08/03/2021
Are you bothered and upset when men take the Word of God and twist it to suit their own purposes? Do you feel a sense of betrayal in their actions, and a loss of fidelity? God’s Word is more than a simple account written by man for his amusement, it is God Himself being revealed to us. So why is it that we think that we can treat it like the grass that we trod under our feet, as we disregard its Holy, and proper, use? A lawyer searches and guards the meaning of every one of man’s words when making his defense, yet the theologian often approaches God’s Holy Word by looking for loopholes, or any means he can to cloud its meaning, to gain advantage, a living, or notoriety among men, by justifying sin. Woe be to them.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 ESV
I have heard it said on a number of occasions that scripture is everlasting because it conforms to the times in which we live, and each time I hear such poppycock I cringe. God doesn’t conform to our times, no, we are meant to adhere to His Word to insure that our times are made to reflect Him. He is unchangeable, His Word is without change, and we are meant to be as He is; we are meant to be eternally true to Him.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
Isaiah 40:28 ESV
So what of those who have already been taught heresy, and false doctrine? To them I say that they should return to God’s Word, and obey it as it is written. If God says we should obey… then obey! If God says something is an abomination, then it is an abomination! And, if God says it is good, then it is certainly good. Begin with the understanding that the Word is God…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 ESV
And, we must understand the truth regarding Christ, that Jesus was not created in the moment as a response to man’s sin… he has been from the beginning… He is much more than a simple tool, He was, and is, and I’d to come.
“He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:2-5 ESV
So the Holy Word is God, Jesus is His Son that was sent to become God in man, and to die for us so that God’s will would be done, and we might be redeemed. These things, and all that is written is the inspired Word of God are true and nonnegotiable. Are we being conformed to His Word? Are we being transformed by our faith, and our lives obedience to what is written in God’s Word, or are we attempting to transform His Word into something that would serve us? If we hold a cup filled with muddy water and call it clear and clean, it will still be muddy… if we sin, and call it clean and righteous, it remains sin nonetheless. So it is with God’s Word… its truth is true, and unchallengeable,
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”
Romans 16:17-18 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy Word that is in changeable, and leads us into righteousness. Thank you Lord for the Holy transformation we experience as we adhere to your Word, and obey your commandments there. Help us Father to be faithful to your Word, the gospel of Jesus, and the commandments we receive from you. Help us to obey, honor, and glorify you as we mold our lives by what is written in your Holy Word. Teach us to conform to you Father, and not to attempt to redefine who you are as we seek an easy way yo navigate our sin, and our unrighteous lives. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Praised be your name for each promise you make, every act of your love that is unending, and the truth in each Word you have spoken, written into stone, or inspired to be spoken, or written by those you have chosen. Hear the prayers of the righteous Father as we pray for those who have twisted your Word in an attempt to make their lives appear, good, righteous, and holy. Help them to see the error of their ways, their sin, and even their heresy, as they have sought to deceive themselves, and others, with false doctrine. Open their eyes Lord, and reveal your truth to them. Jesus asked for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him because they “Know not what they do”, and we ask the same for those who have twisted and wandered from your Word in an attempt to reconcile themselves with this fallen world.
“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.”
Psalm 119:89-93 ESV
Rich Forbes