Scriptural Background
The serpent in the garden of Eden asked Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Just as Satan cast doubt on God’s Word in the very beginning, the Word of God has been questioned, denied, changed, added to, and misinterpreted throughout history.
We are called to search the Scriptures to discover the truth—to be Bereans (Acts 17:10–11). Our confidence and trust must be in God’s Word as our final authority. The Word of God makes it clear that Scripture is what should be guiding us. Deuteronomy provides several warnings against adding to or taking from the Word of God (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32), as well as a test for false prophets who presume to speak in God’s name (Deuteronomy 18:20–22).
A similar warning, given in Galatians 1:6–9, says that those who preach a false gospel will be accursed. Finally, in the Bible’s final chapter (Revelation 22:18–19), we are given God’s assurance that it is complete and that it must not be changed in any way.
Historical/Apologetics Background
Tolerance—it’s a word we often hear in this culture. The attitude today is to be open-minded, accept everyone, be careful not to offend anyone, and accept all religions as equally true. If it works for you—it works! This is not an accurate understanding of tolerance, but a twisted view that comes from the post-modern mindset where people can construct
their own truth. Real tolerance involves understanding the positions of others, knowing why you disagree, living alongside them, and confronting their false ideas with biblical truth.
As Christians, we are called to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who was not tolerant of false religions but stood on the truth of God’s Word (John 3:34, 14:6, 17:3).
Is the Bible the only Word of God? Be assured, God’s Word needs no proof. God begins with the presumption that he exists (Genesis 1:1) and follows up with many texts that authenticate his Word (Proverbs
30:5; Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). He does, however, warn us against succumbing to empty deceit, traditions of men, and the principles of the world that are not of Christ (Colossians 2:8).
We need to be very aware that there are many false teachings in the world today. And only God’s Word provides us with the information needed to discern them from the truth. The Bible is the only Word of God. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how some false religions blatantly deny the truth of God and the work of Jesus Christ.
Bible
View of Origins: God created all things in six 24-hour days about 6,000 years ago. All creatures, including man, were created after their own kinds. Sin, disease, sickness, and death were not part of this creation; they came as a result of the fall.
View of Christ : Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, who became man to live a perfect life, to be mankind’s substitute on the cross, and to rise from the dead, defeating death.
Sin and Salvation: Every person has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and his redeeming work on the cross.
Life After Death: Mankind will live forever either in heaven or in hell. The only way for us to get to heaven is through faith in Christ.
Islam
View of Origins: The Koran teaches that Allah created all things, but it contradicts itself on the number of days. It also teaches that the first man and woman were created in Paradise but were later banished to earth after the fall into sin.
View of Christ: Allah (God) created Jesus and appointed him to be a messenger to the Jewish people. The Koran does teach that Jesus was sinless, but he was not God and he did not die on the cross.:
Sin and Salvation: Salvation is possible after adherence to the Koran, as well as performing the five pillars of the Islamic faith. But even then, salvation is not guaranteed.
Life and Death: Allah sends both righteous and unrighteous to hell unless they die in a holy war. But if their good works outweigh their bad, they should be admitted into Paradise. Paradise is only guaranteed to those who die in jihad (holy war).
Mormonism
View of Origin: God created man physically after he created the earth. However, we had a pre-earth life, in which we existed as God’s “spirit children.”
View of Christ: Jesus is the spirit-brother to every man, and even Satan. Jesus is one of an endless number of gods and is a being separate from the Heavenly Father.
Sin and Salvation: Sin was part of God’s plan because without it mankind could not progress to become like God, know joy, or have children. Salvation is a combination of faith and works.
Life after Death: Even after death, everyone has an opportunity to respond to the gospel. Heaven has three levels, and those who attain the highest level become gods, ruling and populating their own world.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
View of Origin: The Watchtower Society teaches that each of the six creative days of God in Genesis 1 was 7,000 years long, and that the universe is billions of years old.
View of Christ: Jesus is the Son of God but is a created being. Christ existed in a pre-human state as the Archangel Michael. Jesus died at his crucifixion and was resurrected as an invisible, non-material, glorious spirit creature.
Sin and Salvation: Human nature is universally sinful because all humans inherit the original sin of Adam
and Eve. Salvation comes by placing faith in Christ’s sacrifice, being baptized as a Witness, and doing good works.
Life after Death:There is no eternal hell; this is a false concept created by Satan to turn people away from belief in Jehovah. Unbelievers cease to exist at death (annihilation), while believers remain in death until the resurrection. Only 144,000 will go to heaven, while the rest will live in an earthly paradise.
The one true Word is the Bible. Believers who have gone before us have demonstrated how much the Bible meant to them. They sacrificed much to share the Word because they knew it to be the only Word of God. Consider John Wycliffe, who suffered persecution in England for translating the Scriptures into common English from the Latin translations. John Huss was burned at the stake for upholding the authority of the Word of God against the compromises in the church. Other examples include Martin Luther and William Tyndale, who both faced persecution for defending and translating the Word of God.
These are but a few of the saints who have gone before us to preserve, protect, and provide the Word of God to the people. The Word of God cannot be changed, and around the world people are still giving up their lives to honor its integrity.
Studying God’s Word
Introduction
Last week we talked about the collection of books we know as the New
Testament and how it came to be.
? Who remembers the common thread that tied the New Testament
authors together? They were all recording eyewitness accounts under the
direction of the Holy Spirit.
? What was the Holy Spirit’s role in the production of the New Testament?
The Spirit brought to remembrance the words and deeds of Christ so that these
men could accurately record the texts that were collected as the New Testament
(John 14:26).
? Does anyone recall the approximate date of the final New Testament
writings? Most of the books were completed before AD 70, but the Gospel of
John and Revelation were likely written around AD 90, though there is some
debate on this.
