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Is the Book You Are Reading Biblically Sound?

I had just put my kids to bed. The youngest was snoring away on the pillow next to me while my older two were fast asleep in their bunk bed. And it wasn’t even 8 pm yet (small mom victory!) which meant I had plenty of time to recline in my bed, put my feet up, and soak in a good Christian Living book. Or at least, that’s what it was supposed to be…

I’m not going to share the title of what I was reading because the truth is it wasn’t correctly categorized as a Christian Living book, and I can’t in good conscience recommend it. BUT this book brought to light an issue that (for the most part) has flown under the radar.

What if the Christian Books or Devotionals you’re reading aren’t as biblically sound as you were lead to believe?

What Is Sound Doctrine?

According to the Oxford Dictionary doctrine is a set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or another group. In the context of Christianity sound doctrine is teaching that is accurate and true according to the Bible.

We learn a thing or two about sound doctrine in Timothy, an Old Testament book of the Bible. It can be summed up in this verse,

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

When we talk about doctrine in the Bible we are referring to God’s teachings as recorded in the Bible. Anything that goes against what God teaches to be right and just in the Bible is inaccurate teaching.

Doctrine is important for a couple of different reasons:

• It is the foundation of the choices we make and how we live.
• It creates unity in the body of Christ.
• It rightfully divides us (Christians) from the sinful morals and actions the world has become accustomed to.

When we begin mixing doctrines, we create confusion. The pure and righteous ways of God become tainted with our own sin and selfishness. The most dangerous part about that is we begin to believe we are living righteously when the reality is we aren’t. We’ve separated ourselves from what is true and right – the Word God. One of the most common ways this deception slips into our lives is through devotionals, Christian Living books, self-help books.

Should We Trust Christian Living and Self Help Books to Provide Sound Doctrine?

Devotionals and Bible Study books have become HUGE in the Christian community. Everyone wants to write one and even more, people want to read them. They’ve become valuable tools for growth. Even I have my every growing shelf of Christian literature that I like to read through. But what I’m finding to be true in this new and growing age of Christian literature, where new authors are emerging in every city, is not every book that claims to be for our spiritual growth is biblically sound.

And that’s a problem. ESPECIALLY when so many Christians have turned to these examples to set the foundations for their lives. These places have become breeding grounds for people of influences in Christian circles to share their platforms, opinions, and preferences. This wouldn’t be a problem if those platforms, opinions, and preferences reflected the heart of God and His righteousness. Unfortunately for many, that’s not how it’s played out. As a result, the body of Christ is confused about even the basics of how to live for and honor God with all their heart, soul, and strength.

We have to realize if we are going to be using these tools to help equip us in our walk with God then we are responsible for making sure what we take into our minds is biblically sound. Does that mean we should throw all the devotionals and Christian Living books away? No way! But it does mean we need to be discerning as we read them. And we certainly shouldn’t rely solely on them. If you plan to use these tools to strengthen your walk and relationship with God, there are a few practices you’ll want to adopt to make sure what you are reading is biblically sound.

How to Ensure Your Devotionals, Bible Studies and Christian Living Books Are Biblically Sound

Before anything else we must understand that Christians are not the final authority on Christian living; God is. And devotionals aren’t a solid foundation for Christian living; the Bible is.  So if at any point what you are studying contradicts the heart of God or His Word, the wise choice would be to dismiss it as myth and not accept it as truth. We can skip over a lot of false doctrines by putting these checks into place.

1. Get Familiar With the Author

Often, before I consider reading a devotional, Bible Study, or Christian living book I consider who the author is. If I don’t know much about them I try to find out the basics. What’s their testimony? Are they attached to any heavy controversy? If so, what is it? What is the mission of their ministry or outreach?

Most of these things you can find on their website, Facebook page, or through a simple google search. YouTube is a great vetting source for established authors and speakers. Often after listening to a few minutes of speaking you can tell if the author is teaching opinion or truth. And it never hurts to ask a trusted friend, pastor, or mentor what their thoughts about a particular book, teacher, or ministry.

2. Keep Your Bible Handy

The Bible should be the foundation of every devotional, Bible Study, or Christian Living book you read. I recommend keeping yours close by as you study other sources so when questions arise you can pull out your Bible, turn to your index or concordance, and seek out a sound answer. Remember if it contradicts the instruction God gives through the Bible, His inspired Word (see 2 Timothy 3:16), it is NOT biblically sound.

3. Lookup any scriptures, texts, or stories that are mentioned.

Any time scripture is quoted in a book, it is wise to look it up in your Bible. Often times scriptures in books you’re reading are paraphrased. Many are even taken out of context. Taking the time to look verses up for yourself will help you keep scripture in context and ensure that you aren’t being misled. When you look up the scripture you want to do three things:

1 | Read the scripture in its entirety.

Too many people are trying to build their lives off of small portions or paraphrases of scripture. This practice fosters confusion more than anything and causes us to miss what God intended when He inspired that passage of scripture. A well-known example of this is the paraphrase, “wives, submit to your husband.” When we take that paraphrase as is, we interpret it as an absolute directive. However, when you look at the scripture in its entirety you see God’s heart and intent behind it and it’s not what people think. Here’s an example of that if you’re curious. Context matters

2 | Read a few verses above and below the referenced scripture verse.  Maybe even the chapter as a whole.

