Have you ever believed something about God for years, only to discover that the Bible teaches something different? Maybe you learned it in church, heard it from a pastor, or grew up believing it. You never questioned it because you trusted the person who taught you.
But here is something every Christian needs to understand. God's truth is not determined by what we believe, what our church teaches, or what most people agree upon. God's truth is what He says it is.
Where Does Truth Come From?
In John 17:17, Jesus prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Jesus established where truth comes from. God's Word is the standard by which we are to examine what we believe.
That means the Bible is not something we use to support whatever we already believe. Instead, we must allow Scripture to correct our beliefs when they are wrong. Otherwise, we are placing our opinions above the Word of God.
Paul explained the importance of Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”
Notice that Scripture is not only meant to teach us. It is also meant to correct us. If we refuse correction because we have believed something for many years, we are resisting one of the very purposes for which God gave us His Word.
Can We Believe Something That Is Not True?
Absolutely. A person can sincerely believe something and still be mistaken. Even a faithful pastor or Bible teacher can misunderstand a passage. No human being has perfect knowledge of Scripture.
Jesus confronted this problem among the religious leaders of His day. In Mark 7:8, He told them, “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” These men were devoted to their religious traditions, but some of those traditions had taken the place of what God actually commanded.
The same danger exists today. Churches may teach something because it has been taught for generations. Christians may accept a belief because a respected pastor teaches it. But neither tradition nor a pastor's reputation makes a teaching true.
How Do We Know What Scripture Really Teaches?
We begin by reading Scripture carefully and considering its meaning. Who was speaking? Who was being addressed? What was happening when those words were spoken? What do the surrounding verses tell us?
Taking a verse out of context can make the Bible appear to say something it never intended to teach. We must also consider what other passages say about the same subject. God's Word does not contradict itself, but our understanding of it can certainly be wrong.
Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 to be diligent in “accurately handling the word of truth.” That instruction was given to a teacher, but the need to understand Scripture correctly is important for every believer.
It is not wrong to ask questions about something a pastor teaches. It is not disrespectful to examine whether a church tradition agrees with Scripture. In fact, 1 John 4:1 warns believers not to accept every spiritual claim without testing it.
What Happens When We Discover We Were Wrong?
This may be the hardest part. What happens when Scripture challenges something we have believed all our lives? Are we willing to admit we were mistaken, or will we search for reasons to defend what we already believe?
Sometimes accepting correction means changing our understanding of a favorite passage. Other times, it may mean admitting that something we once taught others was wrong. That can be uncomfortable, but holding on to an error simply because we have believed it for years does not honor God.
We should also remember that Christians can disagree about passages that are difficult to understand. We need humility when studying those matters. Being convinced that our interpretation is correct does not give us the right to treat everyone who disagrees as though they are rejecting God's truth.
God's Word Must Come First
Every believer needs a standard for determining what is true. Without one, we are left following opinions, traditions, popular teachers, or whatever sounds convincing.
The Bible gives us that standard. Our responsibility is to read it, understand it as carefully as we can, and obey what God has revealed. When we discover that our beliefs do not agree with Scripture, it is our beliefs that must change.
God's truth does not change simply because our understanding changes. We may spend our entire lives learning, correcting mistakes, and growing in our knowledge of His Word.
And that is why we must never confuse what we think God says with what He actually says.