⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 min read
Biblical Literacy: God’s Safeguard Against Deception
Author: Dave Jenkins
Show: Contending for the Word (The Weekly Watch)
Date: January 24, 2026
Show Summary
Biblical literacy is not academic trivia—it is spiritual protection. In this episode of The Weekly Watch, Dave Jenkins explains why deception thrives where Scripture is unfamiliar, how experience replaces truth when the Word is weak, and why God calls His people to test all things by Scripture. If we want to remain faithful in confusing times, we must be anchored in God’s sufficient, clear, and trustworthy Word.
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Key Scriptures
- Acts 17:11
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
- Hebrews 3:13
Episode Highlights
- Deception thrives where Scripture is unfamiliar.
- Experience replaces Scripture when the Word is weak.
- Scripture trains believers to think, not just react.
- Biblical literacy produces stability in a deceptive age.
- Illiteracy leaves Christians dependent on personalities.
- The Bereans model careful, Scripture-shaped discernment.
Full Episode
False teaching often succeeds not because people hate the truth, but because they do not know Scripture well enough to recognize error when it sounds spiritual. When believers do not know the storyline of the Bible, do not understand context, and cannot distinguish between description and prescription, deception finds easy entry points.
That is why mystical practices can pass as deeper prayer, dominion theology can pass as serious faith, and New Age ideas can pass as spiritual maturity. Biblical illiteracy creates spiritual blind spots, leaving Christians convinced something is “in the Bible” without testing it.
When Scripture is shallow, experience becomes authoritative. People begin to ask, “How did it make me feel?” or “Did it work for me?” instead of asking first, “Is it true? Is it biblical? Is it consistent with the whole counsel of God?” Biblical literacy does not kill spiritual passion—it protects it, nurtures it, and keeps it from being hijacked.
Scripture also trains believers to think, not merely react. It forms discernment, helps Christians recognize patterns, spot distortions, test claims, and resist the pressure of urgency and personality-driven authority. Biblical stability is deeply countercultural in a deceptive age because it refuses to move away from what God has said.
Finally, when believers do not know the Word of God, they will rely on influencers, authors, prophets, apostles, and platformed teachers. But biblically literate Christians ask better questions. They do not outsource discernment. They measure every sermon, book, podcast, and video against Scripture. Charisma is not calling, and confidence is not truth.
The Bereans were not cynical—they were careful (Acts 17:11). Scripture commands us to test all things and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Biblical literacy anchors Christians, roots them in truth, and is where real discernment and maturity begins and grows.
Call to Action
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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.