This is another big piece of the context puzzle. God is very intentional about what is written throughout the Bible. That alone should tell us context matters. Taking the time to read a few scriptures above and below the verse referenced can help us keep scripture in context and keep us from misinterpreting scripture. I’ll use Philippians 4:13 as an example, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If you don’t read Philippians 4 in its entirety you might get the idea (as many have) that God is saying we have infinite abilities and can do whatever we want to, whatever we set our mind to. IF however, you read this verse in context with the rest of the text, its clear Paul was talking about His ability to be content regardless of His circumstance and set His mind of the things that reflect the goodness of God even in hardship (see Philippians 4:8 through 14). Context makes a difference.

TIP: Asking and answering questions like these will also help you keep what you read in context. 

3 | Write down any scripture you are aware of that supports the scripture referenced in your book.

If a topic comes up that you are unsure about even after reading the text in its entirety and gaining context through surrounding verses, your next step is to either refute or support the claim made, through other biblical text. This is where having a concordance comes in and when knowing how to use the index of a Bible comes in handy. The index can help point you towards other verses associated with the principle at hand. Studying these additional scriptures can help you gain an understanding of where there was once confusion.

A concordance is a great tool because it allows you to look at scripture in its original language (Hebrew, Greek, or Arabic). A concordance can help you uncover keywords and meanings that were lost during the translation process.

 

What To Do When You Encounter and Error

It’s going to happen and one point or another. We are all human which means we are incapable of getting it right all the time. So before you throw out the book, you may want to consider these things:

• Is the mistake one that disrupts the foundation of the Gospel? If the answer is yes, this isn’t the book for you.  The foundation that you build your faith on needs to be solid. There’s no getting around that. If the foundation of something is faulty it’ll show up in other portions of the structure too. If you’re looking for sound truth you may be better off using a different source.
• Does it make sin look acceptable? Walking out our salvation and living a redeemed life (through Christ) requires us to set aside our old ways, in adopting God’s ways as our own. It means leaving sin behind and pursuing righteousness. Will we get it right every time? No. But there’s grace for that. What we can’t afford to do though, is take advantage of that grace and use it as an excuse to continue living in sin. Paul addresses this very thing in his letter to the Roman church. Grace is not a free pass to live this life however we want to. So if a source is leading you to believe that God tolerates sinful living or that He’s too loving or kind to respond with anything other than acceptance you NEED to set that one down and leave it down. We are told in Romans 12:2 not to conform to the standards of the world but to allow Christ to renew our minds with His truth. Anything that contradicts His truth is not worth holding onto.
• Is it simply a difference of opinion? Should we eat meat? Should we not eat meat? Can we drink alcohol? Is contemporary worship music okay? Questions like these tend to cause a lot of confusion within the church. Why? Because there isn’t a straight yes or no answer to them. God doesn’t instruct us away from them (or provide principles that instruct us away from them) but He doesn’t tell us to embrace them either. So how do we decide where we stand? First, considers these questions:

• • Does this practice or belief affect my salvation?
  • Does it negatively affect my walk with God?
  • Does it draw me closer to Him?
  • By participating in this, am I demonstrating good stewardship?

You may also like: 6 Excuses Christians Need to Stop Using to Excuse the Sin They’re In

Allowing Conviction to Guide You in Biblically Sound Choices

When there isn’t a clear yes or no directive in the Bible chances are the question you’re asking is more of a heart issue than it is one of legality. In these instances, we follow the individual leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul addresses this in his letter to the Roman church as well (Romans 14). We are all at very different places in our walk with God which means that the boundaries we set to protect our relationship with Him are all going to look a little bit different. What may be a stumbling block (something that causes us to fall into sin or leads us away from God) for me may not necessarily be a stumbling block for you.

If I were recovering from a season of alcoholism and struggling to maintain control in that area, it would be wise to set boundaries that kept me from falling back into the habit of drunkenness such as “no alcohol in the house.”

If on the other hand, sobriety wasn’t something you struggled with, you might not need that same boundary. Celebrating with a glass of wine doesn’t share the same damaging consequences in your life that it could someone who is recovering from alcohol addiction. And if you were aware of their struggle the loving thing to do would be to help them walk in authority by respecting their boundaries in their presence. Paul also explains this in Romans 14:13 – 23.

All that to say, If the error you encountered is simply a difference of opinion or matter of personal preference there isn’t a reason to be concerned about what you’re reading. In fact, learning about differences, and how to manage them, how to see someone else’s point of view; that’s valuable. You may not implement those principles into your life and that’s okay. Just be careful not to let the fact that someone thinks differently than you keep you from learning from them.

Why “Biblically Sound” Matters

In Matthew 24:11-12 Jesus says,

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Not everyone who misteaches is out to deceive you. Some sincerely don’t know any better. Those who are mistaken but truly have a heart for Jesus are often willing to listen, research, and stand corrected. You don’t have to argue with them because Holy Spirit will convict them and they will correct themselves privately and publically.

And then there are those Jesus warns us about in Matthew 24:11-12; false teachers and prophets who will intentionally lead people astray for their own gain. It’s up to you and me to discern the difference. The BEST way to ensure what we are learning is biblically sound is to immerse ourselves in the Bible itself and stay in a close relationship with Jesus. If you’re struggling with this task but be afraid to reach out! We have a bible study group on Facebook that’s the perfect starting place for women learning the Bible. Fill out the form below and I’ll send an invite to your email, plus get you started with some fun, practical, and free Bible study tools.

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