How does a Christian distinguish between what is God's will and the words of a false prophet or misguided person? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page 683).
Matthew
22:37-40 (NIV)
Jesus
replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these
two commandments.”
Matthew
22:37–40 spells out essential Christianity by which attitude and
action are verifiable – it is the reality check to all claims of
divine inspiration. There are several types of enticements that do
not meet this test. One is romantic mysticism in which one worships
with pseudo-religious infatuation charismatic persons. This is driven
by a profound need for a feeling of significance. By touching the
cloak of the religious mystic the need for limitless significance is
superficially satisfied. By subject sycophancy one creates a
surrogate God. Another enticement tightens the perimeter of the
second Commandment to love one's neighbor. One's neighbor is limited
to only those within one's clan. Hence familiar abominations are
heard such as “my country right or wrong”or “God bless (my
country only).” This enticement hugely stokes our ego at the
expense of the gospel truth. A third enticement is that created
through extensive propaganda. Propaganda represents huge sums
invested to have us love entities and ourselves more than God or our
neighbor. We are literally encouraged to love a trinket or a leader
with all our heart, soul, and mind; and to adorn ourselves with these
and not righteousness. In this sense, today's ministers of culture
function as marketing executives. In the end, even though we have
Matthew 22:37-40, discerning the truth is not all cut and dry. The
Holy Spirit abides still to lead us.
Print Page
