The Most Important Correction May Be Our Own Understanding

We often think of correction as something we are supposed to give to someone else.

Someone misunderstands Scripture, so we correct them.

Someone teaches something we believe is wrong, so we confront it.

Someone makes a bad decision, so we point it out.

And there are absolutely times when biblical correction is necessary. Scripture tells us to contend for truth, expose false teaching, and lovingly restore those who have wandered.

But there is another kind of correction that may be even more important:

The correction of our own understanding.

Before we become concerned with correcting everyone around us, Scripture repeatedly calls us to examine what is happening within us.

Scripture Keeps Turning the Mirror Back Toward Us

Jesus gave a powerful warning about this:

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”— Matthew 7:3

Jesus wasn't teaching that we should never help someone remove the speck.

In fact, He eventually says:

“Then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”— Matthew 7:5

The issue is the order.

First, examine yourself.

Then you may be able to see clearly enough to help someone else.

That changes the entire attitude of correction.

Instead of approaching someone thinking, “I know the truth and you need me to fix you,” we approach them recognizing:

I am also someone who needs correction.

Take Your Own Thoughts Captive

Paul writes:

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”— 2 Corinthians 10:5

Notice that we are not only supposed to examine everyone else's thoughts.

We are supposed to examine our own.

Not every thought we have is correct.

Not every conclusion we reach is from God.

Not every interpretation we hold is necessarily complete.

Not everything we have been taught is automatically true simply because we have believed it for a long time.

Sometimes following Jesus means allowing Him to challenge something we were absolutely convinced we understood.

That requires humility.

It is much easier to examine someone else's theology than our own.

It is much easier to recognize someone else's blind spot than admit we might have one.

But spiritual maturity isn't demonstrated by becoming impossible to correct.

Spiritual maturity should make us increasingly willing to be corrected by truth.

We Don't Know Everything

Paul makes a statement that should humble every believer:

“For we know in part...”— 1 Corinthians 13:9

We know in part.

That doesn't mean truth doesn't exist.

It doesn't mean every interpretation is equally valid.

And it certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't call out teachings that clearly contradict Scripture.

But it does mean we should carry our convictions with humility.

We have all misunderstood something.

We have all read a verse incorrectly.

We have probably all quoted something as Scripture that wasn't actually Scripture.

We have interpreted situations incorrectly.

We have thought we understood what God was doing only to discover later that there was much more happening than we realized.

That realization shouldn't make us afraid of truth.

It should make us humble in our pursuit of it.

There is a difference between saying:

“There is no truth.”

and saying:

“There is truth, and I am humble enough to continue allowing God to correct my understanding of it.”

Humility Doesn't Mean Ignoring False Teaching

This is where balance matters.

Humility does not require silence.

There are teachings Scripture clearly identifies as false. There are moments when believers must speak. There are situations where remaining silent can allow people to be harmed or deceived.

But even then, Scripture tells us something about how restoration should happen.

Paul writes:

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”— Galatians 6:1

Then Paul immediately adds a warning:

“Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Even while correcting someone else, Scripture turns the mirror back toward us.

Watch yourself.

Check your heart.

Check your motives.

Check your pride.

Because it is possible to defend truth while allowing pride to grow inside us.

It is possible to win an argument and lose the heart of Christ in the process.

Correction Isn't Supposed to Be Humiliation

Somewhere along the way, correction has sometimes become synonymous with public embarrassment.

Someone is wrong, so expose them.

Someone makes a mistake, so shame them.

Someone misunderstands something, so make sure everyone knows how wrong they were.

But biblical correction isn't primarily about humiliation.

Correction is about redirection.

If someone is traveling the wrong direction and I genuinely love them, I don't celebrate their mistake.

I help point them toward the right road.

The goal should be truth.

The goal should be restoration.

The goal should be reconciliation whenever possible.

And ultimately, the goal should be Christ.

That also applies when God corrects us.

When God reveals that we misunderstood something, His purpose isn't simply to embarrass us for having been wrong.

He's redirecting us toward truth.

There is freedom in realizing that.

Being corrected doesn't have to destroy us.

Sometimes correction is evidence that God loves us enough not to leave us where we are.

What If I'm the One Who Is Wrong?

This may be one of the most important questions we can learn to ask.

When we encounter something that challenges what we believe, our first response is often defense.

How do I prove this person wrong?

What verse supports my position?

How do I defend what I've always believed?

But what if we occasionally changed the question?

“Lord, is there something here You are trying to teach me?”

That doesn't mean accepting every new doctrine.

It doesn't mean abandoning discernment.

Quite the opposite.

True discernment isn't desperately searching for evidence that proves we're already right.

True discernment wants truth even when truth corrects us.

That takes courage.

Because sometimes being led deeper into truth means admitting:

I misunderstood that.

I judged that incorrectly.

I quoted that passage incorrectly.

I assumed something God never actually said.

I need to change.

Those words don't demonstrate spiritual weakness.

They can demonstrate spiritual maturity.

Work Out Your Own Salvation

Paul tells believers:

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”— Philippians 2:12

There is something deeply personal about following Jesus.

We can spend our entire lives analyzing everyone else's walk with God while neglecting our own.

We can identify everyone else's doctrinal problems while ignoring our pride.

We can expose everyone else's failures while refusing to confront our own.

We can become experts at inspecting everyone else's fruit while never looking carefully at what is growing on our own tree.

There is certainly a place for correcting error.

But perhaps before asking,

“God, how do I correct them?”

we should first ask,

“God, is there anything in me You need to correct?”

Correct my assumptions.

Correct my motives.

Correct my interpretation.

Correct my pride.

Correct the things I think I understand but don't.

Correct anything in me that isn't aligned with Your heart.

Because one of the greatest dangers in our walk with God isn't simply being wrong.

It's becoming so convinced that we are right that we are no longer willing to be corrected.

Correction Should Always Lead Us Toward Christ

None of us knows everything.

None of us understands everything perfectly.

We are disciples—which means we are still learning.

So yes, stand for truth.

Yes, confront false teaching when necessary.

Yes, lovingly restore brothers and sisters who wander.

But do it with the humility of someone who knows they also depend completely upon the grace of God.

And never become so focused on correcting everyone else's understanding that you stop allowing God to correct yours.

Because sometimes the most important correction God wants to make isn't happening in the person standing across from us.

Sometimes it's happening in us.

And when He corrects us, He isn't calling us toward shame.

He is calling us toward truth.

He is redirecting us toward His heart.

He is drawing us closer to Christ.

Correction isn't about proving who was wrong.

It's about bringing us back to what is right.

Pastor Scott