“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT)
“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (1John 2:27 NLT)
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.” (1John 4:1 AMP)
“Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.” (Acts 17:11 BSB)
Have you ever played the “telephone game”? If you have then you know how hilarious the changes can be between the original message and the message at the end of the line after being whispered from ear to ear. As a game this is great fun. When it comes to the information that I base my life and eternity on, it is no laughing matter.
Have you ever noticed how an “opinion”, or a “theory”, can be turned into a “fact” by simply having someone with “credentials” (an “expert”) say it? Or how if one person’s belief can be held by enough people, over a long enough period of time, it becomes the “standard of truth”? Basing my life and eternity on the perspective of a person, or a group, is dangerous.
There are over 45,000 “Christian” denominations globally. They all started with one person, or a small group of people, who proclaimed a particular emphasis or perspective which over time turned into a separate denomination. Most of them started from a point of “truth” that needed to be proclaimed at that time to bring correction or growth to the body of Christ. However, over time what was started as a message to the Church became a “religious organization” opening the door to another layer of confusion and division within the body of Christ.
Once again, I need to pause for clarification. I am NOT bashing any particular group, or theological perspective. When operating out of a foundation of love and unity, denominational differences can add diversity to the Body of Christ. Just like with seasonings in cooking, diversity adds flavor. With the proper blend of seasonings the flavor of whatever is being cooked is brought out and enhanced. However, used out of balance, or in wrong measure, seasonings can overpower, and even destroy, the taste of the food. When following a particular theological perspective (denomination) becomes a cause of division rather than diversity, it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those on the outside, and gives the Gospel a flavor that attracts very few people. So what is my point?
The Word of God (Bible) is made up of letters and writings that were written originally in a very personal manner. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to convey spiritual truth for all who read them, however they were written by a person to another person, church, or individual nation (Israel). They were written to have first hand impact on the reader. The Bible was given to be read, memorized, studied, meditated upon, and followed personally, not to systematize and formalize into doctrinal/theological sects.
I remember stepping out from behind the pulpit after preaching a message years ago asking myself, “Was what I just taught the Bible? Or was it freshman doctrine, Chafer’s Systematic Theology, or my Dad’s Sunday School lesson?” While any of those sources may have been accurate, they were “hand me downs” to me, which left me in a place of potential error. That is when I decided it was time to seek out “first hand” revelation from the Word, relying on the Holy Spirit as my primary teacher. From that day forward I have continued to learn and grow from the insights of other believers (pastors, teachers, parents, friends, counselors, etc.), but build my doctrinal/theological understanding directly from scripture, taught by the Holy Spirit.
Let me ask you three questions:
How much of what you believe is from the Bible, and how much is from your parents, church, or just picked up through life?
Are you basing your life and eternity on the Word of God, or are you placing your future in the hands of someone else’s opinion?
Do you spend time each day in the Word of God with no one but the Holy Spirit to teach you?
It’s worth thinking about…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 145: “Beware of second-generation Doctrine and hand me down Theology”