How Can We Tell Whether a Teaching Is from God?
A person opens a Bible, reads a passage, and offers an explanation. Does the presence of a Bible quotation prove that the explanation is correct?
Different teachers sometimes quote the same passage while presenting contradictory doctrines. Both explanations cannot be correct in the same respect. We must therefore do more than notice that someone has mentioned Scripture. We must examine whether the teaching actually agrees with what Scripture reveals.
The teacher may be sincere, knowledgeable, and persuasive. We may have known him for years. Nevertheless, our confidence must rest in God’s word rather than in a person’s reputation.
The Bible itself records occasions when people appealed to Scripture while drawing conclusions God did not authorize. Satan misapplied a promise of protection. The Sadducees used a Mosaic marriage provision to challenge the resurrection. The Pharisees appealed to Moses while misunderstanding the significance of his divorce provision. Peter warned that people twisted Paul’s writings and other Scriptures.
These examples demonstrate why careful examination is necessary.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 — KJV
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
Paul instructed Christians to examine what they received and retain what was good. In the surrounding context, he addressed their response to spiritual instruction, including prophesying. They were not to reject instruction carelessly, but neither were they to accept every claim without examination.
How should we fulfill that responsibility today?
The Scriptures establish six connected principles:
Recognize Christ’s Authority → Examine the Scriptures → Respect the Context → Test the Teaching → Reject Error → Hold Fast to Truth.
These principles help us evaluate what others teach while also examining what we already believe.
Recognize Christ’s Authority
The first question is not whether a teaching appeals to us. The first question is whether it agrees with the authority of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:17 — KJV
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Paul placed both words and deeds under the lordship of Jesus. Our teaching, worship, and daily conduct must agree with His will.
Attaching the Lord’s name to a practice does not establish His approval. We must look to His revealed teaching to determine whether we are acting under His authority.
This requires an honest distinction between what God has revealed and what people have decided. A religious custom may be familiar without being authorized. A new practice may appear useful without agreeing with the Lord’s instructions. Popularity cannot settle either question.
Recognizing Christ’s authority also places a responsibility on the person examining the teaching. We cannot fairly demand scriptural evidence from others while exempting our own beliefs from examination.
Before opening the passage, we should settle our attitude: if the Scriptures show that our understanding is mistaken, we must be willing to change it.
Christ’s authority must govern the examination from beginning to end.
Examine the Scriptures
A claim cannot be tested adequately if we never examine its evidence.
Acts 17:11 — KJV
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
The Bereans demonstrated both readiness to hear and willingness to investigate. They did not dismiss Paul’s preaching without consideration. They also did not accept it merely because he spoke confidently.
They searched the Scriptures to determine whether the message was true.
The Scriptures available to them included the Old Testament writings through which Paul could establish the truth concerning Christ. Their example commends careful examination; it does not place Christians under the covenant given to Israel through Moses.
We follow their commendable example when we open the Bible and investigate the passages presented to us.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 — KJV
16. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
17. “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Scripture supplies teaching, exposes what is wrong, corrects error, and instructs us in righteousness. A proper examination therefore involves more than collecting statements that support our existing position.
We should ask whether the passage actually teaches the claim being made. We should also consider passages that might challenge our explanation.
A commentary, sermon, study chart, or article can assist our study. Its explanation must still be examined. That includes this article. No human explanation becomes the standard by which Scripture must be judged.
We must examine the Scriptures themselves rather than depend entirely on someone else’s conclusions.
Respect the Context
Quoting Scripture accurately is necessary, but accurate quotation alone does not guarantee accurate interpretation. A teacher can reproduce every word of a verse and still assign it a meaning the passage does not support.
2 Timothy 2:15 — KJV
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Handling God’s word properly requires careful attention to what the inspired writer is discussing.
Who is speaking? Who is being addressed? What problem or question is under consideration? What do the surrounding sentences establish? Does the proposed explanation fit the writer’s argument?
We must also consider the covenant setting.
Hebrews 1:1–2 — KJV
1. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”
2. “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
The writer distinguishes God’s former speech through the prophets from His revelation through His Son. All Scripture is inspired, but not every command recorded in Scripture was addressed to every person under every covenant.
God commanded Israel to offer animal sacrifices. Reading those commands does not authorize Christians to establish animal sacrifices in the church. We must understand those instructions in relation to their covenant and their fulfillment in Christ.
