Scriptural Integrity
How can you say, “We are wise!
We have the law of the Lord”?
The truth is, those who teach it have used their writings
to make it say what it does not really mean.” Jeremiah 8:8 NET
It can be interesting how God and the Bible are thrown into conversations or social media posts, both personally and politically. These often use scripture to justify a position or cast doubt on the integrity of the Bible rather than to align life to what the Bible teaches.
What is sad, is when those who are entrusted with teaching the Bible and providing spiritual guidance to people, misuse God’s Word. There is a challenge between truthful interpretation of the Bible and the application of God’s truth to our lives. The important question is, am I seeking to understand what the Bible says, or am I looking for “proof” text to support (or excuse) my own beliefs or practices?
In the verses before our scripture for today, we see the words, “None of them says, I have done wrong! (v. 6) “My people no attention to what I, the Lord, require of them.” (v.7) But they still considered themselves wise because they had the Law of God.
When you look at all 66 books of the Bible, there are passages that are difficult to understand, especially with our present world perspective and context. That calls for study and examination, not skepticism.
Someone once said, “It is not the verses of the Bible that I don’t understand that cause me trouble. It is the ones that I do understand.”
When we read the clear instructions of the Bible we must understand, “it says what it means, and it means what it says.”
The Bible needs to be read, and it needs to be studied. Paul admonished Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV) The King James Version uses the word “study.”
Our lives are to be transformed by the Word of God as our lives are conformed to the image and character of Christ. That only happens when we align our lives with what the Bible says and do not use or abuse the Bible to say what it does not really mean.