Two men, one living & one promoted to heaven, have come out with a dangerous doctrine I feel I must address. Both are well-known highly respected ministers whose messages have benefitted many over the years. The one who passed away some time back is still aired on radio via recordings; no telling how long his erroneous conclusion has been repeated. The other repeated the first’s mistake just this past week. Both are mighty men of God I deeply appreciate – but both are human, too. The error is too dangerous too ignore.
In each case, Proverbs was quoted, but qualified. The error is in the qualification. Proverbs, they said, is wisdom declaring how the world operates, but there are exceptions, so it cannot be relied upon as promises are meant to be. From Solomon’s standpoint, their view is correct. He was sharing the wisdom God gifted to him, BUT WHEN THEY BECAME PART OF THE WORD OF GOD, new weight was added to them. God supplies His word as our foundation. NO PART OF HIS WORD CAN BE DISMISSED AS INFERIOR OR LESS RELIABLE.
If this practice is embraced, where does it stop? The Psalms are songs, so taking instruction from them is a misuse of their purpose. Lamentations expresses the grief of Jeremiah, so it should be respected, but not taken to heart. Paul’s epistles are literally someone else’s mail handed to us, but if it doesn’t address us, we’re stretching the meaning in a big way if we take it personally. I believe both of these men would be appalled to realize labelling Proverbs as only wise suggestions opens a door to judge & reject any part of scripture. Paul himself would object to it, along with the writer of Hebrews & the apostle John.
My point is this: if God leads you to scripture in Proverbs, stand on it without fear! That’s why He furnished it to us. Solomon’s wisdom takes on new dimensions when it is incorporated into scripture, as does everything else in the Bible. No one can stand in faith without being rooted in scripture. His Word stands when all else fails, so don’t let anyone minimize any part of it!
Tag: God’s word
These Things Must Come To Pass
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:4-6
I am sick for the nation I grew up in, the United States of America. It is broken beyond any remedy I can imagine and all I can do is cry out to the Lord! Lies are given credence while truth is denied, disrespected and discarded. Free and fair elections are made null & void by ongoing organized fraud. The highest offices of law enforcement are corrupt, selectively enforcing laws according to their corrupt agenda. The courts wink at those complicit in defrauding the American people, while declaring whoever stands for the truth guilty. The innocent are imprisoned, but legitimate felons are released to prey on the public. An invasion is welcomed across our southern border, yet citizens’ rights are being stripped away a little more every day. And those in authority who supposedly “represent” us call US anti-American, terrorists & extremists, projecting their evil onto us shamelessly.
I want to vomit when faced with this reality; then I remember what Jesus said. “When you see all these things come to pass, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28 It is devastating to watch the nation I love and cherish, governed of the people, by the people & for the people, being subsumed by globalists who view us as no more than a drain on resources! I mourn now, but Jesus sent me a Comforter. Per His instruction, I received Him, so the nearness of His loving Presence reminds me how I am loved. I am not able to set things right in this world, but He who holds it in his hand declares that my brethren and I who stand by faith in His word will inherit it!
We hunger and thirst after righteousness. The promise is that we shall be filled! What defines righteousness? Only the judgment of God can do it. It establishes His blamelessness, first among his own household, then to the world at large. Judgment begins in the house of God, then goes on to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord. A counterfeit church will be exposed by it, and the earth will experience tribulation as all the rebellious stand defiant against His call to repent and be saved. They are engineering their own demise. They cannot win, because “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” I Corinthians 10:26
“In Your Patience Possess Ye Your Souls” Luke 21:19
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet for good reason. God showed him how his nation would be destroyed, then he watched it happen in his lifetime, despite all the words of warning God gave him to declare to the people. Very few repented at those words. Men rejected the truth because they had no love for it, loving themselves instead. It led to disaster when they chose to cling to reassuring lies. To reject truth is to reject God, for He abides in truth.
“…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” II Thessalonians 2:10-12
What does this delusion look like? The best illustration comes from an old comic book called The Shadow, printed nearly 90 years ago. This generation might remember the movie remake starring Alec Baldwin in 1994. The Shadow was a superhero who had the power to cloud men’s minds, so they could not see what was before them. It was potent enough to hide a skyscraper from those in the city around it!
People who choose to reject the truth receive a judgment from God, removing their ability to discern it. Truth is our anchor to reality. Once it is cut loose, they are adrift and lost. Grasping for something to hold onto, any lie becomes a lifeline they are unwilling to release. Truth offends them because it reveals the lie they value; therefore, they declare ALL who stand in truth to be liars — especially Christ!
The division in America is not political, but spiritual; the result of so many rejecting God’s grace and favor. This nation will never be great again, without Him. It has become a prey for those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. It is time for the godly to leave, but there is nowhere we can go on this planet to get clear of the evil that has overtaken it. Our refuge is in Jesus words:
“And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28