by Erik Jones

In the post about John 14:1, we covered how the essential starting point of true Christianity is a genuine belief in God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 the apostle Paul shows us the great extent to which that belief in God extends into every aspect of our lives. God’s way of life revealed through the Bible is to be the filter through which we “test,” or examine, all ideas, beliefs and activities.

Here are three keys to fulfilling this scripture:

• Any individual who claims to represent and teach about God is to be tested against the Bible—the Word of God. The starting point for this testing is whether or not the teacher teaches and observes the law of God (Isaiah 8:20). Jesus Christ also admonished us to watch for false religious teachers (Matthew 7:15-16, see also 1 John 4:1).
• To “test all things” we must have the approach of the Bereans, testing all things by studying the Word of God (Acts 17:11).
• Every idea or activity that comes before us in life should be scrutinized through the filter of God’s truth. To mature as a Christian is to become skilled at discerning between “good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14) and between what is and is not acceptable to God (Ephesians 5:10).

Once we determine the truth, we must hold fast to it, meaning we must be “steadfast” and “immovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58) in our belief in God and His truth!

To learn more about what you need to find and hold fast to, read “What Is Truth?”