Persuasive Arguments

by Hugh DeLong

We are drowning in a sea of false information. The internet can be useful, but it appears to me to overwhelmingly contain bad and misleading information. If you do a quick search for almost anything, the titles that are present for you to read contain countless hyperboles: “This destroys all…”, This changes everything we knew about…,” Whether it be about history, science, or religion – ‘everything’ that was known by anybody upto a few years (moments?) ago is wrong.

These are especially prevalent on YouTube. Here in Colossians 2:4, Paul warned us about ‘persuasive arguments’ that lead away from revealed truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The chosen apostles were led into all truth (John 16:13). We have been warned many times within the New Testament revelation about false teachers (I Timothy 4:1-5; II Timothy 3:1-5, 13; II Thessalonians 2:3; 9-12; II Peter 2:1; I John 4:1, 6; etc., etc.!)

As Paul was coming to the end of his life, he instructed Timothy: “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" (II Timothy 3:14). Many of you will immediately remember that this was the introduction to Paul’s statement: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17).

For us, we simply can not believe everything we read without knowing the source of such information. Men who have no real credentials can (and will and do) write articles and arguments. Do you know from whom you have learned what you believe?