Protecting Yourself from Improper Teaching and Preaching
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
Between churches, books, podcasts, and videos, there is a staggering amount of instructional material for Christians in the United States. Book sales alone are over 2 billion dollars a year. Not all of it is going to lead you in the right direction. Some have just enough truth in it to introduce you to harmful lies.
To make it easy, I am going to refer to all preaching, teaching, counseling, conversations, books, media, etc. as a message and all preachers, teachers, counselors, spiritual leaders, friends, authors, content creators, etc. as instructors. A message is anything that you are meant to receive as true and from God.
I learned long ago that you should never put too much trust in instructors, and it is not just because some of them have evil designs. Some of them may have good intentions, but their beliefs lack a firm biblical foundation. They may put too much faith in the spiritual leaders that instructed them. This includes those with seminary education.
The two terms that might normally come up in this type of discussion are exegesis and eisegesis. In our context, exegesis is a critical examination of the Bible to provide an accurate interpretation. Eisegesis interprets Scripture based on biases, experiences, opinions, and preferences. For teaching this, I am going to use terms easier to find in the Bible. Exegetical is humble where eisegetical is prideful.
Humble: poor; meek; a lower status person; humble as a verb can also mean to be silent.
Humble says:
Bible is the authority, and I am a seeker of its truth.
I should be patient and seek the help of the Holy Spirit.
I dare not take anything out of full biblical context, no matter how sure I am that it is appropriate.
I should never include something in a message that cannot be backed up by the Bible.
If it is not written in Scripture, I do not need it in my belief system.
The Bible is the primary instructor in my message. I just repeat what it says.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Pride: inordinate self-esteem; arrogance; puffed up or inflated.
Some of the thing that Pride may say:
I have my points. I just need to throw in some Bible verses.
I perceive God is blessing my life or ministry right now, so I must be doing things right.
I had this spiritual experience I am interpreting as (fill in the blank). The Bible will support my interpretation.
I need the Bible so I can convince people to stop doing something or start doing something.
I am sure that all my beliefs are true.
The Bible is subjective.
This is what the Bible is really trying to say.
I have a lot of experience with the Bible so I can get what I need and move on to the next thing.
It is up to me to make the Bible understandable, relatable, and relevant.
I can find quotes, sermons, books, commentaries, etc. that support what I want to say, so I know I am on the right track.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Remember that the most humble person you know still struggles with pride. This post is not about the instructors, it is about you. Despite what you may have been led to believe, you must invest work in your discipleship. Part of that work is building discernment. Here are some ways to protect yourself:
Spend time in prayer. Let God know you are ready to rid yourself of lies and you need protection and His wisdom. Ask Him to help you build discernment.
Study your Bible. Start taking the time you need to challenge what you have been taught to believe and verify it in Scripture Psalm 119:9-16. Don’t forget to use context as I previously posted about here:
https://www.walkinthetruth.org/post/how-to-find-and-protect-your-knowledge-of-the-truth
Never passively listen to or watch a message. Do not rely on big screens with Scripture. You should be engaged with a Bible or Bible app handy. If you want to passively listen to something, listen to the Bible or biblically accurate Christian music.
Learn how to spot messages or points in a message that lacks a biblical foundation. Here are some of my tips:
Scripture should be woven throughout the entire message. Think of it as an instructor walking through a dark area. They have a lamp (Psalm 119:105) but if they leave their lamp behind; they are walking in darkness. Your job is to make that as the message progresses, they still have their lamp with them. With this in mind:
Keep up with when the last time you heard the Bible used. If it has been over three or four minutes, excluding time for prayer, stories, or testimonies, then you need to be on alert. You may also find that an instructor spends a lot of time delivering their message before referring to the Bible.
Keep asking, "is what I am hearing match the context of the Passages(s) used?"
Take notes so you can flag anything that might seem off to you so that you can research it later.
When a single verse is used, take a moment to read verses before and after it. Are the verses being used out of context?
Some instructors will start with using the Bible and then segue to what they really want to talk about. Periodically refer to the Passage again and make sure you have not left it behind.
Are quotes being used to support Scripture or instead of it?
Do you get the sense that the instructor has an agenda or is under pressure that is affecting their messages?
Is this instructor trying too hard to entertain? This could be a sign they will keep their messages soft and shy away from harder truths.
Is the instructor trying to make the message easier for large audiences? If so, they may think using less Bible is a preferable strategy.
Is the instructor trying to manipulate you or give you truth and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work?
Keep your own biases out of it. Even if they say something that sounds good, you need to verify it in the Bible.
The speaker’s opinions and extra-biblical information should be trivial, and it should never shape or change the interpretation of the biblical passage.
Historical and cultural studies may help provide depth to passages, but they do not change them.
Just because someone says they instruct exegetically does not mean they do.
How many messages has it been since you last questioned something that was said? For instance, my pastor does an excellent job of weaving the Bible throughout his messages. However, hardly over two months go by without me having a question. Almost always, I heard him wrong, or I took what he meant wrong. Sometimes he words things poorly or the thoughts are incomplete because of time restraints.
Keep in mind that any instructor can run off and seem to leave the Bible behind and still deliver biblical messages. However, you need to verify what was said before you believe it is true. If you have an instructor that does this all the time, it will be tiresome if you need to do it all yourself. This is where being a member of a small group that discusses the messages will help you.
If God places you in a church with challenging messages, then I urge you to do a lot of praying and spend quality time with your Bible and the Holy Spirit.
With optional messages like those found in books, online sermons, online media, or classes use discernment. If the instructor isn't using the Bible enough, you need to ask yourself if you need to be investing time in them.
When the message is coming to you in a one-on-one situation, keep this question handy, "where is that in the Bible." Keep in mind that the person may need time to look it up. I am good at remembering Scripture, but I often struggle with remembering exact references.
Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 again and be convinced that if it is not in the Bible, you don't need it as part of your beliefs.
If something seems complicated or confusing, that should put you on alert. It may mean you need to pray and study more, but it may also mean something is trying to add unnecessary things to your faith.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
The Bible warns us emphatically about false teachers, and there are plenty of them out there. However, as I mentioned, this post is not about the instructors. Labeling an instructor as false is not something that should be done lightly. It should not be done because their style is sloppy, they make mistakes, or they assume you trust them to have a biblical foundation without mentioning it.
I hope and pray this post, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will give you the tools you need to protect yourself from instruction that may not be firmly rooted in the Bible and in full context.
All Scripture quoted is in the ESV translation unless otherwise specified.
Do not take my word for it. Explore these Scriptures below to see what I was thinking about and what I used as I wrote this post, "Protecting yourself from improper teaching and preaching":
Deuteronomy 4:2
Joshua 1:8
Psalm 19:7-14
Psalm 119:9-16
Psalm 119:105
Proverbs 4:23
Proverbs 8:13
Proverbs 11:2
Proverbs 16:5
Proverbs 18:15
Proverbs 30:5
Isaiah 55:10-11
Hosea 14:9
Matthew 4:4
Matthew 24:24
John 1:14
John 17:17
Romans 12:2
2 Corinthians 4:2
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Ephesians 4:14-15
Philippians 1:9-10
Philippians 4:8
Colossians 2:8
1 Thessalonians 5:21
1 Timothy 4:1
1 Timothy 6:3-5
2 Timothy 2:15
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 5:12-14
James 1:5-8
James 1:21
James 4:6
James 4:10
1 Peter 2:2
1 John 4:1
Revelation 3:17
Comments