Have you ever watched a cashier hold up the $20 bill you just handed them up to the light or use a marker to check its authenticity? Why do they do that? They’re looking for counterfeit bills, and they do so by comparing the bill in hand to what they know to be true—the real money. The Secret Service trains agents to spot counterfeit bills by studying the real thing so thoroughly that fakes become easy to recognize.
In much the same way, we are called to recognize counterfeit truths by anchoring ourselves in the ultimate truth: the Word of God. In Acts 20, the apostle Paul gathered the elders of the Ephesian church and issued a powerful warning. He urged them to “be on guard” because false teachers would rise, both from within and outside the church, distorting the truth and leading people astray.
Paul’s message remains relevant today. We live in a world saturated with information. Messages about what to believe come at us from every direction—through music, books, social media, movies, and even children’s programming. It’s easy to become confused or to accept distortions of truth when we don’t know what the real thing looks like.
But how do we anchor ourselves in the truth and recognize these false teachings?
Know the Real Truth
The first step in identifying counterfeit teaching is to be intimately familiar with the real truth—God’s Word. As Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is our source of truth. It reveals the problem of sin, the villain—Satan, and the ultimate solution—Jesus Christ.
Just as those trained to spot counterfeit money do so by knowing real currency, we must know Scripture inside and out to discern the falsehoods we encounter. The more we immerse ourselves in the Word, the clearer the lies become.
Share Jesus’ View of Scripture
Jesus Himself demonstrated the importance of knowing Scripture. When Satan tempted Him in the desert, the devil misquoted Scripture, trying to twist it for his own purposes. But Jesus countered by saying, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus constantly pointed back to Scripture as the foundation of truth. He even affirmed that “not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).
The Bible is eternal, unbreakable, and inseparable from Jesus Himself. As John 1:1 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The truth of Scripture and the person of Jesus are one and the same.
Anchor Your Life by Believing and Applying the Truths in the Bible
In an age of confusion, a life anchored in the Bible can withstand any storm. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus describes a wise man who built his house on a rock. When the storms came, his house stood firm because its foundation was secure. In contrast, the foolish man built his house on sand, and it collapsed.
When we establish our lives in the truth of Scripture, we are like the wise man—able to stand firm in the face of false teachings, cultural shifts, and personal storms.
How to Apply the Bible to Your Life
To gather truth from the Bible, ask these three questions:
- What did the passage mean to the original audience? Context is key.
- What are the timeless principles? Is there a promise to claim, a sin to avoid, or a lesson to learn?
- How can I apply this truth today? God’s Word is meant to transform, not just inform.
In a world of counterfeits, only God’s Word offers the unchanging truth. The more we know the real thing, the more we’ll spot the fakes. Stay anchored in Scripture, and you’ll stand firm through any storm.
Pursuing Truth with Chris Vaught 