A few days ago Ezekiel 13:2 – 3 was in my reading project. Thinking through that passage led me to four others:
Reading that you get a clear picture of the state of leadership for the nation. They told the people what they wanted to hear. They shared their own ideas. They did not hold fast to God’s Word.
This seems like a commentary on what is happening now.
I reviewed two academic catalogs today. I get them because I am a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Among the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ethiopic texts were a number, great number of works that were essentially dealing with issues that the world is attempting to force on the Church. Unfortunately, some seemed to be aimed at portraying the Body as tolerant and responsive.
The issues that those works addressed are covering behavior that the Word says is sin. There is no Biblical way to say that behavior is not sin and remain true to what the Bible says without redefining words or critically removing passages from the discussion.
We are living under constant pressure to conform to the world, Romans 12:1 – 2. We are under constant attack by the enemy to remove the influence of the Word of God on our communities, Mark 4:13 – 20; 1 Peter 5:8.
We are in danger of doing what the Pharisees did with the Law; redefine to align with our image, our thinking, our ability to obey. The problem with that is clearly outlined in Matthew 5:3 – 7:27, with the kicker coming in Matthew 5:28. The standard, the standard that we cannot escape is the nature and character of God. If we are not like Him, and the world some are attempting to appease is not even in the ball park, we are not in the kingdom. We will never see it.
As a pastor friend of mine said recently, we have to hold up and exalt God’s Word. We have to heed what is says, we have to obey its author.
- Ezekiel 22:25
- Ezekiel 22:28
- Lamentations 2:14
- Jeremiah 23:28 – 32
This seems like a commentary on what is happening now.
I reviewed two academic catalogs today. I get them because I am a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Among the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ethiopic texts were a number, great number of works that were essentially dealing with issues that the world is attempting to force on the Church. Unfortunately, some seemed to be aimed at portraying the Body as tolerant and responsive.
The issues that those works addressed are covering behavior that the Word says is sin. There is no Biblical way to say that behavior is not sin and remain true to what the Bible says without redefining words or critically removing passages from the discussion.
We are living under constant pressure to conform to the world, Romans 12:1 – 2. We are under constant attack by the enemy to remove the influence of the Word of God on our communities, Mark 4:13 – 20; 1 Peter 5:8.
We are in danger of doing what the Pharisees did with the Law; redefine to align with our image, our thinking, our ability to obey. The problem with that is clearly outlined in Matthew 5:3 – 7:27, with the kicker coming in Matthew 5:28. The standard, the standard that we cannot escape is the nature and character of God. If we are not like Him, and the world some are attempting to appease is not even in the ball park, we are not in the kingdom. We will never see it.
As a pastor friend of mine said recently, we have to hold up and exalt God’s Word. We have to heed what is says, we have to obey its author.
Casting doubt on what God has actually said is the oldest trick in our enemy's play book. It started within a very short time (probably) of human life. "The serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die!" (Gen. 3:4)
ReplyDeleteThis passion to disbelieve God comes to us through the ages, seen in every generation in a constantly degenerating way. Churches just a few decades ago that were solid bastions of Evangelical principles are espousing terrible moral and theological heresy. Every day we see it before us.
This would be the first area to which I should apply 1 Corinthians 10:12, "...let him who thinks he stands take heed (constantly) lest he fall."
I see the tendency all over myself....