We have spent the last few weeks discussing our need to not just have the truth, but to love and to walk in it. Truth is one of the most precious gifts that we have been given—a great treasure that deserves to be honored and protected. However, truth is not just a philosophy of life or the knowledge of the facts of history, but truth is Christ Himself. Truth is a Person. Walking in truth is walking in intimacy with the Lord. We can know all doctrines accurately and yet still not be in obedience to the will of the Lord.
Again, this is not in any way to imply that we do not want to be devoted to sound and accurate doctrine. If we love the truth, we certainly will be devoted to this. However, many interpret standing for truth as not compromising what they believe in, but their beliefs are seriously flawed and often in conflict with the Scriptures. The overwhelming majority of Christians seem to believe what they have been taught rather than searching the Scriptures for themselves. Those who really love the truth will care enough to research what they are taught and search the Scriptures for themselves.
I have become increasingly alarmed by how few Christians have never developed sound Bible study disciplines. There are good Bible teachers, but few actually teach others how to study the Bible. This will become an increasingly devastating problem in the times ahead. There is a saying that if you give a man a fish he has one meal, but if you teach him how to fish he can feed himself for the rest of his life. The ministry of the teacher which is given to the body of Christ is not given just to teach, but to “equip the saints” (see Ephesians 4:12). A true, New Testament, Ephesians Four ministry does not just impart truth, but also a love for the truth, which compels those who hear to hunger and thirst for truth enough to search the Scriptures themselves.
Spurgeon once said, “I can find ten more who will die for the Bible for every one who will actually read it!” This is likely to still be true. If we really love the truth, we will search the Scriptures ourselves with a passion for its treasures. These treasures will be far more compelling than the other frivolous things that sap so much of our lives. The real test of what we are devoted to is found in what we give our time to.
Even so, more than searching for facts, we are searching for the Lord Himself. It is not just hearing the Words of the Lord that we are after, but hearing the Word Himself. As we devour the Scriptures, we want to do it with our Teacher. We do not want to just read books, but we want to read the books that our Teacher has assigned to us.
A prophetic friend, Paul Cain, once said to us, “Almost every heresy is the result of men trying to carry logical conclusions to that which God has only revealed in part.” As I pondered this concerning some teachings that I consider to be heretical, I became convinced that this was a very accurate assessment. Most heresies are the result of those carrying a teaching to a conclusion that is beyond what the Scriptures state. They become increasingly defensive holding to their position until they become fanatical in defending it. Then they inevitably tend to begin judging others by how they relate to that position, which cannot be defended by the clear teaching of Scripture.
When a cause goes this far, at best it becomes a form of legalism. As Paul the apostle explained in his letters to the Romans and to the Corinthians, the law does not deliver anyone from the lusts of the flesh but it actually excites them! Clear evidence that this is the case are the studies that have shown how the denominations which forbid the drinking of any alcohol have the highest percentage of alcoholics of any people group. In contrast to this, the Jews, who do not forbid the drinking of alcohol tend to have the lowest percentage of alcoholics.
The pain with almost anyone who has been an alcoholic or raised in a family with one makes such a thing as Jesus actually drinking wine, unthinkable. The Scriptures are clear—Jesus did drink wine. He is also going to serve it at the great wedding feast. However, those who tend to see more through the wounds of having been subjected to an alcoholic will be tempted to think that the other Scriptures referring to wine in a positive matter must mean something else, which has caused them to come up with many diverse and often foolish explanations for those Scriptures. This is a dangerous tendency and will erode their credibility with any thinking person, as many denominations have done.
The point I am trying to make is that we are almost certain to be deceived if we allow pain or mistakes to determine our doctrine. In prophetic symbolism, flies often refer to lies. As we studied a few weeks ago, the devil is the Lord of the flies and flies swarm to wounds. Probably more deception has come from people responding from their wounds to form a doctrine than the effect of all of the cults combined. We must base our doctrine on sound biblical truth and not carry what we think are logical conclusions to that which God has only revealed in part.
So let us all resolve to love the Word of God, seeking in it to hear the voice of the Word of God Himself. Let us also do this with a heart that loves truth enough to not bend it for our own prejudices or desires.
