Ephesians 4:14
“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people.”
The city of Ephesus was a wealthy, beautiful and religious city. The temple to Artemus was there, which was one of the wonders of the world. The city had several other gods as well as the center of emperor worship. Due to this there was much spiritual warfare against the christian believers.
The christian faith requires the faithful to believe in its God, with the rejection of the others. One can't follow Jesus and any other god. It doesn't mean they are to be rude, but truthful. Jesus didn't come to fight Rome or those who didn't believe. We are free to choose what we believe. However, if asked we are to share our beliefs.
A pantheistic society like Ephesus can confuse and weaken a believer. Our present culture is similar. They say, "live and let live" and "be tolerant" and "there are many ways to God". If one accepts any of those, their faith is watered down. This doesn't allow for much growth. Many christians accept Christ, but don't engage in the disciplines which allow for growth: reading the bible, going to church, associating with believers, sharing their faith, praying and so on.
Hebrews 5:12 says, "For even by the time you ought to be teachers, you have need of one to teach you again what is the beginning of the principles of the oracles of God; and you have become those having need of milk, and not of solid food." They have missed out on good teaching. We are to hear the messages, grapple with it and it's application to our lives. This is part of our growth process. These believers need to begin this process.
These believers are the ones who are the recipients of todays verse, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people." They are unstable. They are open to faddish doctrines and trends.
God's Spirit puts checks in us to recognize error. In a few verses it refers to grieving the Holy Spirit. When we do that be begin to lose His peace in our hearts. When we sense that we are to pause and attempt to see what's causing it.
Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is key. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." We feel His presence all throughout the day. It's a wonderful experience. A verse or two earlier in Romans, says that our spirits cry out, "Abba, Father". We connect with God on the inside. His peace and love are amazing. When we error, this connection and communion fades.
This is why Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life." When we feel a disturbance, we pause to assess what's going on. It could be our imagination, it could be an overactive conscience, but it could also be God seeking to get our attention.
While these atunements are important, all of this is subservient to God's Word. That's the overarching standard. But much of life isn't in the bible. So, we pray about decisions all the time.
Lord, help us to be strong believers. Not to be those blown about by every wind of doctrine.