A Day-by-day devotional

May 24, 2023

Unsubscribed

Chronological One Year Bible Reading Plan: 1 Kings 1-3

Scripture of the Day: 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Sometimes, I would get hundreds of e-mails from certain organizations which I might have subscribed to once. However, the difficulty of unsubscribing is real. You unsubscribe not only once but around 20-30 times before they would actually stop sending you e-mails. And when they actually have stopped, after awhile, they would send some e-mails again. This time, thankfully, they land on your spam folder. On the one hand, it’s good. On the other hand, it still adds up to the bulk of your e-mail. If you have limited capacity, then you would have to rigorously and regularly clean up your spam folder.

At one time or another, we would have subscribed to a certain erroneous theology. It is a theology that is not outright heretical, but it has the tendency to be, having deviated from biblical truth. If we fail to be watchful and not examine it more closely, we would not stop our subscription and continue to receive from the disseminator of such teaching.

Most of the time, as the apostle Paul pointed out to Timothy, we will fail to see the errors in such teachings because they would sound very good and quite right to our ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4). It is what we are longing and wanting to hear. Therefore, it is something we readily accept, subscribe to and follow. The most difficult challenge in such a teaching is that, it is not only good to hear but it also sounds very Christ-like. However, it is only in disguise (1 John 4:1-3).

If we have no clue how to rightly divide the Word, it would be extremely difficult to discern. Moreover, if our theology stems out from just one particular personality or movement that we have subscribed to, we could be treading on dangerous waters. The bible would always explain the bible. If ever there are matters in the bible which are shrouded by mystery and questions which you have difficulty finding in the bible – not because they are not there, but because doing so would be quite exhaustive – there are historically accurate, widely accepted extra-biblical texts. These could help in your biblical studies.

There is nothing wrong with checking out teachings of certain well-known personalities from time to time. But to subscribe to only certain ones could limit your discernment. You may never notice it, but you could end up becoming a sort of die-hard fan of that personality and his or her teaching. As a die-hard fan, whatever is said by that person, you would devour and take in as absolute truth, no more questions asked. Sometimes, you would just listen or watch without even opening your own bible to see for yourself!

Our current society subscribes to whatever feels good, whatever is instant and easy, whatever looks good, whatever caters to me. Since these are the criteria needed to get people’s attention these days, teachings could become designed and structured to meet them. The goal then becomes to get more people to listen and accept, rather than to share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The hard truths would obviously be left out to present more of the glamorous, easy-to-accept, feel-good messages devoid of biblical truth. It is not necessarily devoid of biblical teaching. However, it is so seasoned and peppered with other things that it distorts the beauty, simplicity and reality of what the Word actually says. Distorted biblical teaching is not biblical truth.

Are you subscribed to a teacher other than Jesus Christ Himself? If you are following somebody who distorts biblical truths to cater to societal needs and wants, then you probably are. Use discernment. Pray. Then, most importantly, unsubscribe. Finally, re-subscribe to the bible!

Reflection: What are the criteria you use to discern whether what you’re hearing is biblical truth? Are you malleable and teachable when it comes to studying the Word? Or have you become so involved in a certain personality that you believe their teachings to be complete authority?

Prayer: Father, only you have the authority and final say. With the current situation of the world, full of deception, enable me to discern. Help me to rightly divide your Word, with wisdom and humility, through your Holy Spirit. Amen.