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
Missouri is known as the “show me state.” Allegedly this originated with a speech in 1899 by a Missouri U.S. Congressman, Willard Duncan Vandiver. 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.
This is good advice for all areas of life, especially biblical matters. Frequently people appeal to what the preacher/pastor/priest says, what Ma says, what Pa says, etc., without scrutinizing the teaching. The Bible is clear that we are to believe the best of people (1 Corinthians 13:7), but we are to verify everything taught (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 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; Matthew 15:14).
There is but one solution to this problem. Like the noble Bereans, we must “…search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). 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 consuming His word (1 Peter 2:2).
Notice 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.
Sadly, we live in a lazy society where critical thinking has fallen by the wayside. Learning is often difficult, time consuming, and it can be quite exhausting. Peter put his readers on alert to this reality when he said some of the inspired word of God is difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:16). This difficulty did not absolve them of the responsibility of learning (2 Peter 3:17-18). However difficult the process, the results are well worth the effort as eternal life is wrapped up in knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3). So, we borrow the unofficial slogan of the state of Missouri and tell those who want to teach God’s word: show me.