"New Age" as I understand it is a term which has been introduced as something new which supposedly answers a lot of questions. In truth, it is not something new, though it has placed a lot of false, old ideas into a new focus The ancient mystery religions of the East, which have been around since the days right after the Flood, embrace all of the teachings, but have been exposed by the Truth so that "smart" people want something which they can fasten onto today.

The world has decided that life after death, powers beyond the supernatural, and present answers to present problems are elements of religion which ought to find acceptance. Instead of looking into the Bible, however, to find the answers they have accepted old superstitions: reincarnation, levitation and other force of mind operations, Positive Possibility thinking, Success-N -Life schemes, holistic diets, and such like. These things resort to Psychological bending of the mind, Human Potential, and various Humanistic solutions for life and even for the hereafter.

It used to be that preachers could prepare to "answer" the errors of the world by studying the false doctrines and showing its inconsistency or its contradiction to the Bible. This is a wrong approach to the problem. All false doctrines and ideas are supported in the minds of their advocates by logic or by Scripture. Scripture does not actually support any false idea, but when taken piecemeal, out of context, without consideration of its tenor, individual passages seem to support the things they say. So how do we deal with such people?

Most men do not have a thorough working knowledge of the whole Bible and when these individuals bring up passages which have not been regularly preached at church, or which seem new and different many Christians are at a loss to know what to do with them. First, it is shameful that we are not more familiar with the Book which has all of the answers. But it is a large book and a life can be devoted to it and it still be yielding its Truth to the diligent student and devotee.

I feel that the safest thing one can do, as a young Christian, or an older brother or sister who is faced with these deceivers, is to turn one's eyes on the Person of the Christ. Read again the Gospels. See there that He came to save men from their sins. Note how He consistently honored the Father, how he quoted the Old Testament Scriptures, and explained every situation by a consideration of the will of God. He told us how man is a sinner, how his tendency is to love and serve himself, and how his whole inclination is to go after man instead of God.

Then, continue this devotion by looking at the epistles. There we see the writers facing the objections of men in specific situations. At times the errors they faced are labeled as the work of deceivers, false apostles, deceitful workers. Note how they always went back to the Person of the Christ and honored Him above all men. A look at the prophetic portions of the Word will bring us again to look for Jesus and His return and emphasize the judgment of men who had pleasure in unrighteousness and walked after their own ways.

We may not be acquainted with all those unrighteous ways or all of the false doctrines, but we do not need those. When we see the worthy Savior and observe the compassionate heart of God the Father, we are turned off by any other movement. It will be obvious that the ideas, such as reincarnation are not taught in the Bible. The tricks which substitute for miracles are unnecessary and only shams offered to deceive. The authority of the Bible, the love of God, and the consistency of His purpose will begin to lay hold of our minds and hearts and all of the deceptive substitutes will appear as falsehoods, which they are.

Satan has very few, if any, new or original deceptions. They are all old. They worked upon some and deceived a few. Over time they have been presented in new and different lights. As men became smarter (technologically, scientifically, psychologically) these old ideas were retrieved from the trash of history and presented as new light. The devil is a liar from the beginning. Men who do not have themselves anchored in the Solid Rock, Christ Jesus, will find themselves relying on these old deceptions and getting a little comfort out of them. They even find comfort in the fact that only a few in their acquaintance know these doctrines. Instead of saying the idea is probably false, it says that the person is "lucky" or "smart" to have learned it, so they hold onto it.

There may come a time soon when such a doctrine will afford no comfort in the face of a great tragedy or in the face of a great loss. But while the sun shines and no opposition rises up they take delight in it. We ought to find our comfort in God's Son as our Savior and our Lord. This takes the admission of guilt in sin. It takes repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It calls for renouncing one's own wisdom and believing the old truths of the Bible. It asks for a new devotion to an old Savior, a consecration which touches the whole life. Satan offers an immediate, materialistic solution to problems, but success in life, health for the moment, satisfaction in present pleasures, are no substitute for the grace of God.

Men are easily turned aside to any trivia which offers a change, something new. God would have us learn to trust Him for His old ways…to trust God for Himself!