Test, and hold

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
This is a good principle to apply to anything in life. We can apply it to books we read, sermons we hear, movies we watch, or pursuits we engage in.
What does it mean to test something? It means to assess it with regards to a standard. When it comes to the standard of what is good or not, there can only be one: God’s Word. How does what we are reading/hearing/seeing/doing line up with God’s Word? Is what this preacher is saying consistent with all of Scripture? (This is why we need to read the Bible ourselves, so that we know what Scripture says and what it doesn’t say.)
Now there are some who will say, ‘Touch not the Lord’s anointed!’ with regards to us questioning their teaching. This phrase comes from 1 Sam. 26:11 – and it’s in relation to David killing Saul. There is no teacher who is above question. David did question Saul (1 Sam. 24:12-15). Paul was tested by the believers at Berea, to check that his teachings were supported by Scripture. They were called ‘of more noble character than the Thessalonians’, who, it would seem, did not do this (Acts 17:11).
This verse has also been summed up in the phrase, ‘Eat the meat, spit out the bones.’ That is, receive what is in line with God’s Word, and discard what it not. This requires us to know the Scriptures, and to be discerning.