It is important to know where to go to find truth. The Lord Jesus said to His Father in John 17:17, “Your word is truth” (NASB). The Bible, God’s Word, is true. We also read in Hebrews 6:18 that “it is impossible for God to lie” (NASB). How unlike ourselves! The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the truth. He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

In contrast, there is much in this world that is not true. This causes much confusion. In John 8:42-44 the Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but He sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Satan is the father of lies and he holds great influence in this world. We read in 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (NASB). The Lord Jesus said to his disciples in John 14:30, “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” The evil one and the ruler of the world are both Satan.

I am not trying to say that the only book we should read is the Bible and that we should never watch a movie. What I am trying to say is that if you want to know what is true, then search the Scriptures, for that is where we find the truth! We should not look for truth from other books or movies. We can notice things in books or movies that are true, but they are true because they are expressing a principle that has already been written in God’s holy Word. They are not true because the book or movie is the source of truth, for that is only found in God and expressed in His Word, the Bible.

There are some Christians who try to put other Christians under law and set up rules that they should follow, such as not watching movies. We learn in Romans 6:14 that “you are not under law but under grace” (NASB). When the Bible does not specifically forbid a certain activity, let us show grace to each other instead of criticizing others’ choices. Every believer lives their life before the Lord, not to try to please other people. We read in Romans 14:4, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls.”

As we enjoy the liberty that God’s grace gives to us, let us seek to please the Lord, and not our sinful flesh, in the decisions that we make. We read in Galatians 5:13, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Returning to the question above, it is a very good desire to not want to follow false teachings or become deceived. There is so much information thrown at us today that is either not true or we have no way of knowing if it is true or not. This is why it is so important to study our Bibles, so we know what is true. We do not need to study the false teachings. We only need to study God’s Word. We read in Romans 16:19, “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” When we know the truth in God’s Word, then anything that is false will be quickly evident to us.  (453.6)  (DJ)