"Did God REALLY Say...???"

The Word of God. At various places in the Scripture, it describes itself as:

• breathed out by God
• entirely useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in godly living, for equipping and preparation for good works
  
• flawless; perfect
• with God
• God
• lasting forever.

But there are voices at work today, just as in Eden. Voices that question the validity and veracity of God's Word. Voices asking, "Did God really say...?" Voices that seek to shake faith, to rattle the cages of the faithful, and to devour, choke out, or scorch seeds that might otherwise grow. These voices crop up in "Christian" blogs, in homeschool circles, and within the "church" across America.

Interestingly enough, Christians who do so are not novel in their attempt to makeover the Scriptures. Thomas Brooks, writing in 1665 wrote:

"Are there not many among us that turn the whole history of the Bible, into an allegory and that turn Christ, and sin, and death, and the soul, and hell, and heaven, and all into an allegory? Many have and many do miserably pervert the Scriptures by turning them into vain and groundless allegories. ... Oh friends! it is dangerous to bring in allegories where Scripture does not clearly and plainly warrant them, and to take those words figuratively which should be taken properly."

It is not only the modern church that sometimes wants to adapt Scripture for its own purposes and comfort.

BEWARE OF DOUBT
Though it's certainly not wrong to ask questions, or to seek to understand, we need to be wary of any voices that press us to doubt God's Word. Our sure foundation is the strong, dependable Word of God. When we allow ourselves to apply portions of it, but write off other parts, we taint all of it.

While even the very intelligent among us can be challenged, strengthened, and taught by Scripture, it was written so that even the most simple among us-- the uneducated man in Uganda, the seven-year-old who is for the first time reading God's Words for himself, the person in the fifteenth century without the internet and a myriad of commentaries at their fingertips, and the illiterate woman in Kyrgyzstan who only hears the Word as read by others-- can/could understand and believe and be saved.

Christ Himself was first revealed to dirty, simple shepherds. He spoke His gospel to the poor, the needy, and the sinful, as well as to the religious and educated. Though we Christian blog writers & frequenters are often of the latter variety, we need to remember that His gospel is meant for all, and indeed was received most heartily by those in the former category.

We must be constantly on our guard against those who seek to delude our trust in God's precious Word. Our enemy loves to steal, kill, and destroy... and just like a predator seeks to peel a baby away from the safety of the pack and its mother, our enemy seeks to peel off the vulnerable and weak among us by causing them to question that which our hope is built upon: Jesus Christ, as revealed in His matchless Word.

Psalm 119: 9-16

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes!
With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.