A teaching is true if it emphasizes God's sovereignty and grace over human effort; it must focus on Christ alone and His work on behalf of the redeemed.
To discern the truth of a teaching, one must evaluate whether it centers on God or on human effort. The distinction is crucial: if the emphasis is on what man must do to please God, it likely leads to deception and despair. On the other hand, teachings rooted in the sovereignty and grace of God highlight Christ's finished work and the call for believers to rely solely on Him for salvation. Paul affirms this in Ephesians 2:8-9, where salvation is a gift of God, not a result of works. Thus, any message that detracts from the glory of God by shifting the focus to man’s actions runs the risk of being an abomination of desolation, leading to confusion and spiritual emptiness.
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