Are you standing firm in the truth of God’s Word or are you being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14)? To believe that the Holy Bible is God’s Word is to believe that everything in it is from the very mouth of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and that it is absolute truth. Why then do you refuse to submit to it? Why do you refuse to defend it among unbelievers? Those that truly believe that God’s Word is truth will hold fast to it, refuse to waver from it, and rightly handle it.
About seven years ago I went to the eye doctor after many years of blurry vision. Of course they prescribed me glasses. I didn’t realize how bad my vision was until I actually put on glasses. For the first time, I was seeing all of the details that I had been missing for so many years. I often compare that to when I began to read my Bible once I viewed it rightly as God’s Word. My life and the world around me became clearer than it had ever been. I began to see the truth and was able to identify lies.
I want to pick up where I left off last week about the Holy Bible. To believe that the Holy Bible is God’s Word really does affect every part of your life. It becomes an authority on what I should and shouldn’t do. It defines right, wrong, good, evil, truth, and lies. And it is the very lens by which I view the rest of the world. Therefore, I’m called to submit to what it commands of me and to defend it against lies.
Hold Fast to the Truth
I’ve been reading Paul’s letters to the early church a lot lately. Over and over again, you can hear Paul’s heartache and disappointment with believers straying from the truth. This is most prominent in Paul’s letter to the Galatian church. He warns them about the Judaizer who attempted to lead them astray. Below are a few of my favorite excerpts:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Galatians 3:1
Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? Galatians 4:16
I, too, have experienced this kind of pain myself in the church and in ministry. Nothing is more frustrating than to see our brothers and sisters in Christ refuse to stand up for the truth of His Word. It’s heartbreaking because we know that Jesus said, For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26). Paul warns the early church to stand firm and hold firm to the trustworthy word (Titus 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:15) and to hold fast to the word of life (Philippians 2:16). This is a message that is still just as important to us today.
Do Not Waver from the Truth
Why do so many churches and ministries seem to get this wrong? Scripture tells us it is because they desire the approval of man over the approval of God. They say things like, We believe these things, but we don’t have to tell others we believe it. It’s as if they have forgotten that it is God who changes hearts and calls the lost to Himself. Therefore, we must share the truth of the Gospel with the unbelievers. Or worse, like me they grew up going to church so they have always considered themselves a Christian. However, they do not have the Holy Spirit, there is no fruit in their lives, and they do not know God.
For this reason, we see churches moving towards more progressive and liberal ways of thinking. Many churches are abandoning God’s Word. This can be seen in the growing number of women pastors. Even the denominations who claim to reject the ordination of women refuse to enforce it. Scripture is clear that women are not to teach men in the church or to hold the title of pastor and yet many do. We also have churches giving pastors’ wives the title of pastor. When we waver from God’s Word we shouldn’t be surprised by the results. Many churches have become a place to promote this week’s social justice cause rather than a place to worship God and to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Rightly Handle the Truth
It is foolish to think wavering from God’s Word is going to bring unbelievers to God. One of my favorite things that my pastor has said was something like, God doesn’t need a PR agent. How dare any of us think that we know better than God what unbelievers need. We must realize that when we spread false information about God and what it looks like to follow Him, we are not pointing people to Him. We are actually walking as enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18). That should terrify us.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
My prayer since I started writing this blog has always been, Lord, please don’t let me write anything that misrepresents you or the truth of your Word. I don’t ever wish to mislead anyone with lies or half truths. That’s the reason I have other faithful believers read my articles before I post them to be sure that my message is full of grace and truth. I never want to say anything that I can’t back up with Scripture. And yet I know so many believers who claim things about God that are unbiblical. When they are confronted about it their answer is, that’s what I’ve always believed or that’s what I’ve always been taught. Well, you were taught wrong. If your way of thinking does not line up with God’s Word then it is not God’s Word that is wrong, it is you. You must be willing to reject any other way of thinking.
Anchor Yourself to Truth
There are a lot of churches teaching a lot of things that don’t line up with Scripture. Thanks be to God that He has given us His Word so that we do not have to be led astray if and only if we are willing to stand on the truth and reject lies. I encourage you as a follower of Christ to know the truth of God’s Word, refuse to waver from it, and handle it rightly. This starts by being in God’s Word and prayer regularly, and attending a Bible preaching church.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
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