As for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1
How much arsenic would you be comfortable knowing was in your food or drink? Just a little? The fact is, many Christians tolerate trace amounts of contaminants in their belief systems, poisoning their perspectives on everything from family issues to finances to public policy.
This is why God’s Word exhorts us to hold fast to sound doctrine. The word sound in the original Greek is hugiaino, a term closely related to the English word hygiene. To be sound is to be healthy, to ingest only that which is wholesome and beneficial to our lives. Insisting on sound doctrine is akin to the practice of carefully reading nutrition labels, or shopping at health food stores, or choosing organic options that are free from harmful pesticides and preservatives.
How many people do you know who go to great lengths to ensure the safety and quality of the foods they eat? And yet how many people do you know who are just as careful to guard their hearts and minds from belief systems that can weaken their entire outlook on life (worldview), and thus faithful obedience in their walk with Christ?
Outright false doctrine isn’t that hard to spot or avoid. What we must be careful about is letting our spiritual intake become sprinkled with just enough error, dispensed by charismatic personalities with just enough emotional stories and funny jokes, causing us to end up believing things that are not consistent with Revealed Truth, and that, over time, deaden our spiritual senses.
Become so familiar with God’s Word and keep it so close to your heart that you’ll be able to discern whether what you’re hearing is true, healthy, and sound teaching.
Adapted from The Quiet Place, Nancy Leigh DeMoss