Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
Though not an official state slogan, Missouri is known as the “show me state.” The origin of this is disputed, but the most popular story is that the slogan originated with a speech given at a naval banquet in 1899 by a Missouri U.S. Congressman, Willard Duncan Vandiver. In the speech Vandiver declared, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." His point was that, though someone may present an argument in well refined and sophisticated language, he would only accept it with solid proof of its validity. In a similar vein, Ronald Reagan popularized an old Russian proverb in discussing the issue of nuclear dismantlement with the Soviet Union when he repeatedly said, “Trust but verify.”
Both examples are good advice for all areas of life, including biblical matters. So often people are content to let their religious “authorities” feed them what they are to believe and practice. Frequently people appeal to what the preacher says, what the pastor says, what the priest says, what Momma says, what Daddy says, et. al., without stopping and asking if this is truly what God says. I do not offer this caution to promote cynicism or suspicion. The Bible is clear that we are to believe the best of people (1 Corinthians 13:7), but it also clearly teaches we are to verify any teaching which purports to be from the Scriptures (1 John 4:1ff; Acts 17:10-11).
The reason for this is two-fold: first, there are many deceivers in the religious world who purposefully disguise themselves in order to gain a following (Acts 20:28-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 7); second, many people are honestly mistaken and spread falsehood while ignorant of the implications of what they are doing (2 Peter 3:16-17). As Jesus said, “…If the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14).
There is only one solution to this problem, and it requires a lot of time and effort. Like the noble Bereans who heard Paul preach, we must “…search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). As Peter put it, to combat those who seek to deceive we must, “…be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2 Peter 3:2). Furthermore, to avoid the destructive errors of the “untaught and unstable,” Peter said to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We cannot grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ apart from engaging His word. As Peter taught in his first epistle, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
You may have noticed that every one of these passages brings us back to the Scriptures to protect us from the deceit and distortion brought about by Satan and his followers. As Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is the authority of the Scriptures, not the theologians that equip us to serve God. So, we ought to borrow the unofficial slogan of the state of Missouri and tell those who want to teach God’s word: show me.