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Selective Bible Understanding
As we travel through life, we come across all sorts of people. In the section
of life dealing with God and salvation, there are many understandings about
what is the right way to serve God. There are many people who neglect the reading
of the Bible, but seem to know in their own hearts what God is all about. You
see, the Bible declares to mankind who God is and what God is. It also declares
the will of God. Many people decide to ignore or reject what God said, but to
soothe their own conscience, they deceive themselves into believing something
not true.
When the Bible teaches something that they might be guilty of, they can easily
dismiss what is written by any number of reasons.
I recently came across a person who said that the teachings of Jesus only applied
to those who heard Him. In other words, the words of Jesus found in the Bible
do not apply to anyone today.
I remember in the past, hearing people say that if it is not written in red;
we do not need to know it. This has reference to the red letter editions that
put the words of Jesus in red print. So for that person, anything written by
one of the apostles is meaningless, while only the words of Jesus apply to us
today.
Then we have many hold to the teaching that the things written in the Old Testament
have no meaning for us today. They reject what Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians
10:11 teach us about learning from the mistakes of others.
Conversely, we have many today who want to bring elements from the Old Testament
and say we must live by them. A prime example is the Ten Commandments given
by God to the children of Israel. I have known several people who say they live
by the Ten Commandments and nothing else. All the Law given through Moses was
symbolically nailed to the cross when Christ died, and Christ instituted His
church with His own laws and rules.
Many people reject the Bible as being from God. Many believe the humanist doctrine
of evolution and that everything happened by chance, and they also teach that
religion is nothing more than a mind game that deludes the masses.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 tells us that God will allow people to believe a lie,
because they did not love the truth of God's words, so as to obey it.
That is the reason for all this selective understanding. People want to do what
they want to do regardless of who is instructing them to do it. It is easier
to reject God's word, than it is to give up selfish pleasures.
One of the sad things is that many religious leaders and teachers go along with
those who do not love the truth and delude the people that everything is alright.
This is what the people want. 2 Timothy 4:3 tells us that the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine and will accumulate for themselves
teachers of their own accord.
That is a reason that there are so many religious groups in the world today.
When people rejected the truth of God's word, they could not endure staying
around true Christians, so they made their own religion. It does not matter
to them that their doctrine is in opposition to the Bible. They have found a
way to make themselves feel good. No matter the sin, there is a religious teacher
out there saying that it is alright, and they are Okay with God.
When all is said and done, God is going to have the last word for everyone.
Throughout the Bible, we are warned that God will judge people's hearts and
minds, and will render a judgment suitable for what they have done.
We encourage people to read the Bible and learn from it. Learn so as to apply
it to our own lives. By doing the will of God, we will please God. When God
is pleased, He will reward His faithful servants. Those who have rejected God
either by total or partial rejection will experience God's wrath when judgment
day gets here.
The Bible is plain and simple to understand if you open your heart to hear what
God says. Put your trust in God and obey His commands. That is how you demonstrate
love to God, and we are to demonstrate love to others by teaching them to seek
the Lord in all their ways. We cannot afford to be selective when it comes to
the Bible.
By Carey Scott
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