Eight Qualities of the Heart That Resists Error
Keen instincts for truth come from broad familiarity with Scripture
If we want to know the truth about the big questions of life, we must pay attention to the state of our soul, not just our worldview. This is part three of eight soul qualities that make us immune to false teaching. (If you missed a previous article in the series, see part one and part two.)
3. Familiarity with Scripture
Last night I was in a prayer meeting for which someone arrived late. I did not open my eyes to see who it was, but in a moment I knew. When he walked by, I smelled the after-shave he often uses, and when he began to pray, I of course recognized his voice.
We gain a similar discernment when we saturate ourselves with Scripture. As we prayerfully read the Bible day after day, we become familiar with the sound and feel of truth. We come to know intuitively in our spirit the One who is truth.
Jesus compared this experience to that of sheep with their shepherd. He said, “The sheep hear [their shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:3–5).
The more you read the whole Bible, the sharper will be your instinctive sense of what is true and false in the world. Falsehood will sound off-key, even if you are not immediately sure why it is false.
To know truth we must pay a price. Instead of spending discretionary time on myriad things of little lasting value, we need to read, study, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word.