When I was a Pastor of a small church in Johnson County, North Carolina and a student at Southeastern Theological Seminary, I quickly found out that people love to affirm the Bible but they don’t take it very seriously. I would occasionally ask a question to which everyone in the church would quickly raise their hand in strong affirmation. During the course of a sermon, I would suddenly ask: “How many of you agree that the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God.” In unison, the congregation would all shoot their hands skyward and avow that they believed God’s Word to be perfect. No one in that little church ever did anything else. It makes a pastor feel very good when the church he is serving makes such a unanimous statement. But, that’s not all there is to the story!
The treasurer of that small North Carolina rural church was a person who also served as a deacon. He was a rather laid back and somewhat negative person but we got along very well. One thing that he did each month was that he would never pay me on time. Often, I had to go by his house and remind him of the fact that I needed to be paid. The church had the money and my monthly salary certainly posed no threat to the balance of the bank account. He was just stingy and didn’t want to write my check so I had to go by and get it. One day while I was waiting in the parlor of this old country home for him to go write the check I so desperately needed, I noticed something. His Bible which he would so quickly affirm as God’s Word and that he believed all of it, was on the coffee table. I picked it up to see if he had many notes in it and when I did I noticed how the coffee table wood under it shined. Not only that, the dust on the table was fairly thick. But, the Bible had an even heavier coat of dust on top of it. That told me that it had not been moved for a long time. As the treasurer came back into the living room of that country home situated on a dirt country road, I laughingly told him that if he would furnish the seed that I would plant a small garden on his Bible and we could split the vegetables. Needless to say, he was not amused that I had made an observation that he had did not expect me to make. It all turned out o.k. and we finally laughed about it. But, my point was made; they did not read the Bible very often in that family and he was a deacon and church leader.
My observation over the years has been that people will come to church on Sunday with a large Bible under their arm while at the same time they are mostly ignorant of what is really in that wonderful Book. What it teaches about morality, dedication, commitment and security and our relationship to God through Jesus Christ is not a major part of their lives. The only thing that they know is that they should affirm it is God’s Word and that they believe it. They are familiar enough with it to affirm that the preacher is telling the truth when he stands before them. Somewhat of a revival will flourish in their souls for a while when they hear Biblical truth but it doesn’t last long for most people. I’m not trying to be negative but my thoughts about this subject are founded upon my experiences of over 50 years dealing with church members and their lives.
If God’s name is holy as He declares it is then Christian people must not use it as a slang or curse word. If the Bible teaches against drunkenness, then they should not get drunk. If the Bible teaches that we should treat people like we should like to be treated, then we should do that. If God says to tithe, then we should give a tithe of our first fruits. If it says not to murder, then we certainly should not do that either. If God’s word says that we should honor our father and mother, then it follows that honoring our parents is expected of us and we should do it. If God says to go to worship, and He does, then that time should be set aside for worship. When He tells that we must be saved through faith in Jesus then we must do it. I could go on and on but the point is made that people say they believe God’s Word but they don’t worry too much about being obedient to what He says we should or should not do. There are a multitude of scriptures that back up those things I have just mentioned but I suggest you read Exodus 20: 1-17. This passage is known as the Ten Commandments. They are stated the way they are because God was letting us know that He knew our nature and that He knew we would do those things. So, he was warning us about our own sinful nature and trying to tell us what would keep us on the right path in relationship to Him.
People have a way of rationalizing things that gives them the freedom and room to ignore what God’s Word teaches and, at the same time, feel that they are all right with Him. There are multitudes of people who say they love the Bible but they never read it for instruction. They fail to think of it and refer to it when they are faced with much of what life throws at them. The secular mind supersedes the Biblical mind when people who identify as Christians are faced with certain decisions in life. The rationalizing mind has taken over. They feel they have the go-ahead to do as they desire that than God is just fine with it. Not so!!
My advice to everyone is to read the Bible daily. Have a time set aside to do so. Spend time with it and you will discover the degree to which God expects us to be obedient. At the same time, you will discover how woefully short most Christians come to pleasing God. No one is perfect. The Bible tells us that we will sin in First John 1:8 but it also, in the very next verse He tells us that He has given us a way to correct things with Him through repentance and confession of our sin.….1John 1:9.
Jesus did not die on the cross for us just so that we could continue to live as we did before becoming a Christian. He died, first of all, to save us from our sins. He also died to enable us to live the Christian life as God would have us live it. Sadly, most people live the Christian life at the lowest common denominator. They want to be a Christian but not let it interfere with what they want to do. Such people are continuously asking: “How little can I get by with and still go to heaven?” If a person will read God’s Word they will discover what they must do in their life to honor what Jesus did on the Cross.
Set aside a time for personal reading of the Bible and for reflection on yourself. God will instruct you and deepen you in your Christian experience and in your relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Yes, That Wonderful Book will answer your questions and deepen your experience. Pick it up. Read and reflect. God will bless you abundantly.