We must likewise distinguish a passage’s meaning from an application drawn from it. Acts 17:11 describes particular hearers examining Paul’s preaching. Applying their careful attitude to our own study is appropriate. Pretending that every detail of their circumstances is identical to ours would be careless.
An explanation should arise from the text. We should not begin with a preferred doctrine and then force the passage to express it.
Respecting context protects us from making inspired words carry an uninspired meaning.
Test the Teaching
Once we have examined the passages in context, we must compare the religious claim with what those passages establish.
1 John 4:1 — KJV
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
John warned Christians that claims to spiritual authority required examination. A person’s assertion that he spoke for God was insufficient.
John then pointed to the apostolic testimony.
1 John 4:6 — KJV
“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
The apostolic witness supplied a standard for distinguishing truth from error. A modern teacher cannot simply place himself into this statement and demand unquestioning acceptance. His message must agree with the revelation delivered through Christ’s inspired witnesses.
The following examples show why an appeal to Scripture must be examined carefully.
Satan Misapplied a Promise of God’s Protection
During Jesus’ temptation, Satan appealed to Scripture to encourage an unauthorized action.
Matthew 4:5–7 — KJV
5. “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,”
6. “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
7. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Satan appealed to a promise recorded in the Psalms.
Psalm 91:11–12 — KJV
11. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
12. “They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
The promise of protection was real. Satan’s proposed use of it was wrong. The passage did not command Jesus to throw Himself from the temple or authorize Him to manufacture a dangerous situation to demand a demonstration of God’s protection.
Jesus answered by bringing another revealed instruction to bear.
Deuteronomy 6:16 — KJV
“Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.”
Jesus did not treat the passages as contradictory. He rejected an application of one passage that would violate another.
The lesson: A promise from God does not authorize conduct that disregards God’s instructions. We cannot rightly interpret one passage in a way that requires disobedience to another.
The Sadducees Used a Marriage Provision to Argue Against the Resurrection
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, appealed to Moses’ instruction concerning a man marrying his deceased brother’s wife.
Matthew 22:24 — KJV
“Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.”
They then described a woman who had successively married seven brothers, each of whom died. They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection.
Their argument assumed that marriage relationships in the resurrection would function as they did in earthly life. Jesus exposed that assumption.
Matthew 22:29–32 — KJV
29. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”
30. “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
31. “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,”
32. “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Jesus corrected both their understanding of the resurrection and their use of Scripture. He directed them to God’s words concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, recorded in Exodus 3:6.
Their appeal to a genuine Mosaic provision did not establish their conclusion. Their argument depended on an assumption God had not revealed.
Jesus’ statement about being as the angels concerns the absence of marriage in the resurrection. It does not teach that human beings become angels.
The lesson: A biblical argument fails when its conclusion depends on an unsupported assumption. We must examine what the passage establishes and whether the proposed conclusion necessarily follows.
The Pharisees Treated Moses’ Divorce Provision as a Command
When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce, He directed them to God’s marriage arrangement from the beginning. Their reply appealed to Moses.
Matthew 19:7–8 — KJV
7. “They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?”
8. “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
The Pharisees described Moses as commanding the giving of a writing of divorcement and putting away a wife. Jesus explained the provision as a concession because of their hardness of heart, then directed them back to the original marriage arrangement.
The provision in Deuteronomy 24 did not establish divorce as God’s original purpose for marriage. Jesus would not allow their appeal to Moses to displace what God had established from the beginning.
This discussion also reminds us to distinguish a requirement, a permission, and a regulation addressing conduct. Those are not interchangeable categories.
The lesson: We must not turn a concession into an obligation or treat a provision addressing a circumstance as though it established God’s original purpose.
Some People Twisted Paul’s Writings and Other Scriptures
Peter warned that inspired writings could be distorted by those handling them.
2 Peter 3:15–16 — KJV
15. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;”
16. “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
The word “wrest” describes twisting or distorting. Peter acknowledged that some matters in Paul’s writings were difficult to understand. He did not say that this made distortion acceptable. He warned of its destructive consequences.
Unlike the preceding examples, this passage does not identify a particular argument or name the individuals responsible. It establishes the broader fact that people were distorting Paul’s writings and other Scriptures.
Difficulty calls for careful study and a willingness to learn. It does not give us permission to force a passage into agreement with a preferred doctrine.
The lesson: The fact that a teaching appeals to an inspired writing does not prove that the writing has been handled faithfully.
