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1 Timothy 6:3
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3 If any man [ei tis] teach otherwise, [heterodidaskaleo] and [kai] consent [proserchomai] not [me] to wholesome [hugiaino] words, [logos] even the words of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] and [kai] to the doctrine [didaskalia] which is according [kata] to godliness; [eusebeia] KJV-Interlinear
3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, NASB
The first responsibility of any Bible instructor, or Christian, is to know and understand Bible doctrine. Bible doctrine is truth and to know truth means that you must study it, in order to be able to discern it from everything that is false.
There are many opinions out there in the world, and in order to make any sense out of any of them, the only mechanism that exists in the entire world is the teaching discernment service offered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals truth to those who are in fellowship and to those who really want to learn.
This is not some supernatural or weird event which will make you euphoric or such things. The Holy Spirit teaches by means which we cannot feel, experience or detect in any way, shape or form. Those who are having some sort of ecstatic moment, are phony.
And to know any of this, you must engage in a daily study, and in that format, you will be able to discern between that which is true and that which is false.
In history, many diseases come and go and scientists study them in order to learn their characteristics, and then develop some sort of defense or inoculation against them.
Pathology is the study of the nature, origin, progress and cause of something.
The pathology that leads to the discernment of truth, is the study of truth, which reveals the false. And therefore when the false is known, then it can be prevented or avoided.
In anything that attacks society, there are symptoms that mark it as harmful.
Here Paul spells out several general symptoms that identify false doctrine.
First there is the different doctrine that does not agree with the Bible (the Word of Christ), and the second symptom is doctrine that does not conform to godliness.
Now these are very broad symptoms, but when one studies the Bible, objectively, and not from emotion or preconceived ideas or beliefs, and not from subjective motives (making truth what you want it to be, interpreting the Bible to agree with you), then you will be able to figure out what is right and what is not.
Some false teaching is obvious and some is obscure – denying God, denying the afterlife, denying Jesus, contradicting something that the Bible teaches, misstating Bible details, debating interpretations, applications to society and the norms of society, and so forth.
For every principle of truth, there is a counter principle from Satan and the world, to confuse or water down truth.
And the second broad principle for determining truth from the false, is whether or not it teaches or produces godliness. Godliness means likeness to God. And it is another way of describing the spiritual life and your advancement to spiritual maturity.
Any teaching that looks to man for mans advancement, is false. Any teaching that looks to God, for mans advancement, through Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, is truth.
The fellowship concept verses the carnal concept of life contrasts these two approaches or views.
But, the only way you can know the truth, is to study it, and as we have already discovered, in this book, your study must come through a qualified instructor. You cannot learn truth on your own. At least not until you have had many years of study and have in your possession a solid foundation of truth already under your belt, so to speak.
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