“Testing Scripture: Does it Pass the 3 Walls Test?”
Wall 1: Amos 3:7 — God always reveals His plans
Amos 3:7 — “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
If a doctrine claims God changed His Law but no prophet ever announced it, it fails the first wall. God does not contradict His own revealed Word without prophetic witness.
Wall 2: Deuteronomy 13:1–5 — The Law Test
Deuteronomy 13:3–4 — “…for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments…”
If a teacher, prophet, or apostle says “God’s commandments don’t matter,” the test of Deut 13 exposes them. No miracle or sign can validate lawlessness. This wall protects us from deception.
Wall 3: Acts 17:11 — The Berean Challenge
Acts 17:11 — “These were more noble… in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
The Bereans did not blindly accept Paul’s words—they tested them against Scripture. Any doctrine today must also withstand this daily scrutiny. If it cannot be found in the Law and the Prophets, it fails the Berean test.
Summary: Testing Every Doctrine
The 3 Walls Test:
- Amos 3:7 — God reveals His will through prophets, not hidden changes.
- Deuteronomy 13 — No teaching that rejects His commandments is from Him.
- Acts 17:11 — Test everything daily against the Scriptures, like the Bereans.
When applied, these three walls protect believers from false doctrine. If a teaching crumbles against even one of these walls, it cannot be the Word of God.
Doctrines That Fail the Test of Amos 3:7 and Deuteronomy 13:1–5
Amos 3:7 – “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
Deuteronomy 13:1–5 – Any prophet or dreamer who leads you away from God’s commandments, even with signs or wonders, must not be followed.
This page lists modern Christian beliefs and practices that:
- Are not revealed by God’s prophets in Scripture (fail Amos 3:7), and/or
- Lead away from obedience to God’s commandments (fail Deut 13:1–5).
Sample Topics that people believe that Fail the “3 Walls” tests:
- 1. “The Law (Torah) Was Abolished / Cancelled”
- 2. “We No Longer Need to Keep the Sabbath”
- 3. “Feasts Are Abolished”
- 4. “Once Saved Always Saved”
- 5. “God Accepts All Worship Styles (Including Pagan-Based Holidays)”
- 6. “Israel Is Replaced by the Church”
- 7. “The Holy Spirit Will Tell You Something That Contradicts Scripture”
- 8. “Jesus Ended the Old Covenant so Obedience Is Optional”
- 9. “You Can Follow Jesus Without Obedience / Discipleship”
- 10. “We Can Choose Our Own Day of Worship (Sunday Replacing Sabbath)”
- 11. “Humans Become Angels When They Die”
- 12. “The Soul Is Naturally Immortal”
- 13. “God No Longer Judges His People”
- 14. “Clean/Unclean Food Laws Are Abolished”
- 15. “God Desires Happiness Over Holiness”
- 16. “Prophecy Has Permanently Ceased”
- 17. “The Old Testament Is No Longer Relevant for Christians”
- 18. “Jesus Taught Against the Law”
1. “The Law (Torah) Was Abolished / Cancelled”
Fail – Amos 3:7: No prophet ever declares that God will abolish His own Law.
Fail – Deut 13: This belief encourages believers to ignore or set aside God’s commandments.
2. “We No Longer Need to Keep the Sabbath”
Fail – Amos 3:7: The prophets affirm Sabbath before Sinai, at Sinai, after exile, in Messiah’s ministry, and in the age to come.
Fail – Deut 13: It directly teaches people to disregard one of God’s Ten Commandments.
3. “Feasts Are Abolished”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets show God’s appointed times (feasts) continuing into the Messianic age.
Fail – Deut 13: Turning away from God’s appointed times toward man-made alternatives leads away from His commands.
4. “Once Saved Always Saved”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets, Jesus, and apostles continually warn about falling away and the need to persevere.
Fail – Deut 13: This belief can remove the fear of God and dull the call to ongoing obedience.
5. “God Accepts All Worship Styles (Including Pagan-Based Holidays)”
Fail – Amos 3:7: No prophet reveals a future time when God will approve mixing pagan customs with His worship.
Fail – Deut 13: God explicitly forbids learning the ways of the nations to worship Him.
6. “Israel Is Replaced by the Church”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets speak of God restoring Israel, not discarding them.
Fail – Deut 13: This belief undermines God’s covenant faithfulness and can weaken trust in His words.
7. “The Holy Spirit Will Tell You Something That Contradicts Scripture”
Fail – Amos 3:7: The same God who spoke through the prophets does not contradict Himself later.
Fail – Deut 13: Any “revelation” that leads away from Torah and the commandments must be rejected.
8. “Jesus Ended the Old Covenant so Obedience Is Optional”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets foretold a New Covenant where God would write His Law on hearts, not abolish it.
Fail – Deut 13: A doctrine that makes obedience “optional” effectively leads away from the LORD and His ways.
9. “You Can Follow Jesus Without Obedience / Discipleship”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets and Jesus call for repentance, obedience, and wholehearted devotion—not a cost-free discipleship.
Fail – Deut 13: It lowers God’s standard and can normalize disobedience among believers.
10. “We Can Choose Our Own Day of Worship (Sunday Replacing Sabbath)”
Fail – Amos 3:7: No prophet announces a new, man-chosen day replacing the seventh-day Sabbath.
Fail – Deut 13: Substituting God’s appointed sign with another day turns hearts from what He commanded.
11. “Humans Become Angels When They Die”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Scripture never reveals that humans transform into angels; they remain distinct creations.
Fail – Deut 13: While less directly about commandments, this still misrepresents God’s revealed order and design.
12. “The Soul Is Naturally Immortal”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets do not teach that humans possess inherent immortality; God alone has immortality.
Fail – Deut 13: This belief often weakens the seriousness of judgment and the need for resurrection as God defined it.
13. “God No Longer Judges His People”
Fail – Amos 3:7: The entire prophetic witness shows God continually judging His people for disobedience.
Fail – Deut 13: Teaching that God no longer judges can encourage rebellion and unrepentant sin.
14. “Clean/Unclean Food Laws Are Abolished”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets never declare an end to God’s distinctions between clean and unclean foods.
Fail – Deut 13: It leads people to disregard specific commands God gave to His people.
15. “God Desires Happiness Over Holiness”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Prophets consistently reveal God’s desire for holiness, righteousness, and justice—not comfort-centered religion.
Fail – Deut 13: This belief shifts the goal from fearing God and obeying Him to pleasing self.
16. “Prophecy Has Permanently Ceased”
Fail – Amos 3:7: Amos states that God does nothing without revealing it to His servants the prophets.
Fail – Deut 13: While discernment is needed, rejecting all prophecy outright can also reject genuine calls back to obedience.
17. “The Old Testament Is No Longer Relevant for Christians”
Fail – Amos 3:7: The “Old Testament” is the prophetic revelation God already gave.
Fail – Deut 13: Discarding these Scriptures removes the very commandments we are told to guard and obey.
18. “Jesus Taught Against the Law”
Fail – Amos 3:7: The prophets foretold a righteous Messiah who delights in God’s Law and upholds it.
Fail – Deut 13: Any “Jesus” who leads away from the Father’s commandments is not the Jesus of Scripture.