If people want to be right, then why do people believe wrong doctrine?
People do not willingly believe false doctrine. They think it is true.
Why do people get lost when they drive? What they thought was right was wrong, and they did not see the big picture.
Bad Instructions
With modern GPS systems and satellite imagery it is harder to get bad instructions these days, but not everyone gets good directions.
False teachers are a dime a dozen and when combined with eloquent speeches and smooth presentation it is easy to believe these higher educated self-declared gurus.
When there is nowhere else to turn for answers, the guy on cable television, and the woman on the radio sound pretty good.
Unfortunately, there is no way for the lost to know their instructions are bad. These false teachers need to be marked and avoided by those who know better (Rom 16:17-18).
Lack of Bible Study
How is anyone supposed to know if what they hear is right or wrong? It sounded right. It sounded good.
Yes, lies sound good and sound right, but that doesn’t change the lie into the truth..
There is a better arbiter and discerner of truth than gut feelings. It is the written word of God which discerns truth from error.
Many people own Bibles but do not know how, nor spend the time to study them. If they did, false teachers and bad instructions would not be so prevalent.
It is much easier to trust or pay an ‘expert’ to do the work for them.
Many people believe wrong doctrines because they follow the leader and do not study the Bible for themselves.
Second and third-hand belief systems acquired through Christianized culture and spiritualized preaching have a higher chance of being wrong than personal Bible study.
Important doctrines in the Bible are not hard to learn through very little work in Bible study. Be fully persuaded in your own mind by your own Bible study. It does take work.
Missing the Big Picture
People do not get lost on purpose. They get lost because they do not have the big picture. They do not have the map.
Even among those who study the Bible a failure to see the big picture will cause disorientation.
The biggest reason that people believe wrong doctrine is a failure to see the big picture of God’s purpose.
God’s word reveals his purposes and plan for the ages. It describes his purpose to have dominion on the earth, and his purpose to have dominion in heavenly places.
God progressively reveals different instructions and offers throughout scripture. We can not claim any offer, promise, covenant, or instruction in the Bible without knowing the context.
It is not enough to use a map, you must know where you are on the map and that you are facing the right direction. There must be some context.
A Tempting Wrong Solution
It is tempting to save time studying the context by just grabbing any verse that appears to solve our immediate problem from the Bible out of context.
If we do not understand the bigger picture, then we may be making a wrong turn. You may be holding the map backwards, or perhaps you have the wrong map.
Many errors and wrong doctrines exist by people who think they are right. They all come from a failure to rightly divide the word of truth.
Why do people believe wrong doctrine? The same reasons people get lost. They do not see the big picture, and it is hard to admit you don’t know where you are going.
When you’re lost, buy a map and take some time to study it. When you are confused about God’s will, and need some answers, take some time studying it rightly divided.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Tim 2:15
Article Index Published: May 10, 2014
Last Modified: April 14, 2018