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On what basis should I judge Bible teachers’ lives?

Q: I’m a new Christian, seeking all the Christian help I can from the radio, but sometimes I hear things that are very disturbing. I don’t want to judge my brother, but I hear that some of these teachers have millions of dollars with private jets and several cars. I know Jesus taught that we should not just follow people by what they teach but by how they live. How can I know whether a teacher is really of God or not?

Asked by: Gary, Texas


A: Gary, you’ve asked a very important question—perhaps a question more people need to ask.

First of all, keep listening to their teaching and see if it is biblical—check what they teach with the Bible and make sure everything is in context. If they get off to making grand claims about their ministry or what they can do, beware; false prophets like to draw attention to themselves.

So, a second test would be: what is their attitude? Do they exalt themselves or do they exalt God? Some of the rumors you’ve heard may be right, some may be wrong. What you need to do is to simply say, “Lord, I don’t know. But I’m going to continue to sift what I’m listening to and judge it on the basis of Scripture.”

Yes, it’s true that one of the characteristics of false teachers is their desire and misuse of money. However, until we have the facts, we must be careful about what we say.

Remember this: gossip is a great curse, so we must watch what we say about God’s people. God will reveal the truth in His own good time and really, at the end of the day, it’s not our responsibility to do that. God has His timing and we need to trust that.

Keep listening to the Word of God over the radio, Gary, and God will lead you.

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