As we continue the God’s Image study, our examination of the first commandment brings us to the teachings we receive and pass on.
We have considered testing spiritual guidance, remaining open to correction, and looking to the Father to lead us to Jesus. Now I want to ask: Which understanding of Jesus have I accepted, and how have I examined it?
If my understanding of the Son misrepresents his relationship to the Father, that affects how I understand the Father as well.
This is why I want to take Paul’s warnings seriously.
Another Jesus, a Different Spirit, a Different Gospel
In 2 Corinthians 11:3–4, Paul connects his concern for the Corinthians with the serpent’s deception of Eve. He fears that their minds may be drawn away from faithful devotion to Christ.
He then speaks of someone preaching “another Jesus,” their receiving “a different spirit,” or accepting “a different gospel.”
That connection deserves time.
The people Paul addresses have already received teaching about Jesus. Yet he warns that they can accept a presentation that departs from what he preached.
Using Jesus’ name does not settle whether the teaching faithfully represents him. We need to examine what is being said about him.
Who is he in the teaching I have received? How is his relationship to the Father described? Does the explanation preserve his own words, or require me to set some of them aside?
These are questions I must bring to my understanding too.
The Message Must Be Examined
Paul gives a related warning in Galatians 1:6–9.
He describes people disturbing the believers and distorting the gospel of Christ. His warning extends even to a message delivered by himself or an angel from heaven if it contradicts the gospel already preached.
I notice that Paul includes himself.
The messenger’s apparent authority cannot make a contrary message faithful. The message must still be examined.
That brings me back to our discussion about testing spirits. A claim of spiritual authority, a powerful experience, or confidence in a speaker cannot do the examining for me.
Have I looked carefully at what I received? Can I trace it through the passages used to support it? Have I read what comes before and after?
How Am I Representing the Father and Son?
Within this study, I have been following the distinction between the Father as Source and Jesus as the one through whom the Father works.
Paul’s warnings make that examination more important to me.
If I teach about Jesus, I take responsibility for how I represent him. If I explain his relationship to the Father, I need to show the passages and reasoning behind my explanation.
I cannot simply label a view “another Jesus” because it differs from mine. I need to identify what is being taught, place it beside the apostolic witness, and explain the conflict I see.
The same responsibility applies when someone questions my understanding. I want to remain willing to hear the passage again and consider whether I have overlooked something.
Why Teaching Carries Responsibility
James writes:
“Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.”
— James 3:1, LSB
The next verse acknowledges that we all stumble.
I want to keep those thoughts together: the seriousness of teaching and the humility of recognizing our own capacity to be wrong.
What we teach can shape another person’s understanding of God. An explanation repeated with certainty may become the belief through which that person reads every later passage.
That responsibility reaches me as I share these studies.
Have I clearly distinguished a quotation from my interpretation? Have I shown how I reached a conclusion? Am I willing to correct something publicly if I discover that I presented it inaccurately?
Those questions belong beside the desire to help others.
Returning to “I Never Knew You”
Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7:21–23 brings another part of the comparison into view.
The people speaking appeal to what they have done in his name. Yet Jesus points to doing the Father’s will and rejects those practicing lawlessness:
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
— Matthew 7:23, LSB
The passage does not say that every mistaken interpretation receives this response. Its stated concern must remain visible.
But it does challenge the assumption that religious activity or a claim to represent Jesus establishes a faithful relationship.
When I place this beside James and Paul, I see a responsibility to examine both what I teach and how I live.
Am I helping others listen to God, while remaining willing to listen myself? Or have I become more concerned with defending my position than receiving correction?
Love Must Remain Present
Jesus’ answer in Matthew 22:37–40 continues to guide this series: wholehearted love for God and love for our neighbor.
For me, faithful teaching belongs within both.
Love for YHWH (יהוה) gives me reason to represent His words carefully. Love for people gives me reason to consider how my explanations may guide—or misguide—them.
That love also shapes how I respond to disagreement. I can take a question seriously, explain a textual conflict, and hold a conviction while still listening patiently.
The first commandment reaches into this responsibility. What have I allowed to guide my understanding of God? And what am I placing before others in His name?
Questions I Carry With Me
Have I tested the teaching I received, including what I learned in childhood?
Have I allowed Scripture to challenge an explanation that once seemed unquestionable?
When I share an understanding, do I show the difference between what is explicit and what I conclude?
Does my conduct reflect the love and obedience I speak about?
These are questions I ask alongside you. They help me remember that sharing a study carries the continuing responsibility to remain a student.
Threads to Follow
Another Jesus, spirit, or gospel: Examining what we have received.
The messenger and the message: Testing teaching regardless of apparent authority.
The responsibility of teachers: Taking accuracy and correction seriously.
The Father’s will: Keeping Jesus’ warning in its stated context.
Love for God and neighbor: Considering both our teaching and our conduct.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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