Did God Really Say

• Did God Really Say
• Adding to God’s Word
• From Temptation to Self Idolatry
• Sharing Sin
• Avoiding Error
• Biblical Foundation

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I’ve recently heard about several polls that were done fairly recently that suggest that most people that claim to be Christians don’t actually have a biblical worldview. They don’t actually believe the whole Bible as written. They pick and choose what things they want to believe. They pick some things from the Bible, some things from other religions, some things from culture, some things from personal preference, and then call this syncretism, “my faith” or “my belief.” Even though the belief system is a mix & match, pick & choose kind of belief system, many (most?) will still call themselves Christians. Can a person really be a Christian and pick and choose which parts of Christianity they want to believe and live out? Do we get to say to our creator, savior God, “I don’t like the way you’ve given me to come to you, so I’m going to do it my way?”

The most disturbing poll was a poll of pastors1 where in many denomination, most of the pastors don’t even trust what the Bible says and some don’t even think Jesus is the only way to heaven. We are commanded to not forsake “ our own assembling together, as is the habit of some,” (Hebrews 10 29a) but that can be a little tricky when so many pastors are false teachers (whether misled or intentionally misleading).

§Did God Really Say

All of this denying the Bible, picking & choosing which parts they want to follow, and adding other beliefs as they see fit, made me think of the first day that sin occurred as documented in Genesis 3.

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’?”(Genesis 3:1 NIV) {emphasis mine}

Satan tried to mislead Eve and Adam. He questioned God. He questioned what God said. “Did God really say … ?” In the same way, many people say:

• “Did God really say that the universe was created in six days?” (Genesis 1)

• “Did God really say that we were created male and female?” (Genesis 1:27)

• “Did God really say that all creatures were created according to their kind?” (Genesis 1)

• “Did God really say that marriage is between one biological woman and one biological man, becoming one flesh?” (Genesis 2:24)

• “Did God really say that the husband has authority over the woman in marriage?” (Ephesians 5:23)

• “Did God really say that only men should preach?” (1 Timothy 2:12)

Too often, when we don’t like what the Bible says, we either ignore it or try to explain it away. This is not good. God created everything in His wisdom and power, therefore He gets to define right and wrong. He also knows what is for our good, but we often think something is good for us that is not.

§Adding to God’s Word

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 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.’ ”(Genesis 3:2 NIV) {emphasis mine}

When Satan questioned what God said, Eve recited back what God said, but added “and you must not touch it.” God never said they couldn’t touch it. He only said that they must not eat it. It is true that if someone is tempted to eat the fruit, they probably shouldn’t touch it or even look at it, but Eve added to God’s command.

Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes regularly for their man-made laws, that they taught and enforced strictly, but also failed to follow strictly themselves.

There are many errors in many denominations that came from adding to God’s word. Frequently the initial action, idea, or prohibition was caused by them rightly trying to stop an error, but in trying to stop an error in one direction, they created an error in the opposite direction.

To prevent stepping on toes and starting an argument that isn’t relevant to this post, I’ll mention something that isn’t exactly an error, but is how these errors come about.

In the Middle Ages, people became obsessed with the power of Satan and blamed all kinds of things on him and were afraid of him. To deal with this error of giving Satan too much credit and raising him up to near godlike status, the godly people started making fun of the Devil. They made cartoonish pictures of him to mock him and put him down. They made images that made Satan look like a fool. After a couple of generations, the younger generations didn’t understand that these images were used to mock the Devil and they started to expect the Devil to look like these cartoonish pictures with the forked tale and the horns on his head. This is what people still think of today, but almost nobody knows where the idea came from. Most similar processions to error are much more serious than this one, but this story hopefully helps you to understand how we can drift into error.

§From Temptation to Self Idolatry

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:4-7 NIV) {emphasis mine}

After one more temptation Eve came to see the forbidden fruit as:

• “good for food”: — Taking a bite doesn’t seem that serious

• “pleasing to the eye” — That looks like it would bring me pleasure, why is God keeping it from me?

• “desirable for gaining wisdom” — I know what is good for me and don’t need God telling me what is good/bad or wise/foolish.

In this verse you see the progression of doubts about God’s very good commands all of the way to trying to take over as the authority figure, usurping God’s authority. Sadly, people, Christians and non-Christians alike, go through the same process and wind up opposing God instead of submitting to Him.

§Sharing Sin

After Eve disobeyed and took some of the fruit, she didn’t stop there. She had blatantly and intentionally broken God’s one and only explicit command, but that wasn’t enough. They say “misery loves company,” but even more “sinners love company.” I think they love company because it doesn’t feel as bad if “everyone is doing it,” so sinners almost always try to lead others astray. Some do it intentionally. Others do it subconsciously. Either way additional people are led astray. I guess that is why the Bible says, “… Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33b)

§Avoiding Error

It is so important for us to know and understand our Bibles so we do not mislead others or be misled ourselves. We need to be like the Bereans

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) {emphasis mine}

They were being taught by people like Paul, who wrote so much of the New Testament, but they still examined “the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” You may have a fantastic, godly, Bible believing pastor, but you still need to examine the Scriptures to see if what he says is so. Even the best pastor occasionally makes mistakes.

§Biblical Foundation

I was talking to a friend of mine at church this week. She had been involved in a Bible Study and everyone gave their view of eschatology (what the Bible says about end times). She enjoys a friendly debate, but was disappointed in the group, not only because she disagreed with their point of view, but also because everyone besides her defended their view of end times with something other than the Bible. Their pastor taught this other view. They were raised by their parents to believe this other view. They read a book that promoted this other view. They saw a YouTube video promoting this other view.

Any time we are debating anything that relates in any way to the Bible, we need to start with the Bible. God knows more than any man. The truth is the truth even if not one person on earth believes it.

I hope when you promote your beliefs, that you start with the Bible and use the Bible to defend your opinion. Any opinion, belief, science, or worldview that disagrees with the Bible is false. We don’t get to have our own “truth.” There is only one TRUTH. We don’t get to say we are Christians, but pick and choose which parts of God’s word we want to believe or obey. We don’t get to go to heaven in the way we choose, but only through repentance and faith in Jesus. The only way is the way Jesus provided for us.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6)

We don’t get to say that our God and Savior suffering and dying for us is not convenient for us, so we’ll just go another way.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23) {emphasis mine}

I hope everyone of you has repented of your sins and trusted Jesus as Lord of your life. I hope every one of you is searching for THE TRUTH, and not “my truth.” I hope every one of you is examining the Scriptures daily to see what is true. I hope every one of you is careful about talking on subjects about which you haven’t studied carefully in the Bible. I hope every one of you knows the difference between fact and opinion.

I hope none of you are the people described in this passage about the last days:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) {emphasis mine}

When you don’t get the truth from God’s word, you won’t find the truth at all. When you seek your way instead of God’s way, you will run astray to the harm of you and everyone following you.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

May the Lord Jesus Christ and His word, the Bible, lead you to truth and righteousness to the glory of God.

Trust Jesus