August 07, 2023 | Resources by Elder Team
God has given many gifts to His church to keep pointing us to the truth of His Word, including Christian resources: books, articles, songs, or videos. So many of these can be helpful. Sadly, others can be harmful. Maybe you’ve seen authors you used to enjoy, now abandoning the truth. Or maybe you’ve watched a reel that claimed to teach the truth but held people to unbiblical standards.
2 Peter 3:17-18 reminds us that false teaching in the Christian community doesn't surprise God, and it shouldn’t surprise us either. We should remember that the ignorant and unstable twist Scripture to their own destruction. Yet we don’t believe we’re called to isolate ourselves from every possible Christian resource. Instead, we are called to “take care” and exercise discernment with them (2 Peter 3:17). As we do this, we seek to be fed by the actual truth of the Word, so that we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
To guide GBC in this area, the elders have compiled some key thoughts to consider as we all grow in discernment. This is not an end-all guide, but a tool to help our church’s conversations on discernment.
1. We use Christian resources because we love God
True wisdom and hearts of joyful praise don’t come from books, YouTube shorts, podcasts, hymns, or worship songs. They are gifts from God himself (Prov 2:6, Eph 5:18-20). Our relationship with God and His people is our top priority. Because He has given us His Spirit, we can grow to know Him better through His Word, prayer, and fellowship with believers. Knowing God in this way protects us from resources that lie about Him. When we first know and love God, we will find that some resources are more helpful than others to express worship or gain clarity on His Word. We may also find that we may not need some resources we thought were necessary. When we use Christian resources, we should use them as a result of our real relationship with Him, not a replacement for the relationship.
Ask Yourself:
Do I know God from His Word, prayer, and His people, or do I only know information about Him from resources? How do I know? Do honest people close to me agree with my answer?
2. We use Christian resources to grow in love
Every book, hymn, podcast, song, and video aims to move your heart toward a goal. Does it line up with God’s goal? God wants teaching to produce “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:5). This might sound subjective at first, but growth in true love only comes from a foundation of objective truth.
Resources that focus on guesses about God don’t produce love, only speculation (1 Tim 1:4). For example, a book called Physics of Heaven by Ellyn Davis claims to show how “natural elements are supernaturally bringing heaven to earth.” On the other hand, resources that twist the Bible to command what God doesn’t command don’t produce love. They produce self-righteousness that breeds quarrels and unnecessary guilt (1 Tim 1:4, 19; 4:1-3, 6:3-6). For example, an article titled “We Await Repentance for Assassinating Dr. King” by Thabiti Anyabwile seems to call people to confess sins they may not have committed.
Let’s pay attention to the way resources direct us to relate to God and others. If the clips we're watching or the blog we’re reading match God’s teaching goal, then they will be founded on the truth of the Word. That truth will focus our hearts purely on God. It will aim to strengthen our faith in Christ rather than man. As a result of Spirit-applied truth, we should be stirred to freely love like Christ with a clean conscience.
Ask Yourself:
Does this resource direct me to consider others more significant than myself (Phil 2:3), or to look down on others? How does this resource point me to Christ’s righteousness working in me instead of my own righteousness? How does the knowledge I gain from this resource equip me to minister Christ’s love to others?
3. We use Christian resources by submitting to God's Word
God warns us against making many books when His Word is sufficient for us (Ecc 12:12). So any helpful Christian resource will not re-write God’s Word, but will submit to it.
How resources submit to God's Word:
As we use resources, we should consider how they are helping us. Resources can help...
- Organize the Word for understanding (systematic theologies, Biblical theologies, explanation videos…)
- Give background to the Word for clarity (histories, documentaries…)
- Apply the Word to life (devotionals, Christian living books, sermons…)
- Demonstrate the Word’s truth in life (biographies, fictional stories, interviews…)
- Worshipfully respond to the Word (songs, hymns, spiritual songs…)
How we submit ourselves to God's Word:
Not only should the resource submit to God’s Word, but so should we. God has given us His Spirit of Truth to illuminate His Word and give us discernment. As we walk in His Spirit, we prayerfully submit resources to His Word.
- Accept what clearly aligns with God’s Word (for example we would accept the statement “Jesus rose from the dead”).
- Test what is not explicitly clear in God’s Word. Accept it if it is consistent with the Word, and reject if it not (for example the Bereans tested and then accepted Paul’s claims about Christ).
- Reject what God’s Word clearly opposes (for example we would reject the statement “God sends everyone to heaven.”) When we have to reject parts of resources, we should naturally interact more carefully with the rest of it. At some point, we may find that we should stop using that resource, or even stop referencing the author or producer of that resource.
We should not accept any content creator wholesale. Just because one book, song, or video by a producer is helpful doesn’t mean that the rest are just as good. Test each thing as it comes. If you have questions about what you are reading, watching, or listening to, God has given you elders to care for and equip you. We urge you to come and talk with us about any questions.
Ask yourself:
Does this resource match God’s Word or re-write God’s Word by adding or subtracting? Can you explain what the resource is doing with God’s Word given the list above (organize, apply, etc.)? What does this resource say that seems different or new compared to what you know about God’s Word?
4. We use Christian resources in unity with fellow believers
Up to this point, we have mainly considered personal discernment. Every personal choice, though, impacts somebody else in the body of Christ. Our resource choices should be driven by humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, and a priority on maintaining the unity of the Spirit (Eph 4:1-6). Inevitably, we will sometimes disagree on which resources we should use as believers. In this case, after you have worked through the steps above, humbly ask “why do I disagree with someone else’s view of a resource?”
- Is it because of doctrinal concern? If the resource itself proclaims a false gospel, sincerely warn your brother and do not buy into the false gospel. If the resource itself preaches the true gospel but you have misgivings about some of the author/creator’s other convictions, you may lovingly inform your sister and allow her conscience to operate. If the resource suggests a practice that is not sin but is not your preference or conviction, continue pointing your brother to Christ even if you are not identical in practice.
- Is it because of Christian liberty? When it comes to resources that do match God’s Word, you may have a clean conscience about using it while your brother in Christ can’t in good conscience (for example, listening to certain songs). If so, continue to privately use the resource while remaining sensitive to God and your brother. If God convicts you to stop using the resource then willingly do so. If your brother disagrees, willingly hear his concern, but do not quarrel or force his conscience to accept your resource.
- Is it because of corporate choice? Sometimes the church leadership admittedly recommends or uses resources that you may struggle to accept. In this case consider why you struggle with the resource. Are you concerned it spreads a false gospel? Does it challenge your personal convictions? Does it teach truth, but in a manner that is different than you prefer? After working through the above steps (loving God, growing in love, submission to the Word), come talk with the elders to work through how best to handle this concern.
Ask yourself:
Does my use of this resource help me grow alongside others, or distance me from them? If it is distancing me, is this happening because of humility or pride? If it is distancing me, how can I seek to obey Christ by restoring relationships?
Discernment is learned over years of maturing in Christ alongside His people. We can’t learn it without “constant practice” (Heb 5:14). We can’t learn in isolation from others. We can’t even learn discernment simply from reading this document! But we will learn discernment as we faithfully walk with God by His Spirit, in fellowship with His church (Prov 2:6-8, Heb 10:24). Lord willing, GBC will continue to talk about and equip each other for discernment in many ways going forward. As we all grow in discernment together, let’s be charitable, humble, diligent, and truthful as we learn to choose what glorifies God in every area of life.
