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Avoiding Doctrinal Drift: Guarding Against Subtle Error
Series: Rooted and Built Up in Christ · Equipping You in Grace with Dave Jenkins
Show Summary
Doctrinal drift is rarely loud or sudden—it’s subtle, slow, and spiritually dangerous. In this episode,
Dave Jenkins unpacks biblical warnings against drifting (Hebrews 2:1; Galatians 1:6–8), identifies common
sources of error (cultural pressure, emotionalism, pragmatism, and redefining biblical terms), and equips
believers to anchor themselves in God’s Word, the historic confessions, and the local church.
- Main Texts: Acts 20:29–30; Hebrews 2:1; Galatians 1:6–8; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; Colossians 2:6–7.
- Big Idea: Stand firm and stay anchored in Christ to guard against subtle error.
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Outline
- What Is Doctrinal Drift? — Why it’s subtle, slow, and serious.
- Biblical Warnings Against Drifting — Hebrews 2:1; Galatians 1:6–8; 2 Timothy 4:3–4.
- Sources of Subtle Error Today — Cultural pressure, emotional experience, pragmatism, redefined terms.
- Anchoring Yourself in Sound Doctrine — Scripture, creeds/confessions, community, application.
- The Local Church’s Role — 1 Timothy 3:15; Titus 1:9; discipleship and accountability.
- How Drift Happens Slowly — Historical & contemporary patterns; personal neglect.
- Testing the Spirits — 1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11; discernment vs. suspicion.
- Conclusion — Stand firm; stay anchored in Christ (Colossians 2:6–7).
Resources & Next Steps
- More resources at Servants of Grace and at our YouTube.
- Scripture quotations: ESV.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
