THE REJECTION OF SCRIPTURE

Scripture describes itself as the source of all spiritual blessings:

·       May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:2-3; ESV)

God is so pleased when we meditate on His Word that He blesses us in innumerable ways, as the Psalms proclaim:

·       Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

In light of the many blessings that our Lord gives us when we honor Him by mediating on Him through His Word, it is so disturbing to see His people turning away from Him into the dark alley ways of alternative spiritualities, ways that bring destruction. The prophetic Elihu instructed Job:

·       He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. (Job 36:10-12)

Rejecting the revelation of God, His Word, would bring natural consequences as would driving a car while blind-folded. God explained:

·       There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land…Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away…My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:1, 4, 6)

When we turn our back to God’s Word, we also turn our back on God, and He turns His back on us. Scripture is His love-language. When we reject Scripture, we also reject the way of pleasing Him.

It wasn’t that Israel didn’t know better or and they lacked the education. Instead, it was simply a matter of their rejecting His Word, the very thing that we now see all around us. The consequences might be slow in coming, but they are catastrophic:

·       They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD…My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore…I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. (Hosea 4:10, 12, 14)

God need not proactively punish. Our rejection of the light of the Word in favor of the darkness of alternative ways and myths will kill us. Lacking the light of God, they will be destroyed by their own choices:

·       Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:29-33)

Rebellion carries its own consequences. In light of all this, it is tragic to see large segments of the Church turn aside to eat junk food, food that will not satisfy in the long run. It is only Scripture that truly nourishes. Therefore, the Apostle Paul argued:

·       All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Scripture is our armor against all of our challenges. Therefore, Paul continued:

·       I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Today, silly myths are heralded, even given the place of honor in our culture. We are being told that we are all God because everything is God. But if everything is God, so too is rape and murder. We also are told that the self is not real, but that the unreal self is reincarnated into another unreal body. It is tragic that we are more enamored by these silly and misleading myths than we are in the true God of Scripture.

Scripture is not just a matter of Words. It is life and a vital understanding of God, life, and how to live it. I would not have survived decades of depression and panic attacks had I not known the truths about God – that He has taken away my sins (1 John 1:9) and had convinced me that the feelings of condemnation that I had been experiencing were not from Him (Romans 8:1). Through His Word (and the Spirit applying it to my mind and heart), He convinced me that I was beloved eternally. Let me try to demonstrate. I had long felt that God could not love me. This sense seemed to emanate from the deepest parts of my being. However, Scripture repeatedly contradicted this pervasive sense:

·       …but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8-10)

The logic is simple and unifies the entirety of Scripture together into one harmonious chorus. If God loved me when I hated Jesus and mocked anyone who professed such a faith, now that I have been drawn near to Him through the blood of Jesus, I have all the reasons in the world to believe that He will never stop loving me. I am His beloved investment, which He will protect at all costs.

I need this knowledge even more than food. Without the Word, I could not have certainty of this, despite the many psychologists who had encouraged me to love, accept, and to believe in myself.

This is why I am so grieved to see many stray from His Word into destructive myths. I, therefore, thank God for clothing me with His Word as a mighty tool of the Light to confront the darkness. As David had, I even thank Him for the hardships that have equipped this highly unworthy servant:

·       It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (Psalm 119:71-72)