Testing Preachers

There are many preachers in the religious world proclaiming that, because of their position and level of education, their teachings concerning God and the Bible should not be questioned by their hearers. However, what does the Bible say? John wrote in 1 John 4:1, “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 argued that we are to try (test) the words of every man to see whether they match the teachings of the Bible or not. We are not to take any man’s word that what he is teaching is true.

During the missionary journeys of Paul, he preached to the Bereans and they exemplified this principle perfectly. As the apostle was preaching it is stated that they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Let us always be ones who test what we hear by the Word of God to ensure it is the truth.