Week #3 - The Voices: Truth vs. Opinion
Blog Series Intention Recap
We live in an age where opinions are amplified, confidence is rewarded, and volume often replaces truth. Scripture, however, was never given to be shouted, weaponized, or reshaped to fit cultural preferences, but to be handled with care and obedience. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul reminds us that faithfulness to God requires disciplined work, not emotional reaction or popular consensus. Rightly dividing the Word means recognizing God’s distinctions, honoring His progressive revelation, and submitting to His authority rather than our instincts. When Scripture is mishandled, confusion spreads, and faith is unsettled, even when intentions are sincere. In a world that roars with competing voices, God calls His people to stand unashamed—approved by Him, grounded in truth, and courageous enough to handle His Word rightly.
This page is a post in the series “ROAR - Truth in a World of Opinions.” Click here to see the rest of the posts.
Let’s jump into Week #3:
We live in a moment where every opinion demands equal weight and every interpretation claims authority. The problem is not a lack of voices, but a lack of discernment. Scripture warns that confident teaching is not the same as faithful teaching, and sincerity is not the same as truth. God’s Word does not exist to echo our instincts, but to correct, clarify, and govern them. In a roaring world, believers must learn which voices to test, which to trust, and which to reject.
Why it Matters:
Not every voice deserves authority. Confidence and passion do not determine truth—faithfulness to Scripture does.
Truth must be tested, not assumed. God calls His people to examine teaching against His revealed Word.
Scripture interprets Scripture. God’s Word is its own authority, not dependent on cultural opinion or emotion.
Discernment protects the church. False teaching gains influence when clarity is replaced by tolerance.
The loudest voice is rarely the truest one. Truth stands firm without demanding attention.
Go Deeper:
Texts:
Titus 1:9–11
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
1 Corinthians 2:12–14
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
2 Peter 1:20–21
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Everyone Has a Voice
Never in history have so many voices been so accessible. Teaching, commentary, interpretation, and opinion are available instantly and endlessly, often without accountability. Platforms reward confidence, speed, and certainty—not accuracy.
The danger is not that believers are listening. The danger is that they stop discerning.
Scripture never promises that truth will be the loudest voice. It promises that truth will be stable, sufficient, and authoritative.
Paul understood this reality when he warned leaders about the influence of untested voices.
Not Every Voice Deserves Authority
Paul’s instruction to Titus is direct and pastoral:
“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9, ESV)
Authority in teaching is not rooted in charisma or originality. It is rooted in faithfulness to what has already been revealed.
Paul immediately explains why this matters:
“For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers…” (Titus 1:10, ESV)
Notice the description. These voices are not silent. They are active, persuasive, and disruptive. The church does not suffer because it lacks voices—it suffers because it elevates the wrong ones.
Truth is not democratic. It is revealed.
Truth Must Be Tested, Not Assumed
Acts 17 introduces us to the Bereans, a model for discernment:
“…they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11, ESV)
Their nobility was not skepticism, but submission. They listened eagerly—but they tested carefully.
Discernment is not cynicism. It is faithfulness. God never asks His people to suspend discernment in the name of unity or humility.
Testing teaching against Scripture is an act of obedience, not distrust.
Scripture Interprets Scripture
One of the greatest safeguards against opinion-driven theology is allowing Scripture to interpret itself. Peter reminds us:
“…no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20, ESV)
Scripture does not bend to personal meaning. It carries God’s intended meaning, revealed through language, history, and context.
When interpretation becomes detached from authorial intent, theology becomes unstable. Feelings replace meaning. Experience replaces revelation.
Rightly dividing the Word means tracing doctrine across Scripture, not isolating verses to support a position.
Discernment Protects the Church
Paul tells Titus that false teaching must be confronted:
“They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families…” (Titus 1:11a, ESV)
This is not harshness—it is shepherding. Discernment protects believers who are still growing, learning, and forming convictions.
When the church avoids discernment in the name of tolerance, confusion spreads. When clarity is abandoned, opinions rush in to fill the gap.
Sound doctrine is not restrictive—it is protective.
The Loudest Voice Is Rarely the Truest One
Modern culture rewards immediacy and intensity. Scripture rewards faithfulness and endurance.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that spiritual truth requires spiritual discernment:
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God…” (1 Corinthians 2:14a, ESV)
Truth does not always feel persuasive. It must be understood, not merely admired.
The roar of opinions will always be present. The question is whether believers have been trained to recognize God’s voice above the noise.
How does this help me understand the concept of “ROAR - Truth in a World of Opinions”?
Learning to Hear Clearly
ROAR is not a call to add another voice to the chaos, but a summons to recognize true authority in a world that confuses volume with truth. Scripture does not compete with opinions; it governs them.
When believers are trained to test teaching carefully, honor the authority of God’s Word, and submit themselves to what God has actually revealed, opinions lose their ability to unsettle faith. The roar of competing voices may continue, but it no longer dictates belief, direction, or hope.
This is why truth does not require constant defense through argument or outrage. As Charles Spurgeon famously observed, “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and it will defend itself.” Spurgeon’s point was not passivity, but confidence—confidence that God’s truth carries its own authority when it is rightly handled and clearly proclaimed.
Truth does not demand attention. It demands allegiance. And when God’s people trust the authority of Scripture rather than the strength of their arguments, they learn to stand firm without becoming loud, combative, or fearful—ready for the courage Paul will call for next.
