Articles
It is Written
Luke 4:7 (CSB) says, “If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.’” How would you respond if someone taught you that Jesus was making this statement to His disciples? Would you check for yourself to make sure that person was teaching you correctly? Would you blindly believe the individual thinking that sounded like a great blessing from Jesus? What would you do?
The truth of the matter is that the statement in Luke 4:7 was said by Satan when he was testing Jesus in the wilderness. According to Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, he tested Jesus with three different temptations. The devil even quoted Scripture at one point (taking it out of context) thinking he could trick Jesus. Every single time, however, Jesus responded with the phrase “It is written,” or something very similar, and would use the Scriptures to go on to explain how the tempter’s words were nothing more than lies, lies, and more lies. Lying is his native tongue after all (John 8:44). And we must be the type of Christians that can and do respond the way Jesus did when others bring falsehood to us. For there are those, unfortunately, that will twist the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16).
Jesus knew the Scriptures. (He is the Word after all!) And yet the devil still tried to pull one over on Him so-to-speak. If he tried that with Jesus Himself, then we better believe he will try that garbage with us as well. Satan will attempt to take down anyone he can with false teachings. He began his dirty work all the way back in the garden of Eden when he deceived Eve, assuring her she wouldn’t really die if she ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:4; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14).
There are many reasons to study the holy Scriptures other than simply to defend their truths. Getting more acquainted with God’s word will help us to gain a healthier respect and appreciation for Him. Studying will also assist us in knowing how Jesus conducted Himself while He walked the earth. With this knowledge, we can strive to be more altruistic just as He was. Also, learning the Bible will better equip us to teach others about God’s amazing grace, which is able to both save and sustain us (Titus 2:11-13). We must study God’s truth diligently to please Him and correctly teach it to others (2 Timothy 2:15).
And we must not be afraid to question people when they teach us things that seem incorrect. We must always be humble and respectful of course. But we must certainly examine the teachings of others to make sure what they are teaching us is true. In fact, we are commanded by the Holy Spirit Himself to do just that (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1). This is one of the ways that God keeps us from forming religions that are not in line with His design.
Just as our bodies need physical nourishment each and every day, so our souls are in desperate need of spiritual sustenance and Jesus feeds us in this regard (Matthew 5:6; Ephesians 5:29-30). We must be reading our Bibles daily to gain spiritual nourishment. If we are the type of people who just warm up pews on Sundays without even opening our Bibles during church services, then how can we be sure what we are being taught is accurate? Many people are led astray by false teachings all the time. Let it not be said of us. Let’s study the Bible for ourselves, humbly question what we’re taught, and teach the truth to others. May we glorify God by always knowing what is written!
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