Holy Scripture, which is inspired, infallible, perspicuous, and sufficient, is always the standard by which we test everything.

Experience is an unreliable standard. It is fallible, able to be counterfeited, subjective, and often leads to deception.

Test your experiences by the Scripture, otherwise your personal testimony regarding your experiences is elevated above the truth of Scripture.

The gospel is the power of God to salvation. Your witness, while at times useful, is powerless without the truth of Scripture.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Not the word of your experience. That’s why we preach Christ, and not ourselves.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Revelation 12:11

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

John 15:5

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Romans 10:17

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1 Corinthians 1:23

23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

2 Corinthians 4:5

5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.