<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Untitled Document

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

Return to the General Articles page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /