Swear By The Bible

“…Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? John 10:34-36 (NIV)

I watched a sermon from a well-known pastor of a megachurch in Georgia. I have been thinking about him, and I thought he could be confused. Not just this pastor; there are many after many years on the pulpit. Maybe they are easy targets for the enemy, with big red signs of pride and ego that can be spotted miles away.

This senior pastor said that the Bible doesn’t say this or that. It is not the Bible, but John said this, and Matthew said that. He is uncomfortable when people say the Bible says this and that. He claims that the Bible was compiled around 300 AD by people no one knows. This is true because I don’t know them, and I think you don’t know them either. I have to wonder, what is the point of raising all the doubts to discredit the Bible to his church’s congregants?

When our Lord said, “Scripture cannot be set aside” in John 10:34, He referred to the fallen angels (gods) in Psalm 82. He did not say Asaph (the worship singer in David’s court who wrote Psalm 82) said so. Our Lord quoted many times the Scriptures. Sometimes, He mentioned the person who wrote it, like Daniel, when our Lord made the point for the Abomination of Desolation during the Tribulation. Our Lord sees the Scripture as the Holy Words of God, the Father and the Son. We know some of the writers, but we also don’t know who compiled the Jewish Torah and Tanakh, which became the Old Testament of our Bible.

^“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. “2 Timothy 3:16-17

I know I know nothing because His mighty power that created the universe is incomprehensible to me. My capability is limited. I believe I shall know more about life’s mysteries when the time comes, but not now, so I cannot boast anything. I also know the Bible is God-breathed and prepared for you and me to read. It is the only book I read for my discipleship journey. I threw away all the other books. It is how I communicate with our Lord daily.

Our Lord also said the following as He knew about this 2,000 years ago:

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” Matthew 23:16-22 (NIV)

Sometimes I say Paul said this and Peter said that. So you know who was sharing their wisdom and journey. They were Apostles and had direct access to our Lord; their sharing has divine power. What I like the most is when our Lord says this and that. Those are commands to follow. I can swear by the Bible, everything in it, and the Words of our Lord who dwells in it. Removing individual books from the Bible and making the Bible less credible is like paying attention to the gifts more than the altar or the temple. Those books may lose their sacredness when taken out of the Bible.

For example, we don’t quote the Book of Enoch or Jasher. Even though those books were mentioned in the Bible, there was a reason why they were not included in the Bible. I don’t know the reason. I trust the Father and the Son that they know the best.

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty “ Galatians 5:7-10 (NIV)

The enemy has sowed a seed of doubt in this pastor’s heart. He must stop preaching his doubt into confusion to his congregations because there are more than 30,000 without counting people watching online. Many of them could be newer believers seeking guidance. Many of them look up to him. He must keep his doubt private and humble himself before our Lord. There is still time to repent and seek His help before the blindness goes deeper and the heart becomes harder.

If He could forgive me, He can forgive him too.

Becomelects Ministry