Have you heard about
how Federal agents are trained to spot counterfeit money? I did some research
and verified the story is true: The agents are brought in for several days – even
as long as a week – and spend more than 90 percent of the time inspecting…real
currency.
 |
| Our susceptibility to counterfeits depends on how well we know the real thing. |
They examine elements
of the genuine article methodically and meticulously, things like portraits and
other artwork, Federal Reserve and Treasury seals, borders, serial numbers and
paper quality. Agents pour over real money from every possible angle. They
learn its details until it’s as familiar to them as their own hands.
Only then, after many
hours of examining and becoming intimately acquainted with bonafide currency,
are they introduced to counterfeit money for their consideration.
Knowing the real McCoy
so well, the fake cash stands out as if printed on pink paper with red ink. (Of
course, in a sense, the Federal government does print paper with red ink – but
that’s a topic for some other time.)
Sadly, our world surrounds
us with counterfeits. Expensive-looking watches, knock-off purses and shoes,
high-end fashions and high-tech devices are often foisted on naïve consumers who
think they’re getting a bargain. Instead, they’re receiving mere copies,
falsified replicas of the real deal. Even romance has its counterfeit these
days, with TV and the movies masquerading raging hormones and lustful motives
as “true love.”
There’s an important
principle to be learned here. To be capable of spotting a counterfeit, it makes
sense to know the genuine article very well.
This is as true in the
spiritual realm as anywhere. Some make the claim, “All religions are the same.”
Others would say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, just as long as you’re
sincere.” These views sound reasonable – until we compare counterfeits with the
stuff of genuine faith.
Are we to assume
Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and whatever other belief
system you want to toss into the discussion are all essentially the same? They are
alike in one respect – a shared conviction that even though we live in a
material world, it has a very real spiritual dimension. After that, however,
comparing them side by side reveals considerable – and irreconcilable – differences.
For the disciple of
Christ, it’s helpful to know these differences. But even more important is having
a clear understanding of what we believe – and why. The key is being so
familiar with the Word of God, the Bible – just as Federal agents are familiar
with genuine currency – that pretender belief systems become obvious.
In fact, Jesus assured
His followers, “If you
continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know
the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). He promised we could know THE Truth, not
someone’s opinion of what the truth should be.
The book of Acts
offers an excellent example of the attitude to have when confronted with new
spiritual claims: “Now the Berean Jews
were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the
message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Another translation says they “searched the Scriptures daily to see if
these things were so” (New American Standard).
In other words,
these fervent truth-seekers from Berea knew the Scriptures extremely well, and
as the apostle Paul taught in the synagogues, they would diligently compare
what he said with what they knew to be true from the holy writings passed down
through the centuries. “Accept no counterfeit!” might have been their motto.
The question is,
are we in danger of being seduced by counterfeit teachings? The only way we can
avoid this is to spend time studying, examining, meditating on and absorbing
the real thing. Then, when faced with the counterfeit, we can recognize it and
dismiss it for what it is.
Why are some people
seduced by a Coach purse replica, a fake Rolex, or a counterfeit $20 bill?
Because these look close enough to the actual item to deceive. But if you know
the real thing, you can identify the counterfeit easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment