Nobody relishes being duped by counterfeit money. Discovering you have been ripped off can be devastating. Interestingly, federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying counterfeits. They study genuine bills and master their look. Then they can readily spot a phony bill. The Bible alerts us to watch out for phony teachers and false doctrine. It’s impossible to keep track of all the errors in biblical teaching today. Yet most critical are errors related to the person of Jesus Christ—critical because He determines our eternal destiny. The Bible teaches that He is God in the flesh, came to give us flawless truth and died to pay our sin debt. He is our only hope of forgiveness and eternal life. The writer of Hebrews Chapter 13 cautions us to be careful of teachers that might lead us astray. He says this: “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.” So rather than turning to strange ideas from new prophets that may come to town, the writer urges us to stick with those whose teaching brought us to faith and whose lifestyle of integrity we can see and trust.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
