When training bank tellers and other people who handle money on a daily basis how to spot counterfeit money, the instructors often have them study the real thing, handle true money over and over and over again. The reasoning being that the more they see the real thing, the easier it will then be to spot a fake. This goes for the Bible, God’s Word, as well. Let’s look into our Scripture for today, which continues on in the second letter that Paul wrote to Timothy.
For quite a while, many people have been looking for churches and preachers, either on TV or online, who preach “feel good” messages. They find the true Gospel message offensive. They don’t want to be called a sinner, or be told that what they are doing offends God. They don’t want to hear or believe that there will be a judgment day coming. Instead, they want to only hear about love and acceptance, not the whole Gospel. They also want to be entertained at church, with a band up front, perhaps skits, interpretive dance, and other things to entertain them, and not a hard-hitting Gospel message. They do not want sound Biblical doctrine, preferring nice sounding, happy, esteem-building messages.
We also find many today who claim to be Christians, but who reject the truth of God’s Word. They pick and choose what to believe, based on their own desires, and on what today’s society says. They are following false doctrines of ungodly preachers. Just like someone who has been passed counterfeit money and doesn't realize it, they have been fed counterfeit or false messages from the pulpit and take it in, believing it is true. Sometimes they even know that the message which the false preachers are giving is contrary to God’s Word, but they don’t care, just like the criminal who knows he has counterfeit money, and deliberately passes it on as true.
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, telling him that all Scripture is inspired by God (vs. 16). The word inspire here means that the Scriptures were “God-breathed”. Though written by the pen of Paul, or Matthew, Isaiah, David, or any of the other human authors, they were not their words. These are the words of God, as He inspired and divinely guided those who wrote them.
God inspired the whole Bible, not just segments or certain passages, which many false teachers and preachers say today. His Word is given to us for instruction to guide our lives, and as an anchor to hold us steady in times of storm. The Bible teaches us what is true, and to realize what is wrong in our lives. The Holy Spirit works through Scripture to rebuke and correct us when we sin, and to train us in righteousness. It will equip us to do God’s will, and to conform us into the image of Jesus. The Bible is the final authority for our faith and what we believe.
The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths, or human ideas about God. That is what some modern preachers and teachers would have us believe about God’s Word, but that is counterfeit teaching. The Bible is not a human book. It is God’s Word. Every word was inspired by God. It is our standard for testing everything that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching, and is our source of guidance on how to live. It is the only place to learn how to be saved.
Scripture warns us of revisionist teachings, one’s that replace sound doctrine with human doctrines. There is stern warning against those who add to His Word with their own words, or for those who take away parts of the Bible that they might find “offensive” (Revelation 22:18-19). These teachers can be highly deceptive, so we must be careful to check everything against Scripture, just like the bank teller must check every bill given to them.
When we follow a leader just to hear what we want to hear, we will end up in a ditch, just like the blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14). The more time we spend in the Bible, studying God’s Word, the more we will become knowledgeable about sound doctrine, and will be better able to spot falsehood when it is presented, just like a counterfeit bill. Remember, when Scripture speaks, God speaks.
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