My trust issues began on a family vacation to Chattanooga when I was a child. We had just finished touring the breathtaking caverns of Ruby Falls, and like all good vacation-ers, we concluded our adventure in the gift shop. And that’s when I saw it—sparkling and shimmering gold that would make me richer than Bruce Wayne. Even better, the gold was on sale—a heck of a steal, I thought. After my dad bought the glimmering godsend, I daydreamed about what I would acquire with my precious plunder. But alas, my dreams of purchasing the Batmobile turned into a nightmare when I discovered the unforgiving truth: it was fool’s gold all along. 

It looked and felt like real gold, but it was a counterfeit—a cheap lookalike. Lamentably, there is no shortage of fool’s gold being disseminated today behind church pulpits, in bestselling Christian books, and in social media posts and podcasts. And this fool’s gold is what the Bible calls “false teaching.” It sparkles with charm, twinkles with appeal, and glistens with believability. It often looks and sounds like the truth, but not all that glitters is the gospel.

False teaching never wears a nametag; it always wears the costume of truth. And it is sold by smooth-talkers with silver tongues, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and masters of spiritual disguise (Rom. 16:18; Matt. 7:15; 2 Cor. 11:13-14; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 4). These expert spiritual scammers polish deception until it glows like the truth, and utilize the Trojan horse strategy to sneak delusive doctrine past your defenses and into your mind, heart, and life. No false teacher ever says, “My message is brought to you by Satan.” Instead, their teaching is inspired by the ancient serpent who specializes in covering lies in the auspicious mask of truth. 

Thankfully, there is something far greater than the fool’s gold of false teaching: the pure gold of God’s word, the Scripture. The Bible is not a discount imitation—it is a true treasure, as the psalmist declared, “the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold” (Psa. 19:9b-10a). It is worth more than “thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psa. 119:72b), and especially more than deceitful knockoffs. The promises of God’s word never lose their luster, its commands never mislead, and its truths never crumble under pressure. You can stake your life and eternity upon it because its Author cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

How can you tell the difference between the real gold of truth and the fool’s gold of error? Know the real thing—read and study the Scripture in order to discern the fake substitutes. And test every teaching before you trust it (1 John 4:1). Like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures daily to see if what you are hearing and reading is the real gold of God-inspired truth (Acts 17:11).

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