I recently heard a pastor say, “Do not criticize those who have the anointing of God on their lives. Once you criticize someone who has the anointing, you’re in the flesh.” The listening audience erupted in cheers and applause!
This statement seems reasonable and logical to me. It even seems biblical. After all, the Bible says, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” (Ps. 105:15). Right? Wrong! This is the danger of taking a verse out of context and misappropriating Scripture.
Was Paul “in the flesh” when he criticized Peter’s “hypocrisy” (Paul’s words not mine) over the circumcision issue at Antioch? (Galatians 2). Was Paul also wrong when he, in speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus, said, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in AMONG YOU, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them”? (Acts 20:29-30).
In Matthew 16 we read of Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God. Peter was commended by our Lord and given authority. Immediately afterward (for Matthew was an outstanding writer!) Matthew juxtaposes that confession with Peter’s being rebuked by our Lord: “But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matthew 16:23). Peter had been chosen (anointed) by our Lord himself. So was Jesus “in the flesh” when he rebuked him so harshly?
Takeaways
So what am I trying to tell you? Here it is:
1. Do not be led and misled by every teaching that “sounds good” or receives the approval of many. The Scripture says, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:11-14).
2. False teachers, by definition, in the Scripture have one hallmark common to all of them: they will be popular among many and thus will lead to the destruction of many! Again, the Scripture says, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words (2 Peter 2:1-3).
3. Test every teaching, no matter how good it sounds, against Scripture. Here is the Scripture for that too: “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21); “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
4. Never build a belief or a principle on one verse. Take the totality of Scripture regarding the matter at hand.
5. Know for certain that just because your favorite pastor (or a popular pastor) said something, that doesn’t make it right or biblical!
6. When Satan came to tempt our Lord, what did he use? He used Scripture!!! A proper understanding of Scripture leads to eternal life. A flawed interpretation of Scripture can lead you to destruction. Learn to do as our Lord and Savior did. When someone says, “It is written…,” you should then say, “It is also written… .”
7. Do not be impressed by a pastor who says, “The Greek word means…,” or, “The original Hebrew says, … .” Most of these assertions are either inaccurate or, at best, add very little value to our understanding of Scripture anyway. Context always trumps the meaning of individual words. The word nice comes from the Latin word nescius, meaning “ignorant”! And butterfly does not mean “butter” that flies! (Do not get me wrong; I appreciate the value of exegeting biblical text in its original language as well as word studies. But this goes far beyond isolating the meaning of individual words!)
8. How do you test everything against Scripture? That's impossible unless you yourself are immersed in the word of God. So pray earnestly and read your Bible every day! Journal what you learn so you don't forget it.
9. When you hear or read someone quoting Scripture, don't just take it at face value. (And yes, this includes your favorite pastor!) Instead, go back and read that quote in its original context. Ask yourself: is that what the biblical author truly meant to say? This includes this post too! I quoted Ps. 105:15 earlier, indicating how it might be misunderstood. Go back and read that psalm. Was I correct in my assessment?
Be blessed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