? Why was it necessary for a list of the New Testament canon to be
recorded? False teachers were presenting their own writings as Scripture and
editing the accepted Scriptures to their own benefit. Organizing a canon was
necessary to respond to these false ideas.
? What general claims about the New Testament do we need to be
prepared to respond to in order to defend the faith? Skeptics often claim
that the books were chosen by the church councils to represent their views and
give them authority over the people. They also claim that many books should have
been included but were not or that the books and letters were written hundreds
of years after the actual events. Many manuscripts demonstrate these claims
to be false.
? Did adding the books to a list make them Scripture? No! These writings
were Scripture and carried their own authority. It was their authority that
demanded they be included in the list, not the other way around.
The Test of a True Prophet
Our lesson today is going to extend our discussion of what belongs in
the canon of Scripture into the modern era. Many claim that the Bible
is not enough and that more revelation has come to mankind from God.
Knowing how to test the claims of these self-described prophets is the
goal of our lesson today, and we will examine several of them to practice
our biblical discernment.
Deuteronomy 18:17–22
? Who is speaking in this passage?
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? Who is the audience?
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? What promise does God make in verse 18?
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? Why is this singular and not plural?
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? What will this Prophet do?
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? How will God react to the people who will not listen to his Prophet?
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John 12:44–50
? What identifies a prophet according to the Deuteronomy passage?
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? How are the people to know if what the prophet has spoken is from
God?
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? In what other name can someone claiming to be a prophet speak?
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? What is prescribed for a prophet who speaks on his own authority but
claims God as the source of his proclamation?
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? What word is repeated in verses 20 and 22?
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? What is the main point of the passage?
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? What does the passage tell us about God?
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? Are there other passages in Scripture that relate to this passage?
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Discover the Truth
? Based on this passage, how do we know if a prophet is truly speaking
on God’s behalf?
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? This definition of prophecy seems to focus on future-telling. Is the role
of a prophet always to forecast the future?
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? Is there anything about the language in this passage that makes it
difficult to understand, such as figures of speech, difficult words, or
other difficulties?
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? Why does God demand such a strict punishment for this offense?
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Don’t Add or Take Away
Last week we looked at Revelation 22:18–19 in our discussion on the
closing of the canon. Continuing from that discussion, we are going
to look at some of the modern prophets who claim to have spoken on
God’s behalf.
Revelation 22:18–19
? Who is speaking?
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? What two things does this passage prohibit?
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? What are the two consequences mentioned?
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? How are the words of this book described?
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? What is the main point of the passage?
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Discover the Truth
Now that we have asked questions about the text, let’s look at how we
interpret this in light of some modern claims to revelation from God.
? Think of some writings that many believe are on par with the
66 books of the Bible?
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? Is it always easy to tell that a prophet or writing is not from God?
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A Different Gospel Activity
Galatians 1:6–9
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel
7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Islam
Islam draws its doctrine from the sayings of Mohammed, who supposedly received the messages from the angel
Gabriel, as recorded in the Koran. The Koran mentions Jesus as a prophet, but the following is one passage that reveals the Muslim view of who Christ is.
Surah 5:17 In blasphemy indeed are those that say
that Allah [God] is Christ the son of Mary. Say: “Who
then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were
to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all
every-one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth
the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that
is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath
power over all things.”
How does the opening statement of this passage compare to Colossian 2:8–10?
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Is this a different Christ?
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Is Mohammed a true prophet of God? Explain.
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Mormonism
Mormonism draws its doctrine from the Bible and also three other books supposedly given to Joseph Smith from God: The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. These three works are revered above the Bible since they came directly through Joseph Smith. The following comes from the Book of Mormon as delivered on golden plates by the angel Moroni, translated by Joseph Smith, and recorded by a scribe.
2 Nephi 25:23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade
our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ,
and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by
grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
How does this compare to Ephesians 2:8–9?
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Is this a different gospel?
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Is Joseph Smith a true prophet of God? Explain.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses
Witnesses take their doctrine from the writings of Charles Taze Russell and a re-translation of the Bible known as the New World Translation. Today, the Watchtower Society directs the information, and the Witnesses spread the message by distributing The Watchtower magazine door to door. In the writings of this organization, we find the following statement
about the resurrection of Jesus: Having given up his flesh for the life of the world, Christ could never take it again and become a man once more. For that basic reason his return could never be in the human body that he sacrificed once
for all time.
How does this statement compare to Luke 24:38–40 and 1 Corinthians 15:1–5?
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Can the biblical gospel be true if Christ were not raised from the dead with a physical body (1 Corinthians 15:12–17)?
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Does the Watchtower Society speak on behalf of God?
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Three tests to discern God’s Word:
1.
2.
3
Connect to the Truth
? How do these allegedly prophetic claims stand up when compared to
the Bible?
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Application
? How would you respond if someone says that he follows a different
prophet who has heard from God and that the Bible needs to be
reinterpreted for us to understand it correctly (e.g., Mormons and
Jehovah’s Witnesses)?
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? Many religious people use biblical words, like atonement and
forgiveness, but they apply unbiblical definitions to these words.
Which of the three categories of error does this fit into and why is it so
dangerous?
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? How do we guard against being influenced by language that sounds
biblical but carries different definitions?
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? If a prophet claims to be speaking for God but is found to be a false
prophet, what/who is the source of the prophecies?
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? Why is it important to be able to discern who false prophets are?
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Prayer Time
• Praise God that he has given us his true Word by which we can test
all things.
• Ask God for wisdom that each person will examine the things they
hear against the Bible’s clear testimony.
• Thank God for those in the church body who help guard sound
doctrine.