A little while ago, the Bank of Canada became concerned about the amount of counterfeit currency circulating within the country. They began to educate the population with a short and simple mantra: “Touch, tilt, look at, look through.” These are four simple tests that can quickly show a bill to be genuine or counterfeit.
It is wise to test currency, because once I have accepted it, I am responsible for it. If I accept a fake hundred-dollar bill and attempt to deposit it at the bank, the bill will be taken from me and destroyed, leaving me one hundred dollars poorer. The stakes are high. Thankfully, I have a legal right to reject any piece of currency that is given to me and to request a replacement. If I make a purchase in a store and am handed a bill that is fraudulent, I can return it and request another one. The bill does not become my responsibility until I have accepted it and have taken possession of it.
The same is true when it comes to spiritual matters. When a doctrine or teaching is presented to me, I have the right to examine it and mull it over. I can compare it to Scripture and seek to understand whether it is consistent with what God has revealed about himself. But once I accept that doctrine I am responsible for it. If the doctrine is false and I choose to believe it, I can expect God to hold me accountable for believing something that is false. “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves,” says Paul (Romans 14:22). And so I must exercise great caution and great care in ensuring that I accept and approve only that which the Bible teaches. I need to test everything that is presented to me. What is included in that “everything?”
I want to describe some specific categories, but first, let’s talk about media. Books are to be tested and so are blogs. Tiktoks and Reels need to be carefully evaluated and so too television shows and YouTube videos. The same is true of sermons and conversations. In short, wherever facts are spoken, testing must be performed!
If the doctrine is false and I choose to believe it, I can expect God to hold me accountable for believing something that is false.
Here are some specific categories the Bible offers us:
Teaching. The members of the church at Berea are commended in the Bible for testing the words of Paul and Silas to ensure that they were consistent with the Scriptures of the Old Testament. “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Prophecy. The immediate context of 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 teaches that prophecy is to be tested. “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21a).
Spirits. We are to test spirits to determine if they are the spirits sent from God or from Satan. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Leaders. Those who are suited to serve as leaders in the church must first be tested and proven. Under the church’s examination, they must demonstrate conduct that is consistent with their profession of faith. “Let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless” (1 Timothy 3:10).
Other Believers. When Paul sent Titus and two other godly men to minister to the church in Corinth, he felt it necessary to indicate that he and his fellow apostles had tested an unnamed disciple and had found him suitable to serve among them in the local church. “And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you” (2 Corinthians 8:22).
The Times. Jesus criticized a crowd of his followers for their inability to properly understand the times and for not properly discerning who Jesus was and what he had come to do. “You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56)
Ourselves. The Bible often emphasizes the importance of personal testing and examination. For example, we are to test ourselves to see that we are truly saved, for such testing will show whether we have the characteristics of those who call themselves followers of the Lord Jesus. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?— unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Even if we are confident that we are saved, we are to ensure that we are living in a way consistent with our profession. Paul exhorts young Timothy to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved” (2 Timothy 2:15a). There are also occasions where we are to put ourselves through a time of special testing, for when discussing the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, Paul says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).
In short, we are to test everything! Everything that relates to Christian life and spirituality is to be thoroughly tested and approved. Nothing is excluded, for it is only through testing that we can be certain we are filtering out what is counterfeit and embracing what is true.
