A few non-Christian teachings to ponder  CsThDE CsThDE  7jNABT_Oo4 7jNABT_Oo4

Why and How to Study Non- Christian Teachings as Believers Four Main Principles to Help Guide the Endeavor

 1 Timothy 4:16a – “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.(NIV).” - Contextually this is speaking to the leaders in the church, but the principle is obviously a universal one. First, a Look at the Biblical Precedent for Studying Non-Christian Teachings

 2 John 10-11: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”  Does this mean we should shun/ignore all non-Christian teachings out-rightly?  NOT AT ALL!

Reasons  The Context in 2 John – The surrounding verses tell the believers to heed sound doctrine and avoid false teachers, not necessarily what they teach.  This is because the purpose of 2 John is to exhort the believers to commune with other believers rather than welcoming non-Christians into their company, presumably because they are young in the faith (we will come back to this point later).  What other biblical basis do we have for believing this interpretation of 2 John 10-11?

 Paul in Acts 17:28 – appealed to the teachings of the ancient Greeks in his defense of Christianity.  Jesus and the Apostles spoke against all kinds of false teachings and religions. - How could they do this accurately without having studied those teachings?  1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 – “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”  In ancient times inviting someone into your home was equivalent to opening yourself up to their teachings (referring to the historical context of 2 John 10-11).

Principle #1  Being Firmly Grounded or Having Wise Council to Guide You - Must have strong foundation for beliefs or - Must have wise guidance of mind as you study non-Christian teachings and ideas.

Why  Because if you are not well grounded to begin with then you are likely to fall prey to the non-Christian ideals that are prevalent in those sort of teachings, and it could seriously damage your view of Christianity.  If you are not well grounded, then wise guidance on how to think (not what to think) can keep you in check when questions in your mind arise about the non-Christian teachings that you are studying, thereby acting as a “safety net” for your faith.

Note  This is not because our faith cannot be defended rationally, but rather because the human mind is week and fragile on its own and easily susceptible to new/exciting teachings.  Proverbs 18:17: “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines it (ESV).”

Principle #2  You Must Spend Time in the Word - Again, our minds are week apart from Christ, and our primary interaction with Christ is through His Word.  Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (ESV).”

 This principle is important because we must remember not to get too engulfed in secularism.  Jonathan Edwards was the president of Princeton University in the early-mid 1700’s. - known primarily as a philosopher to the secular world. -known as a pastor and theologian first and foremost to believers.  He made it a point of his to spend two or three hours in the Word for every hour he spent on anything else.

Principle #3  Comparing the Non-Christian Teachings to What Scripture Says - We must compare if we are to discern, and we must discern if we are to come to an informed decision. Compare > Discern > informed Decision

 How else will one know what to believe between the secular and the sacred?  How can one legitimately choose the one over the other, the right over the wrong, the truth from the falsity? - A person can only truly accept or reject something to the extent that he/she understands it. - How can someone understand something without studying it? - How can someone compare teachings that they neither study nor understand?  Study > Understand > Compare > Discern > Informed Decision > Accept/Reject

Principle #4  Scripture Must Be the Standard of Measurement When Analyzing Non-Christian Teachings - The Bible (Scripture) is the Word of God, and therefore the one true standard for Christian faith and teachings. - The Bible is True (this can be rationally argued, and has been elsewhere) - Therefore, the Bible is the one legitimate objective reference for comparing ALL teachings.

 This does NOT mean that the Bible speaks on all matters.  This DOES mean that, based on the principles that are set forth in the Bible regarding all things, the Bible should be used as the measuring rod for truth that is not explicitly found in it.

Final Point (sub-principle under #4)  Once all of this is done, we MUST go one step forward! - We must, after comparing the non- Christian teachings to the Christian teachings, accept the things that agree with Scripture and deny (rather than ignore) the things that do not agree with Scripture (1 Thess. 5:20-22)!