By Tom Holland
On their way to visit some neighbors an elderly woman walked up the sidewalk ahead of her husband, who was following close behind her. Just before they rang the doorbell, the husband said to his wife, “You may want to pull up your hose.” She immediately turned around and slapped him. Not a hard slap, but a slap that communicated her displeasure. The shocked husband said, “What did you do that for?” She said, “Because I’m not wearing any hose.
Sometimes a person may be sincerely attempting to help another, but poor eyesight, or, failing to be thoughtful, may cause the potential recipient to actually resent what is being suggested.
Several years ago a prominent heart surgeon from South Africa was visiting the United States. He was directing heart surgery on a young boy. He told the surgeon, “Cut that.” The result was the immediate death of the young patient. I would not be surprised to learn that those two words haunted the famous heart surgeon the rest of his life. He was just trying to be helpful.
People in religion try to help others. The help may be in the form of provisions for the body. The help may be in teaching. However, some of the help may be more deadly than physical harm. The spirit may be seriously harmed. False doctrine is deadly. Those who, even in misguided zeal, pervert the gospel stand condemned before the Lord (Gal. 1:6-9). Those who believe false religious doctrines can be led from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1-4).
In a day when the philosophy of relativism stalks the land accompanied by his crippled cousin doubt, it may be difficult for people to believe that there is such a thing as false doctrine in religion. But Jesus warned: “Beware of false prophets,” (Matthew 7:15). An apostle of the Lord said, “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). If everything is relative; if there are no absolutes, how could there be such things as false prophets and false doctrine?
When there is such a babel of doctrines—as are being taught today—is it possible for people to “know the truth”? (John 8:32). Is there a body of information identified in Scripture as “the Truth”? The Lord Jesus said there is “the Truth.” The apostle Paul declared that some people are ever learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of “the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The Word of God is indeed the “word of Truth,” (2 Timothy 2:15). During Christ’s prayer, Jesus said: “Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).
There is hope for escape from the maze of religious confusion and the myriad doctrines of human tradition and human theology. The answer is found in the Truth of God, in the Word of God, in the Bible!