Apply the Same Examination to Teaching Today
These examples establish several questions we should ask:
- Does the proposed application violate another passage?
- Does the argument depend on an assumption the text does not establish?
- Has a permission been confused with a command?
- Has difficult language been forced into a preferred explanation?
Testing a teaching requires considering related passages together. One statement cannot rightly be interpreted in a way that overturns another statement God has revealed.
Consider the claim that baptism has no necessary connection with salvation or the remission of sins.
Mark 16:16 — KJV
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Acts 2:38 — KJV
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus connected believing and being baptized with salvation. Peter commanded his hearers to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
An explanation of salvation must account for these statements. It cannot dismiss them because another passage emphasizes faith. Faith responds to what the Lord commands; it does not authorize us to remove His requirements.
We must also identify how a proposed practice is authorized. A command states what God directs. An approved example demonstrates conduct presented with divine approval, while its incidental circumstances must be distinguished from what the example establishes. A necessary inference is a conclusion the evidence requires—not merely a possible explanation or an assumption we find convenient.
Authorized aids must remain within the action God has authorized. Printing Scripture in readable type assists reading without changing the message. Removing a requirement from an apostolic command changes the teaching itself. Calling that change helpful does not make it an aid.
Testing the teaching means asking whether its claims and practices are established by the relevant scriptural evidence.
Reject Error
When examination establishes that a teaching contradicts the gospel, we must decide whether we will continue accepting or promoting it.
Galatians 1:8–9 — KJV
8. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
9. “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Paul made the gospel already delivered the standard. Even an impressive messenger could not authorize a different message. Paul included himself in the warning.
A changed gospel does not become acceptable because its teacher is popular, because the congregation is large, or because the message makes people feel secure.
Rejecting error must nevertheless involve accurate examination. We should understand what someone is actually teaching before answering it. Misrepresenting a position does not defend truth. Neither should we treat every difference in personal judgment as though it were a departure from the gospel.
But where a contradiction with revealed teaching has been established, we cannot excuse it merely to avoid disagreement.
This responsibility becomes especially personal when the mistaken teaching is something we have repeated. We may need to correct a statement, revise an explanation, or acknowledge that a previous conclusion was wrong.
Our responsibility is to be faithful to God’s word. Protecting our reputation must never become more important than correcting an error.
Rejecting error includes refusing our own mistakes when Scripture exposes them.
Hold Fast to Truth
The purpose of testing religious teaching is to recognize and follow what God has revealed.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 — KJV
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
Paul’s instruction contains both examination and commitment. Once the evidence establishes what is good, we are to retain it.
Jesus also connected discipleship with continuing in His word.
John 8:31–32 — KJV
31. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”
32. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jesus addressed people who believed on Him and called them to continue in His word. Their initial belief did not make continued submission unnecessary.
Holding fast to truth involves more than winning an argument or identifying another person’s error. It requires obedience.
If the Scriptures establish something we must do, we should do it. If they expose conduct we must abandon, we should turn from it. If they correct our understanding, we should receive that correction.
We must obey the gospel and continue faithfully in Christ. Further study should deepen that submission, helping us understand and practice His teaching more accurately.
Truth must govern our conduct as well as our conclusions.
Scripture-Comparison Table
The explanations in this table summarize the passages; they are not Scripture quotations.
