Many
people say they have the Word of God, that they know the truth, and however
else they may say it. But how can we know that people actually know, or that we
ourselves actually know… what the truth is? In this blog, I’ll try to explain
it in as simple a way as possible.
Do
you remember some of those assignments you got in English class? Particularly
the ones where you’re asked to analyze a particular book, play, act, chapter,
scene, or title, and to suggest what the author meant when they wrote it. While
I have nothing to say against creative or critical thinking exercises, everyone
knows we have no way of knowing what in heck the author meant exactly without
contacting the author themselves. The trouble with God’s great book however, is
that people do think they can interpret it without His divine help. Really? The
oldest, most pertinent and multi-faceted book in human history, and it’s
capable of being understood without the help of its Author? How can this be?
Easy answer: it’s not. From the logical point of view, it makes sense, as well
as from the perspective I’ve gained from my own relationship with God, it makes
sense. The Bible itself says in 2 Peter 1:20 “That no prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation.” Jesus also said of both the Holy Scriptures and
the Holy Spirit that they testify to us about him (John 5:39, 15:26); so this
book actually tells us to contact someone who knows its own Author – it must be
important.
One
of my favorite scriptures on this topic is 2 Tim. 3:16 “All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for exposure, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness.” A good complement to this is the
scripture in Job which says, “I said, days should speak, and multitude of years
should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the
Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do
the aged understand judgment.” (Job 32:7-9) (As a side note, this highlights
the importance of being “poor in spirit” as Jesus said in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”) But back to topic,
these scriptures were not meant to only be given to those who would write the
Bible, though God most certainly inspired them to do that. This also means that
we can only receive the scriptures… into our hearts – the place where it really
counts – by the Spirit of God. The word inspiration is derived from the word
which means “God-spirited” or “divinely breathed in” in both the Greek and
ancient Hebrew.
The
King/Psalmwriter, David said that he hid the word of God in his heart so that
he would not sin (Psalm 119:11). A sin, I think most people know by now, is a transgression
against the law of God. But what is the law of God? Many people would cite the
Bible, especially the older scriptures like those found in Leviticus, but it’s actually
not that easy. When Jesus came two thousand years ago, yes, he died a perfect
sacrifice for our sins, but he also taught us about the ways and the laws of
God. Sure he made certain challenges against the traditions of the elders of
Israel, such as not washing his hands before eating, but he fulfilled every part
of God’s law. Some would say he did away with those old laws, drawing on
examples such as God telling Peter that He cleansed many things which were
considered unclean before (Acts 11). The truth however, is that Jesus re-taught
us how to apply the laws of God to our lives so as to fulfill the true purpose
of God’s law. God does not care about all this stuff on the surface of our
lives that might mean so much to the earthly man; His concern – and the purpose
of His law – is for our spiritual well being. Jesus illustrated this in Mat.
5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was declared to them of old time, Thou shalt not
commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” In this
particular comparison, Jesus is talking about living – even in one’s own mind –
after lust, and that that is breaking the law of God. Further analysis of this
single passage will tell you how Jesus spoke against wrath, lust, infidelity, being
a false witness, greediness, slothfulness, revenge, and pride, all of which
needn’t manifest themselves in some sort of obvious way, but they are nonetheless
sins we can commit in our hearts and which break the law of God. As you can
see, there is still a law God wants people to abide by, and it is (in some ways)
even more strict than the old one. But God makes the purpose of His law clear to
His servant, King David in Psalm 19:7-9 “The Law of Yahweh is flawless,
restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is faithful, making wise the
simple; The precepts of Yahweh are upright, rejoicing the heart; The
instruction of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of Yahweh is
clean, standing unto the future; The judgments of Yahweh are truth; they are
righteous altogether.” There is more to that passage but I’ll let you study it
for yourself. Also you should have your own personal relationship with Jesus
and with God, the Father, as Jesus said in John 17:3 “This is life eternal,
that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent.” The Author and His son, both are people you should get to know, to know both
the truth and God’s law, and for to obtain eternal life. The Bible says that
the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ in Galatians 3:24, and I have
learned to interpret this on two levels: first, there was the law God gave Moses
and the children of Israel, a nation into which the Christ, Jesus, was born,
and second, after Jesus came and re-taught the law of God, we can now follow it
into obtaining the anointed life of Christ for ourselves.
And
for those who think they’ve obtained the truth but perhaps do not have the real
thing I have another scripture, Rev. 3:17-20 “Because you say, I am rich and
increased with goods and have need of nothing; and know not that you are
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I advise you to buy
of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you
may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness will not appear; and
anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I expose
and discipline: be zealous therefore, and reconsider. Behold, I stand at the
door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” There’s a lot in that short passage
which may be of interest but there’s only one part that I’ll call your
attention to right now: “as many as I love, I expose and discipline.” So ask yourself
some questions: Has Jesus exposed or disciplined me lately? What have I been
gaining from my time with him? How much time have I actually spent with him? Do
I need to “reconsider” some of these things?
The last thing I want to address
in this post is teaching others to either follow or transgress God’s law; we’re
all doing either the one or the other. This idea, really, is quite simple:
through your actions and the words you speak, are you encouraging others to
show love, patience, generosity, kindness, courage, tenderheartedness, etc. or
are you promoting hatred, misery, hopelessness, fear, complacency, etc? In
practice however this may not be so easy; many people, in their zeal, commit even
extremely violent acts for what they think God desires, provoking fear, hatred,
and sorrow – among other things. We should watch ourselves so that we don’t let
ourselves get caught up in that sort of behavior; and when forced to bear
witness to it, remember that those people aren’t serving God in such acts (whether
they know it or not), and that we can have a personal relationship with God in
which He will help us every day of our lives. Proverbs 3:1-6 says, “My son, do
not forget my law; and let your heart preserve my instructions; for length of
days and years of life, and peace shall they add to you. Do not let mercy and
truth forsake you; bind them about your neck, and write them on the tablet of
your heart. Thus you will find grace and good understanding in the eyes of God
and man. Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean to your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
That short passage sums up a lot of what I’ve said so far, but pay attention to
that last bit, “in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths,”
as it says rather plainly what you should do. Now I’ll give you an example of
Godly behavior so you can perhaps see the difference: Volunteer Chick-fil-A employees
near Orlando, Florida, went to work on Sunday after the mass shooting at a gay
nightclub in the city, breaking a longstanding restaurant policy of remaining
closed on Sundays. Employees provided food to people who were donating blood and
to law enforcement officers who were part of the response effort. Chick-fil-A has
faced criticism from the LGBT community in the past because of comments made by
the company’s CEO opposing same-sex marriage. And while Chick-fil-A was not the
only business or organization to lend the people of Orlando their aid they did
prove that you don’t have to agree with people on every great social or
religious issue as a prerequisite to showing them kindness. The shooting which
took place at the nightclub is a great example of what people should not do but
can do when they don’t really know God or how to keep his commandments.
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve
had congealing in the back of my brain-fridge over the last couple weeks or so,
so I hope you found it edifying. God bless you.
