Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

“Do not place your confidence in any man, however faithful he has seemed; test all against the Word of God, for a man may fall, but God’s Word cannot.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

One of my great concerns is how easy it is for us to find someone with a microphone, a platform, and a message that helps us in a specific time. But when they begin to show themselves in error, their “followers” remain loyal and defend them in error.

This isn’t isolated to those who follow false teachers. It can even be those who once taught sound doctrine but sinned in such a way as to be disqualified. Their followers are so loyal to the person that they put away all they have learned—even from this “influencer”—and commit their loyalty to them rather than loving them enough to call them to repentance (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19–20).

We see it also when one changes their convictions from what Scripture commands to what feels right in the moment. Their loyal followers do not take them back to Scripture but pledge allegiance to them as they go in opposition to what God clearly says (2 Timothy 4:3–4). This is even true of followers of what may be known as “discernment ministries.”

Dear saint, we can learn from others and be grateful for how they have helped us in times when we needed it and they rightly handled Scripture. However, our loyalty is to Christ, to the Gospel, the purity of the Gospel, His message, and His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:4–7). If a brother or sister sins or errs, we do not follow them. We love them enough to warn them and tell them the truth.

Test everything against God’s Word (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22).

There’s no such thing as online church. Yes, we absolutely can listen to podcasts, read blogs, and learn from doctrinally sound and biblically discerning believers. And yes, they may help us grow in grace and knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:18).

But if we begin to develop a cult-like mindset whereby they can do no wrong—and we do not love them enough, when they err, to warn them—then we need to examine ourselves. Something is very wrong.

Dear saint, find a doctrinally sound church and commit to it. Those believers will—and ought to—love you enough to help you see when you are in error. If they don’t, something is wrong. I want that! I hope you do too.

Be careful not to develop the mindset that anything someone says in a blog, podcast, or from a big platform must be true. At the same time, do not fall into the opposite error of assuming it must be false or that you can trust no one but yourself—that is perhaps even more dangerous (Proverbs 18:1).

If those of whom you listen to their podcasts or YouTube channels, or follow on other social media platforms have always been otherwise doctrinally sound, but then fall into some disqualifying sin or begin to err in doctrine, practice, or methodology—your allegiance is to Christ, His Word, and His message. If possible, love them enough to share your concerns (Galatians 2:11–14), and guard your own heart against the temptation to abandon what you know to be true because of your “relationship” with this person (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Sisters, we are especially vulnerable to this temptation. If we know this beforehand, we will be armed with the truth and less likely to be swept away in error.

When big events happen in our world we tend to look to certain voices who have been faithful to sound doctrine and have been faithful to stand firmly against error. We trust them to proclaim the truth and stand firm in it. But when they err and we are convicted by Scripture of their error, do we stand firm or do we suppress what we know to be true, change our convictions, and follow them in error? Do we recognize our own weakness and ability to err? Are we learning to think Biblically or have we learned to trust whatever these say because they have always been sound? How is this any different than the one who blindly follows false teachers who tell them “God said” and they believe whatever they say because they felt something?

Test everything according to sound doctrine.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan