Command 20 : Beware of False Prophets | Day 136

Embrace the Basic Doctrines!

The agenda of false prophets is to attack the basic teachings of Scripture. Therefore, our best defense is to know and embrace these foundational truths of “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).

When we anchor our faith on basic truths, we will not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

Basic Doctrines of the Christian Faith: (partial list)

• The inspiration and infallibility of Scripture: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Timothy 3:16). (See also II Peter 1:21 and Proverbs 30:5.)
• The deity and humanity of Christ: “The Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14). (See also John 14:9 and I John 4:1-3.)
• The virgin birth of Christ: The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:20). This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy: “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son” (Isaiah 7:14).
• The resurrection of Christ: “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching in vain, and your faith is also vain" (I Corinthians 15:14). (See also Romans 6:4.)
• The sinfulness of man: “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
• The salvation of man through faith in Christ alone: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). (See also Colossians 1:14.)
• The imminent return of Christ: “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven ... Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

  There are many additional important teachings in the Bible, such as the six-day Creation account, the reality of Satan, and the eternal destruction of unbelievers in a literal hell. We must be rooted and grounded in these foundational truths, because they will form the basis from which we can discern false teaching.

  Right doctrines lead to right living, while distorted doctrines produce corrupted behavior. Therefore, God challenges us to “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), “fight the good fight of faith” (I Timothy 6:12), and “give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1). Let's accept the challenge today to be grounded in the truth of God's Word so that we will be able to easily discern and reject false teachers.