Theology or Bible?
Good Morning,
Danger approaches when theological prowess takes precedence over simple Bible reading. In the first Bible college I attended, I remember hearing a teacher talk about unbiblical statements that we make. He said that it was not uncommon to hear a preacher, pray, “Lord, be with us….“ he went on to explain the theological nonsense of that statement, the idea that God was everywhere, that there was nowhere God could not be, and that, therefore, of course He was, “with us.“
Now that sounds very intelligent and coming from the lips of a seminary graduate, who boasts of his Greek and Hebrew training it’s pretty impressive… Until you read your Bible.
1 Samuel 3:19 “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.”
Genesis 39:2 “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man…”
If one would read his Bible and pay attention, he would see this phrase is not uncommon.
We all know stories of a couple sitting together at a table, both looking at their phones, almost oblivious of one another. They are with each other, but they are certainly not close. They are not helping or encouraging one another. They are in the same locality, but far from the same spirit.
Psalm 139:8 says, “…if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” We understand that the judgment of God and separation from God mean that when a person goes to hell, he is not “with” God in the same sense that someone in Heaven is, “with God.”
If you skip church and go to the golf course, I certainly believe God is everywhere he is, “omnipresent,” but if you think He’s as close to you on the golf course as He is to you at the preaching of God‘s Word and going forward at an invitation to take time for confession and prayer, you are not paying attention (and you like golf far too much). If someone thinks he can go to a casino and surround himself with heathen and pretend to be with God, he is only fooling himself.
Likewise, someone in a church that has no power in the preaching, no conviction in the message, no lives being changed, no souls being saved and baptized, and no young people being called to the ministry, yet pretends to be as close to God in that church as he is in the church that exalts the Bible, the Savior, and the work of God, is deceiving himself.
You can be in His presence; for David says in Psalm 16, “…in Thy presence is fullness of joy.” Allow me urge you to slow down enough to read your Bible, to stop the hurried life enough to bow your head, and to take time to speak with the King. The presence of God is available, but this sinful world draws us away from His presence. The great satisfaction and joy of the Christian life is not found in simply being saved but in being set apart to walk with the King, in His presence.
Let us conclude with a reminder to be guarded when you hear a Bible teacher or author write things that sound theologically profound, yet the words violate the most logical and obvious principles found written in your Bible. Years ago, I determined to choose my Bible over theologians; I urge you to do the same.
Pastor