Inspired Truth
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| The words brought about light, order, beauty and harmony |
What we find when we open the Bible is not the product of man’s cleverness or imaginative genius. All scripture is God- breathed. It is given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
What this means is that the Bible is a sealed book. It cannot be understood in any other way apart from the manner in which it was given. It was given by revelation and it cannot be understood apart from revelation.
Much depends on the condition of the heart. God hides these truths from the wise and understanding and reveals them to babes (Matthew 11:15).
This may come as a surprise, but Jesus did imply that not everyone has been given to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:11).
So what happens when we try to understand the Bible in our own limited human intelligence? Exactly what happened with the Pharisees. We have a form of godliness that denies the power. We remain with an outward lifestyle that may be considered ethical by those around us, but it is a form that cannot deliver anyone from sin and bondage or erase the inner corruption of the soul. It is a Christianity based on knowledge rather than real transformation.
The true word of God is not simply a collection of facts or rules. It is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing into the division of soul and spirit, bone and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). This is how it is able to produce change from the inside out. In the beginning, words of God were released while the Holy Spirit was brooding over a planet that was formless, void and full of darkness. They brought about light, order, beauty and harmony (Genesis 1). The same happens in the lives of men when the message of the true Gospel is released under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Again, the Bible is a sealed book. The Spirit has to breathe upon the text for it to come alive. He also has to breathe on the human vessel that communicates for the latter to be inspired. If the breath is there, then change is certain. If absent, then it will be like any other passive piece of religious writing, with a code of ethics and morals on good behavior. When the breath is absent, people are inclined to look for ways of making it more sensational and appealing. Little wonder why today there is an array of 'biblical' puzzles, games, tunes, fun activities and street language versions. What would a persecuted saint from the early church make of this?
Jesus made it clear that when the Holy Spirit came, He would convict the world of sin, the righteousness of God and eternal judgement to come (John 16:8). After the Spirit came like a mighty wind in the upper room and filled the apostles, they went out and the first message was delivered in by Peter in Acts 2. What was the reaction of the audience? Members of the public waited around for the words of the grace, congratulated the disciples and went home saying what a nice message that was?
Certainly not! Something had been arrested in the realm of the spirit. There were people from different parts of the world - Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs. Different cultures. Different world views.
For generations, these people were going into Jerusalem to attend ceremonies and festivities and they heard the scriptures being taught every week. Scriptures which pointed to Jesus. The verses Peter quoted that day must have been recited countless times before. Nothing happened in their hearts. No fire of conviction. No transformation. They simply remained with a form of piety. They always went away the same way they came. Think about our modern times. Does this sound familiar?
Some were even turning it into a fun thing and making jokes about the apostles. It is like the 'party spirit' that one can sense in many gatherings today. However, this came to end when they heard Peter’s words. All mirth left them. They suddenly became smitten in their hearts and cried, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Instantly the veils came off their eyes and they realized the awful predicament they were in. The casual attitude disappeared. A holy dread fell upon them.
Oh, how terribly we need this today! What words had Peter used? Lines quoted from the same scriptures they read every week. The difference was that on this day, he spoke from a reference point that was neither Greek nor Hebrew. His words were inspired by the Spirit of God. This is the same Spirit that was present in Genesis when divine words were spoken over a chaotic, formless planet. So as Peter spoke, the same Spirit breathed upon the text and it came alive! Instead of a collection of religious facts or moral ideas, revelation dawned upon the audience and 3.000 souls were translated from death to life.
Why do we not see much of this convicting power today? I submit to you that much of teaching and preaching (even what many consider spiritual) does not come with the same breath of the Holy Spirit, but is taken from the principles of psychology. This is the reason why there is very little change to be observed in modern seekers and in our societies even after decades being saturated with religious material in all types of media available.
Psychology is the fallen nature of man attempting to understand the issues of moral behavior. Just like all the traditions that come from the wisdom of man, it examines behavior from a moral perspective, but it can never lead people to the only answer God has to the plight of man, which is the cross. It is still remains psychology, whether coated with carefully selected texts from the Bible or not.
This type of wisdom may inspire the mind and excite the emotion, but can never produce followers who are truly crucified to the world and conformed to the death of Christ. It can never cultivate in the hearer's life, the self-denial and holiness that is the defining mark of true discipleship. These teachings present nice-sounding moral arguments and even help change people’s habits. But they are not divinely inspired and therefore have no power to bring life to the dying who hear them week after week.
It is a fearful thing to fall among the multitudes who will wake up only too late on Judgment Day to realize that what they had believed, practiced and preached was nothing but the wisdom and traditions of men, void of the transformational life of the Spirit of God. May we humble ourselves today and cry out for the mercy that we may no longer be the wise and intelligent who have disqualified themselves from receiving and communicating the depths of true, life-giving revelation from God. Oh friend, that we may be babies in whose hearts is the humility of the cross! For indeed God has chosen the things which are not to bring to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in His presence.
