First, there are people who accept that God's Word is final. Sometimes they will struggle to understand it, much less explain it. Maybe they will chafe under it. It may cause discomfort. It may run counter to everything they previously believed. Such a person, however, will recognize the Word as Divine in origin. If Divine, then trustworthy. If trustworthy, then worth loving, obeying, and proclaiming.
Next, there are people who scrutinize it. They weigh it against other things they believe, and find trustworthy. They keep the parts they like, and discard or qualify the parts they don't. Such a person would view events written as history as 'mere metaphor.' Such a person seldom struggles with Scripture, because it is retro-fitted to tuck neatly into their pre-existing values, beliefs and assumptions.
Boiling this down, we have one group which (to varying degrees of effectiveness) allows God's Word to judge and convict, and cause internal change. We have another group that takes an academic, or spectator's interest in Scripture. They critique it, examine it, and sift it for the parts they like.
Does it matter?
Does it make a real difference in life?
The Bible presents a recurring theme of two groups of people. Jesus separates Sheep from Goats. (Two Groups.) Heaven and Hell. Redeemed and Lost. Flesh and Spirit. Light and Darkness. There is no 'neutral' group mentioned, because there isn't one.
Jesus even went so far as to say some people were of "their father", the Devil.
Does the Divine Writ have examples of both groups of people interacting with God's Word? Does it shed light on which approach we should have to Scripture?
Yes, it does.
First, the temptation of Jesus (Luke 4)
3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'[a]"
5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'[b]"
9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[c]"
12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
In Luke 4, verses 4, 8, and 12, Jesus responds to each temptation the same way. "It is written". He did not rely on his knowledge. His reply was not based on willpower. It was not Human strength or goodness to which Jesus appealed. If anyone could have offered reliable personal experience, it would be him, but He did not. He allowed God's Word to set the boundaries for His life. In so doing, He submitted His life to the Word.
Notice how this contrasts with the other great temptation in human history.
Genesis 3:1-4
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"Here's what God actually said: (Genesis 2:16, 17)
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
Notice that the serpent, and Eve both misrepresented the actual Word of God.
The serpent began by casting doubt on God's word. Did he say it? Did he mean it? Why should he restrict you?
Eve's response is to over-correct. She corrects the statement to limit it to only 1 tree. She invents a limitation not ordained by God, "shall not touch it". She uses language of doubt where God gave language of certainty. God said "will surely die". Eve said (in the original language) "Lest" you die. Lest, as in "might", "perhaps", "it could happen".
She did not accurately represent God's word.
The deception of the serpent was to take Eve from a simple acceptance of God's Word, to objectively examining it, and making it something that was uncertain, and lacking in authority. She made herself the judge of the Word, rather than letting the Word judge, rule, and guide her.
In so doing, she (whether she realized it or not) cast doubt on the very character of God. Had she not doubted God's character, His love, and His commitment to her best interests, she could never have entertained the idea of disobeying a direct commandment of His. We know what happened next.
So, what does that have to do with us?
The very Fall of Man hinged upon a departure from the simple acceptance of God's word. It was interpreted, processed, and made to mean something other than what He said.
Our redemption hinges upon Jesus' sinless life. It is sinless because He faced temptation, and did not fall to it. He did not, because He submitted to the Word of God. (One is reminded of James 4:7, submit therefore to God, resist the Devil, he will flee) He succeeded in the very point in which Adam and Eve failed.
If the attitude toward God's word was so instrumental in both the Fall and Redemption, we need to pay attention.
People's influences are reflected in their words and behaviour. If our influence is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we will have a High view of His Word, just as He does.
If we treat the Bible like a human book, if we critique it, if we pick and choose which parts are worth believing, it isn't Christ we resemble. It's the world, and it's the Deceiver.
In such a case, it is important to ask:
Am I still dead in my sin?
If that is the case for you, there is good news:
Today is the day of salvation, if you will trust in Jesus Christ.
1 comment:
That was a very good entry. Very clear, easy to understand, and still of importance. I like how you compared those two examples. I wouldn't have thought to do that.
Post a Comment