A loose view of
Scriptures appears to me to be the foundation for so many errors within the
church body. I see a few specific areas
where this is at work:
1. The
pure and unadulterated version of the Bible only exists in the original
copies (which have been lost), and therefore we are only left with copies
of copies, which may or may not contain ‘errors’ or improper translations.
Within this category of error, are the many different Bible
versions, the footnotes and commentaries, and the Pastors who from the pulpit
make claims to be able to properly interpret the original Greek and Hebrew
after taking only a few seminary classes on the original languages. The different versions all claim that since
we only have copies of copies, and since the original languages can be
translated to mean numerous different things, we are permitted to critically
examine the copies we have, and to determine for ourselves what are the best
translated words. We “do what is right
in our own eyes,” and use our own fallen intellect and reasoning to dissect God’s
Word. We forget that HE has promised to
preserve His Word forever in purity and that we are NOT ALLOWED to add or take
away. And private interpretation is
FORBIDDEN.
Regardless of whether we have the original copies or not, it
is God Himself who has undertaken the process of preserving His Word. God does not lie. God does not fail. The same God who supernaturally spoke the
universe out of nothing, and breathed life into dust and made man, can
certainly protect His Word in it’s purity and entirety! And He has promised to do so! Not only that, but any attempts at altering
it or privately interpreting it (I.E. “what it really means”) are strictly forbidden
and threatened against!
And so that would apply to commentaries and footnotes. There is room for discussion amongst brethren
as to their particular insights into a verse.
And that certainly could apply to commentators. But when we run to a source as if it is
authoritative, rather than waiting on the Lord to reveal an issue, all sorts of
errors can creep in! It would be
insanity for you to come to me, with your life on the line, and to ask me what
something means, and then to accept my opinion as fact. It is YOUR responsibility to search it out
for yourself. You cannot rely on others
to tell you what Scriptures mean.
And lastly, this would apply to Pastors who presume to
correct God by saying, “A better translation of this word would be…” What arrogance! What madness and pride! Do you think because you took a semester on
Greek and because you can use a concordance, that you now have the intellect
and authority to improve upon Gods Word!?
HE has preserved it as He has seen fit.
It means what it means, and it is our duty to submit to it. Not to change it to suit our preconceived
opinions!
The danger here is that we have allowed for a relative view
of Scripture. And as such, we are
allowed to “cherry pick” the words and ideas that work for us. Rather than the Word ruling over us and we
conforming to it, we make it conform to our authority.
2. Some
hard to accept Scriptures (like 1st Timothy 2:12) are dismissed
as antiquated and no longer applicable to the modern church.
I have come across several, who when presented with
Scriptures that oppose their ideals, say something like, “Well, that was only
for the church at that time.” Or, “That was
only meant for that particular group.”
That kind of self imposing blindness and hardening of heart is so
dangerous and wicked! Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today and forever.
What God said to the church at Philipi is applicable to ALL the
churches! What was meant for Timothy, is
meant for us. Sure, there are occasions
where a specific command is given for a specific people, but the context makes
that clear (“Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called
them.” in Acts 13, is obviously for THAT Barnabas and Saul. It does not mean that all churches for all
time need to set apart men named Barnabas and Saul for ministerial work. The context defines the objects of
reference.). When a general command is
given for church conduct and Christian behavior (as most of the New Testament
is), it applies to ALL who call themselves by His Name and to ALL the churches
throughout all time.
The danger here is that we can dismiss any verses that we don’t like as being
not applicable. We again “cherry pick” Scripture
and make it bow to our preconceived ideas and feelings.
3. Some
hard to understand Scriptures must mean something else other than their
plain straightforward meaning, because we can’t make sense of their plain
and straightforward meaning.
I have recently come across this position again, due to
discussions regarding eschatology. As I’ve
read on the amillennial and postmillennial positions (I personally hold to the historical premillennial position), one thing is quite striking.
In order to hold to either position, you have to take a poetic/metaphorical
interpretation of many Scriptures (Like Revelation 19-20 and Matthew 24). This causes all sorts of problems. Once again, a person is left to use their own
intellect and reasoning (or that of others) to determine what the Scriptures “really”
mean. Once you deviate from a literal
and straightforward look at the Scriptures, you are left to all sorts of
imaginations and skeptical positions.
There is no way to know FOR SURE what the Scriptures mean. It’s up to you (or your teachers) to come up
with the most logical and reasonable suggestions, but even these are shaky
ground.
For instance, in the amillenial position, the “1000 year
reign” from Revelation 20, is said to represent an indefinite time period. They claim that the number “10” in Scripture
is a symbol for completeness, and so somehow 10 and 1000 are synonymous. So 1000 years, really means an undefined time
period that symbolizes the complete history of man! The problem with that is, regardless of how
good it sounds, there is NO SCRIPTURAL backing to support it! It is all merely conjecture and
speculation. Which is all you are left
with when you set aside the literal meaning of Scripture! And for the intellectual person, this is
appealing. Because the Scriptures become
a large puzzle or riddle to decipher.
And it tickles the pride of the intelligence as one “discovers” the “real”
meaning of the verses!
This is dangerous because a person becomes convinced of
their own intellect and reasoning (or that of teachers), rather than relying on
the plain and straight forward meaning of Scripture. Yes, the Bible sometimes speaks
poetically. And it sometimes uses
metaphor and symbols. But in each case,
it clearly defines itself. It does not
leave itself open for private interpretation (because this is forbidden and
leads to error). Instead, God defines it
Himself. We search line upon line, verse
upon verse, for the understanding. And
when it doesn’t come, we wait on the Lord.
We don’t resort to imaginations and our own fallen logic and
reason. This will cause us to ignore the
plain meanings of Scripture and could also lead to an intellectual pride. Which is Gnosticism in a sense (knowledge is
power). We must avoid this by letting
the Bible mean what it means in plain and straight forward language. When we don’t understand it, let it be and
wait for the Lord to give insight. Don’t
resort to imagining private interpretations and fanciful ulterior and hidden
meanings, no matter how reasonable and logical they might seem.
Bottom line?
We must stick to the pure and unaltered Word of God, in it’s
purity and fullness (the KJV in English).
We must NEVER alter, change, or presume to ‘correct’ God. We must accept ALL Scripture as binding on us
currently, regardless of current political or sociological influences and
pressures. Let God be true and all men
liars. And we must stick to a literal
and straight forward approach to the Scriptures.
When we have this high view of Scriptures, we are kept from
numerous errors. We are prevented from
allowing our own hearts and imaginations from convincing us that what we want
to be true is “Scriptural (We deceive ourselves).” And we are constantly conforming our ideas
and our lives to the authority of the Word, rather than compressing and
conforming the Word to fit our ideas and lives.
Let us NEVER mix up the order and place ourselves above the Word!
