"Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." 1 Tim 4:16
July 2, 2007 - Frustratingly vexing to me are those who call themselves, “Christians”, yet, "just don't seem to get it” when it comes to harvesting a sound interpretation and presentation of the Word of God. Exceedingly vexing are those who would assume prominent, leadership roles in our churches whilst injecting a non-biblical, false doctrine into the Body of Christ. Undoubtedly, the forerunner of man's false doctrine is the inaccurate, liberal interpretation of Scriptural text through which the underlying message assumes the pattern of his personal convictions.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim 4:3-4
A "loose" interpretation of Scripture gives the reader a little room in which to operate, as it were, whilst in the discernment phase of study. Quite literally, it is a personally-desirable, albeit spiritually-unfavorable position in which to exist when we are free to conform the Word of God to what we would like to believe; to what sounds and feels good. In so doing, we allow Scripture to become led by our beliefs, when, in fact, our beliefs should be led by Scripture. When we "mold" and "conform" the Word of God to what we, in our feeble, little minds, opine and define as "truth"--fully-customizable to our agendas--we neither require nor revere the One and Only Truth. In so doing, we presumptuously assume our ways are that of God's:
"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.
'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
When what we know as "truth" is humanly-perceived, rather than biblically-received, we forfeit that which guarantees the Light in which we walk will keep us from darkness. In the absence of the Light, our penchant for "listening" to what we'd
rather hear, as opposed to what we'd better hear from the Word of God will ensure the emergence of "humanly-inspired" Scripture--the spiritual "breeding grounds" for false doctrines and teachings. The "word of man", unlike the Word of God, is spiritually-impotent. It is incapable of reaching a lost world.
Our Lord, in His Grace and Wisdom, has equipped us with His divinely-inspired Word and His Holy Spirit--both of which serve to teach and counsel; yet neither of which require addition nor subtraction. The Word and the Holy Spirit are mutually-inclusive, for one is needed to accurately discern the other. Through prayer and the Will of the Father, the Holy Spirit will equip each of us, independently, with different Giftings--many of which play a pivotal role in the accurate, biblical discernment of Scripture. The gifts of the Holy Spirit will bear fruit that is of God.
A theological doctrine solely predicated upon the liberal, "customizable" interpretation of Scripture is the pathway to false, inaccurate discernment--the begetter of false teaching. When we court the former, we inevitably shall be held accountable for the latter.
Ultimately, the licentious interpretations of today sire the fallacious presentations of tomorrow.
