Bible Believers?

There are a whole lot of folks these days who claim to be ‘Bible Believers.’ It’s amazing how many of these don’t even really know what is in the Bible. Well, they know enough scriptures to support the particular brand of Christian religion that they happen to be a part of, but the problem is that they don’t have a thorough enough knowledge of the Bible to see that their particular brand of religion is made up of misapplication of those certain scriptures that they know. You just can’t replace a solid knowledge of what is actually in the Bible, coupled with an honest heart that really wants to know what the truth of things is. People get ‘established’ in what they have been told is ‘the truth,’ and pride just won’t let them consider that they have been taught wrongly. I’ve run across this kind of thing many times. Someone is riding high on a wave of what they think is such great understanding, and when it is proven irrefutably right in front of their eyes in the scriptures that it is erroneous, they will go as far as to say that the Bible is wrong. I’m not joking. Sometimes they literally say that a certain writer of the scriptures was ‘just off,’ and sometimes they will say the Bible is wrong by putting it on me, as though I wrote the scriptures. I’m serious! I wish I could say that I was joking, but I truly have experienced these things with brethren in Christ.

Friend, I can tell you that finding out you are wrong about something can be one of the most enjoyable experiences that you can have, if your heart is only seeking the truth of things (Prov. 12:1; Prov. 13:18; Psm. 141:5). When you find out you are wrong, it is because the truth of something has shined light on your error, and thus you have the opportunity to embrace the truth, whatever it may be about. I have to tell you, I really like that! The only person who will not accept reproof is a person who is more concerned about protecting what they think they know, than of actually knowing what is true. Proverbs 18:2 says “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” If we want to get anywhere with God, it will only be through humility. If we can’t humble ourselves to someone that we can see, how can we humble ourselves to God, whom we cannot see? (I Jn. 4:20) Proverbs 4:13 lets us know the seriousness of this issue, saying “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go : keep her; for she is thy life.” The ‘instruction’ referred to here is the willingness and capacity to be taught and reproved. Another beautiful Proverb tells us, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom” (Prov. 13:10). And also, “ A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:" (Prov. 1:5). We can only "attain unto wise counsels” if we are willing to hear them, and if we want the truth more than we want to protect our ‘truth.’ Amen.