This is a good and important question because we are exhorted in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”  While we thank the Lord for gifted and knowledgeable teachers of God’s Word, there are those who seek to lead us astray by teaching falsehoods. 

We test, or try, the spirits by applying the Word of God as we read in verses 2-3, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”  If anyone should deny that the Lord Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, his words are to be refused.  His is the spirit of antichrist.  Indeed, he is against Christ.  In Matthew 22:42, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples, “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.”  This would be a good question to ask someone whose teachings are suspicious.  Make sure they know and pronounce that Jesus Christ is God, and He is the savior of all who come to Him by faith. 

Additionally, there are those who are misinformed or ignorant of the truth of the scriptures yet seek to teach others.  Let’s consider Paul’s commendation of the believers in Berea as he wrote in Acts 17:10-11, “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY, whether those things were so.” These believers listened to the message that Paul gave and then searched out his message in the Word of God to make sure that what he said agreed with what the Bible said.  Certainly, this shows us all that we, as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, need to be vigilant students of the Word.  We should NEVER accept the words of someone before we can test them by the scriptures. 

We should ALL heed the instruction of 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  If we simply take someone’s word as being scriptural, we open ourselves up to believing serious error.  No one can really afford to remain babes and unlearned in the scriptures.  We all begin as infants in the Lord, but we do not want to remain in that state.  We read in 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”  Even as a baby grows into maturity, able to do more with each stage of growth, so we need to feed upon the Word of God so that we might grow and become mature believers, able to discern the true from the false.  “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).  As we mature in the Lord, our faith and love will increase.

We have a much-needed warning issued to us in 2 Peter 3:17-18, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”  We do not want to be “led away with the error of the wicked.”  To prevent that, we must GROW…grow in grace and grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This comes from studying our Bibles in dependence of the Lord to teach us His precious truths and make them precious to us.  As we read in Psalm 119:11, “I have treasured Your word in my heart, So that I may not sin against You.” (NASB).  (CC)  (693.4)