If you've been told that the word gullible is not found in any dictionary, and then checked in a dictionary to see whether or not it was there, YOU are the definition of gullible.  Gullible is in fact in the dictionary and it means "easily deceived or tricked, naïve."

In our world, gullibility is responsible for a lot of trouble.  Con-men rely on it to work fraudulent schemes that successfully separate people from their hard earned money.  Gossips and slanderers rely on it to spread false and misleading information.  For those who use e-mail, you've no doubt received numerous messages warning of some supposed computer virus, or promising financial reward if you'll forward an e-mail to friends, or informing you that you've won millions from a long lost relative in Africa or by winning a lottery that you never entered.

It has been said that for every credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill.  For every person willing to lie and deceive, there is someone who is willing to listen and believe.  This seems to be very true when it comes to matters of faith, and it is exactly what was foretold by the apostle Paul in  2 Timothy 3:13: "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." 

When we are able to grasp this biblical truth, it helps us understand how there could be people who believe exactly the opposite of what the Bible plainly teaches on so many different things. For instance, have you ever wondered why so many believe that baptism does not have anything to do with salvation, despite the fact that the Scriptures teach that it "saves us" (1 Peter 3:21), can "wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16), and is to be done "for the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38)?  The answer is that people are gullible and "many deceivers have gone out into the world" (2 Jn 7).

As Christians, we must guard against spiritual gullibility.  We cannot allow ourselves to be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" (Ephesians 4:14).

Here are a couple of Bible principles that will help us ward off gullibility:

1. Recognize that something is not true just because the person you heard it from seems nice and speaks kindly. Rom 16:18 warns us about those who "by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." In
Prov 26:24-25 we learn that "He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; {25} when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart."

2. Use the Bible to test everything you hear.  Christians must learn to think critically.  We're commanded to "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess 5:21).  "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). 

 Other Articles by Steve Klein
The Spirit of the Sadducees
God's Word - Can You Put Up With It?
Legalism - The Un-Sin

 

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