“Do not be carried away be all kinds of strange teachings.” Hebrews 13:9
Lots of people want to tell you lots of things about how to live your life—not just products you should buy or portfolios you should build, but principles you should believe. Beware, be on your guard, and “do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings”(Heb. 13:9).
It’s out there—various claims and commands about what you need to do to be devout. Wear this and don’t wear that. Eat this and don’t eat that. Drink this but don’t drink that. Play this but don’t play that. Go here but don’t go there. Etc…. Such specifics are nothing new. When Hebrews was written, some were saying that even if you had faith in Jesus for salvation, you should still follow the Old Testament Law to really be a good Christian. Though clearly refuted in Scripture, this idea has hung around until today and shows up in all kinds of “strange teachings.”
Be leery of groups and gurus who advocate long lists of rules for uprightness. Often, as Paul stated, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence”(Col. 2:22-23). Instead of focusing our hearts and minds on Jesus, rules and regulations can cause us to focus on ourselves and on “how we are doing.” We become fixated on our own rightness instead of being consumed by God’s righteousness. “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them”(Heb. 13:9). Or don’t eat them.
Several years ago a lady told me she had given up pork as a way to get closer to God. Knowing she watched the sexually-charged show Ally McBeal religiously, I suggested a better route might be to turn off the TV and fry up a pound of bacon, for Jesus said, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander”(Matt. 15:17-19). (I’m not saying you should never watch TV; just suggesting you watch what you watch.)
The high cost of the cross bought our freedom, and the preceding verses of Hebrews 13 give us guidelines about how to live in this delightful liberty. Love each other. Share hospitality. Hurt with the hurting. Stay morally pure. Don’t make money a priority. And remember that Jesus stays the same. He’s the one who reduced the many Old Testament laws into two commands: “Love the Lord your God with all you are and love others unselfishly”(Matt. 22:37-40). When people tell you how to live these out, remember that if what you hear doesn’t line up with what God has said, don’t listen. The litmus test for your activities, actions, and attitudes should be 1 Corinthians 10:31—“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Adhering to strange teaching doesn’t make you stronger—just stranger. Ask the question, “Does this bring God glory?” and live according to the answer.
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