| Connected principle | Scripture | What the passages establish | How the passages work together |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recognize Christ’s Authority | Colossians 3:17 | Our words and deeds must be governed by the lordship of Jesus. | His authority establishes the standard for everything that follows. |
| Examine the Scriptures | Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16–17 | Teaching must be examined through inspired Scripture, which teaches, reproves, corrects, and instructs. | A receptive attitude must be joined with investigation of God’s word. |
| Respect the Context | 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 1:1–2 | Scripture must be handled properly, with attention to its setting and God’s revelation through His Son. | Examining a passage includes understanding its audience, argument, and covenant setting. |
| Test the Teaching | 1 John 4:1, 6; Matthew 4:5–7; Matthew 22:24–32; Matthew 19:7–8; 2 Peter 3:15–16 | Claims involving Scripture can contain false applications, unsupported assumptions, confused categories, or distorted explanations. | A teaching must agree with the relevant revelation rather than merely contain a Bible reference. |
| Reject Error | Galatians 1:8–9 | No messenger has authority to replace the gospel already delivered. | When examination establishes a contradiction, the changed message must be refused. |
| Hold Fast to Truth | 1 Thessalonians 5:21; John 8:31–32 | We must retain what is good and continue in Christ’s word. | Examination reaches its proper result when truth is believed and practiced. |
Biblical Examples of Scripture Being Misused
| Example | Scripture appealed to or distorted | The error | The correction or warning | Application today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satan’s temptation of Jesus | The protection promised in Psalm 91:11–12 | Treating a promise of protection as authorization to create danger and test God. | Jesus answered with the prohibition against tempting God: Matthew 4:7; Deuteronomy 6:16. | Reject an application of one passage that violates another revealed instruction. |
| The Sadducees’ resurrection argument | Moses’ provision concerning a deceased brother’s wife, reflected in Matthew 22:24 | Assuming earthly marriage arrangements would continue in the resurrection, then using that assumption to challenge it. | Jesus corrected their understanding and appealed to God’s words concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Matthew 22:29–32. | Distinguish what the text establishes from an assumption introduced into the argument. |
| The Pharisees’ divorce argument | The divorce provision in Deuteronomy 24 | Treating the concession as a command to divorce and overlooking God’s original marriage arrangement. | Jesus explained the reason for the concession and directed them to the beginning: Matthew 19:4–8. | Distinguish commands, permissions, and regulations addressing particular circumstances. |
| Those twisting inspired writings | Paul’s epistles and other Scriptures | Distorting inspired teaching, including difficult passages. | Peter warned that such distortion led to destruction: 2 Peter 3:15–16. | Study difficult passages carefully rather than force them to support a preferred doctrine. |
Personal-Examination and Application Table
| Connected principle | Question for personal examination | Practical application |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize Christ’s Authority | Am I willing to accept the Lord’s teaching when it challenges my preferences? | Decide to follow the scriptural evidence before defending a familiar conclusion. |
| Examine the Scriptures | Have I read the passages myself? | Open the Bible and examine the evidence rather than relying entirely on a teacher’s summary. |
| Respect the Context | Do I understand what the passage meant to its original audience? | Read the surrounding discussion and identify its audience, purpose, and covenant setting. |
| Test the Teaching | Does this explanation account for related Scriptures without adding unsupported assumptions? | Check the argument’s premises, distinguish commands from permissions, and compare the proposed application with other revealed instructions. |
| Reject Error | Am I defending something Scripture has shown to be wrong? | Stop promoting the error and correct earlier statements where needed. |
| Hold Fast to Truth | What change does the truth require in my life? | Obey what God has revealed and continue practicing it faithfully. |
The Connected Biblical Pattern
Recognize Christ’s Authority → Examine the Scriptures → Respect the Context → Test the Teaching → Reject Error → Hold Fast to Truth.
Christ’s authority establishes whom we must follow. Examining Scripture brings us to the evidence. Respecting context helps us understand that evidence. Testing the teaching determines whether the claim agrees with revelation. Rejecting error requires us to refuse what contradicts it. Holding fast to truth brings our beliefs and conduct into continued submission to Christ.
These responsibilities belong together. Reading without regard for context can lead to misuse. Recognizing an error without rejecting it leaves the error in place. Recognizing truth without obeying it leaves our duty undone.
Conclusion
A Bible quotation does not automatically establish a biblical conclusion.
Satan appealed to a genuine promise while urging an unauthorized action. The Sadducees appealed to Moses while building their argument on a false assumption. The Pharisees appealed to a divorce provision without properly distinguishing it from God’s original arrangement. Others twisted Paul’s writings and the other Scriptures.
The problem was not a defect in God’s word. The problem was how that word was being used.
These examples should move us to examine religious teaching carefully, including our own. We must ask whether the passages support the conclusion, whether the application agrees with related Scripture, and whether an assumption has been mistaken for something God revealed.
Will we examine a teaching we enjoy? Will we investigate a doctrine we inherited? Will we correct something we have publicly repeated? Will we obey a command when obedience requires change?
Careful study requires patience. Honest examination requires humility. Holding fast requires continuing faithfulness.
Before accepting or sharing a religious teaching, open the Scriptures. Read the passages in context. Compare the relevant evidence. Then let what God has revealed determine both what you believe and how you live.
Open the Scriptures. Examine the teaching. Follow what God has revealed.
THAT IS THE BIBLICAL PATTERN.
ALLOW SCRIPTURE TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE.
The Biblical Pattern
Biblical Studies & Books by Kevin L. Walker
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