In a time when so many cut the truth up like a jigsaw puzzle instead of dividing the Word of God carefully (oh wait, people have been doing this for centuries . . . ), it's so important to apply ourselves to the straight rule of Scripture instead of bending Scripture to fit our own preconceptions and misconceptions.
Thomas Murphy, writing in the 19th century, stated: "Be it, therefore, the inflexible purpose of every Christian, every church and every body of churches to cling with a grasp that will not be relaxed to the truth, the truth alone, to the whole truth - to the truth in doctrine, in worship and in practice . . . to the truth, and not to mere feelings, impressions, sentiments; to the truth, and not tampering with falsehood; to the truth: it is heaven-born; to the truth: it is from God, and He knows best what we should believe and do."
Besides being a sentence diagrammers nightmare, this statement is a fantastic rule to live by when people are so easily swayed by "impressions" and "sentiments".
It is, after all, the TRUTH that sets us free, not the half-truth or almost-truth. In our church setting, we constantly and consistently remind and encourage our teens to know the Word, since there are so many who preach a Gospel other than the one that is genuine.
1 comment:
sentence diagrammers nightmare or not... what a packed statement! Thanks for bringing it to us in 2009.
And as you encourage your teens to 'know the Word' continue bringing insight to how all of us can better embrace for ourselves and better teach our teens... to know the Word.
(of course now I'm torn... is it nothing but the truth? or nothing but the blood? Hmmmm ;)
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