Hebrews 13:9
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
The verse warns against being carried about and led astray or turned aside by diverse and varied doctrines that are unfamiliar, strange, and new. The heart is rightly made firm and the soul established by grace, which is the ground of steadfastness. That establishing does not come by meats, meaning religious practices centered on food, which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
The grace that establishes also elevates and ennobles character, while preaching talent and excitement without it do not produce lasting spiritual fruit. The positive response is to keep the feet in the footprints of Christ and to grow in unity and knowledge of Christ, distinguishing truth from error, rather than being carried about by every wind of doctrine. In times of great excitement strange and fanciful work is introduced by those who use the opportunity to bring in such doctrines, and this fanaticism injures the work and closes the door to sound doctrine, as was met on every hand in 1844.
The warning means not to exchange received truth for teachings that appear pleasing but seduce the soul, for those who leave the path of truth lose their bearings and drift from one delusion to another. It also means not to pursue new teachings or pry into mysteries of the future life, but to practice the lessons already given by God. The strange doctrines are present errors that confuse faith and lead souls away from the true faith, fulfilling what the Word declared would come, so they should not be met with surprise.
When people are being misled by the influence of others, teaching should direct them to grace rather than to doctrines that unsettle faith. Obeying the verse means being guarded, watching unto prayer, guarding the spirit, and seeking to overcome so that God can be present and help in overcoming rather than acting as the evil one desires. It belongs to preparing for the future immortal life by working diligently to make calling and election sure, bringing the peace of Christ into the heart, learning of Christ so as to be fitted to unite with the family of the redeemed, preparing to meet God, and living as a happy example of what a minister of Christ should be.