I Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to "test
[prove, KJV] all things," which would include
our old notions, and then "hold fast" to the good ones--the
ones that pass the test. A mistake many make is to follow
tenaciously the instruction of Revelation
3:11 to "hold fast to what we have" while completely ignoring
the additional instructions of I
Thessalonians 5:21 to test first.
Experience proves that not all that we believe is truth, even if held fast for forty years--a
Sunday rather than a Monday Pentecost is but one example. We have to test
our beliefs continually and rigorously against the only standard
that counts--the Bible (Acts
5:29).
Human nature is lazy and takes the easy road at
every opportunity. It will rely on human reasoning, the word of
others, or tradition rather than do the hard work of studying the
Bible and believing what it actually says. Human nature also will
not naturally do the humbling work of allowing the Bible and its
plain, unambiguous verses to prove matters rather than following
humanly devised ideas. The church's history over the last few
decades displays the fruits of taking doctrine for granted rather than allowing clear
scriptures to guide our understanding of the truth.
Why do people have so many different opinions about
what the Bible says? Generally, people come to the Bible with
preconceived ideas and latch on to any scripture that seems
to prove their belief. At the same time, they will ignore or make
light of a clear verse that obviously contradicts their
belief.
God can use this as a test to determine the true
intents of the heart. Where does one's allegiance really lie? Will
a person humbly submit to the clear instructions of God, allowing
them to lead him or her to create a true spiritual foundation (Deuteronomy
8:2-3; Psalms 149:4)? Alternatively, will they choose instead
to hold on to their preconceptions or other ideas of men--their
idols (Revelation
21:8)--desperately grasping at the straws of unclear
scriptures to build a shaky foundation?
When doctrinal disputes arise, if a person cannot or
will not prove beliefs using clear and unambiguous scriptures,
that fact should raise a red flag. Clear scriptures are a
solid-rock foundation. Ambiguous scriptures, open to private
interpretation, lead to a foundation of sand. Only one of these
foundations will stand when storms come (Matthew
7:24-27).
