The study of the word: sure antodoto against doctrinal error

It is important that spiritual leaders place great importance on the systematic education of our parishioners. At the same time, it is important for each believer to be interested in studying God's Word, and to spend time learning about the great themes, characters, and principles of Scripture. A church cannot live solely on passionate sermons, enthusiastic praise, or so-called supernatural experiences. It requires the solid food of the Word administered day by day to become a stable and blessed community. As the apostle Peter points out, to virtue we must add knowledge. If not, what we have is a failed and fragile spirituality, open to deception, exposed to every wind of doctrine that blows in the cultural sphere.

The accelerated growth of the Church in Latin America and other parts of the Third World will sooner or later have to enter the discipline of greater theological and biblical rigor. There is too much foam in the teaching that a great part of the people of God currently receive, too much doctrine of men that has very little to do with the sound instruction of the word of God. This results in an emotionally and falsely anointed church, frequently intoxicated with the self-deception of disorderly and hysterical cults that create the false impression of a true visitation of the Holy Spirit, or of effective progress against the hosts of darkness, but in reality they do not greatly affect either the spiritual or the material world.

It is necessary to clarify: It is not about repressing or controlling the true movement of the Spirit: Religious formalism and modernist theology are as dangerous and sterilizing as the superficial emotionalism that we currently see in so many sectors of the evangelical world. Without a doubt, the power of God through the Holy Spirit is required to enable the Church in her evangelizing task in the world. It is not a question of extinguishing the flame of the Spirit and trying to replace it with an empty religiosity devoid of life and power. We speak of a biblical balance, which keeps the intellect and emotions, doctrine and anointing, order and spontaneity in healthy tension.

Much of what happens today for Christian preaching and teaching does not really measure up to what the word of God prescribes. Ultimately, it is nothing more than the subtle whisper of the serpent, flattering people's ears and plunging them deeper into their own sensuality, materialism, and spiritual immaturity. Genuine pastoral teaching will always combine love with truth, affirmation with confrontation, tolerance with discipline. It is to this subtle balance that the apostle Paul refers when he entrusts the young pastor Timothy to instruct the people soberly and responsibly:

1 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead in his appearance and in his kingdom,

2 that you preach the word; that you insist in time and out of time; convict, rebuke, exhort with all patience and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not suffer sound doctrine, but having itching to hear, teachers will be gathered according to their own lusts,

4 and they will turn away their ears from the truth and turn to fables.

We have to create a taste in God's people for biblical doctrine and teaching. Only in this way will we prepare him to resist the false doctrines that abound in our time. We live in dangerous times, where the doctrines of demons proliferate, subtle and difficult to determine if they are from God or not. The only sure antidote to seduction and doctrinal deception is a thorough knowledge of God's Word. In that sense, the Berean Jews recorded in Acts 17: 10-12 are a good example for all of us. Instead of impulsively accepting or rejecting the new doctrine that Paul and Silas brought about the Messiah, they searched "every day the Scriptures to see if these things were so." They had an open and teachable heart, but they wanted to make sure that this new doctrine was aligned with the principles of the Scriptures.

The systematic and disciplined study of the Bible leads to a healthy and sober spirituality. Over time, it becomes a solid foundation for life and service to the Lord. It is the source of wisdom and prudence. That is why we must treasure the Word, and learn to love the systematic knowledge of the Scriptures. To the passion and the anointing, we must add the healthy foundation of theological and doctrinal reflection. We must adopt the reverent and enthusiastic attitude towards the Word of God that the psalmist reflects:

14 I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies more than of all wealth.

15 I will meditate on your commandments; I will consider your ways.

16 I will rejoice in your statutes; I will not forget your words.