verify them directly?  Is he missing something that would go without saying, for an actual expert?

Reactions

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Pr 18.17).  Do other, reasonable people take the idea seriously?  What objections do they raise?  Are their concerns valid?

Marketing

Writing about false prophets, Peter warned, “in their greed they will exploit you with false words” (2Pe 2.3).  Is the teacher trying to sell you something?  If so, it doesn’t necessarily mean his teaching is false; but it’s a factor.

Reasoning

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Pr 18.13).  To what does the teacher appeal?  Does he make naked assertions, or well-crafted arguments?  Are his premises sound?  Do they actually lead to the proposed conclusion, or are they merely backfill to shore up a pre-existing conclusion?

Consensus

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Pr 11.14).  Do a variety of independent teachers agree on the point in question, or is it just one oddball?  Being odd doesn’t make him wrong; but why haven’t other, seemingly sincere and rational teachers reached the same conclusion?

Violence

“Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set” (Pr 22.28).  It’s a mistake to use a jackhammer for a job a screwdriver will do, and you should be wary of Biblical interpretations whose effects cascade down to require that you drastically alter your understanding of the surrounding context, gut 50 other passages of their plain meaning, or fracture an entire worldview that seemed to hold together, previously.  If you were wrong about those other things before, then some violence needs to be done!  But be very careful to avoid tearing down things that were put in place for good reason!

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None of these factors outweighs all the others, or on its own validates or discredits a Biblical interpretation.  But when you take them all into account, you’ll have a strong basis for accepting or rejecting the teaching and moving on, rather than getting bogged down in the sort of distracting mumbo-jumbo arguments Paul told Timothy to avoid.  Then, rather than engaging in pointless arguing, you can focus on your own sanctification.

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

(2 Timothy 2.21)

Jeremy Nettles

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