Day 2697 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Psalm 119:105 NIV

Still thinking about this disturbing study that I heard about yesterday morning. 60% of Evangelicals don't believe that the Bible is that Word of God and that therefore it shouldn't be taken literally. I just can't wrap my mind around what it is that we're becoming. I know that humanity likes to find the easiest path possible, but reaching the point where we're willing to doubt the in the power of Scripture and question as to whether or not it's written with Divine authority is just mind boggling.

I think the problem is that we've literally become convinced that we know better than God. The sense of entitlement that we've found is not only sickening, but it's seriously dangerous. The audacity to think that we can live by faith without Scripture there to help us do so correctly is asinine. It's preposterous to honestly think that we can find our own way, overlook the lessons, skip the correction, avoid the warnings, and live our lives without the guidance we've been given in the Bible.

People have seriously gotten it in their minds that they don't need help! That they can do this alone. That they don't need God's guidance or wisdom or instruction. That they can simply rely upon the human religions that they've carefully constructed rather than the humility that a true Christian faith demands. That they can honestly allow themselves to doubt in Scripture without realizing that once they let any kind of doubt into their minds, more is sure to follow.

Seriously, what are we doing here? That’s the question that needs to be asked. It’s a question that I honestly want you to stop and consider for a moment. What are we hoping to get out of a faith that doesn't require us to actually believe in anything? What's the point of any of this if we don't believe in the authority and power and legitimacy of Scripture? What do we lean on to guide us through this barren wasteland of a world we’re living in? Where do we turn whenever we have questions about something? Maybe the most confusing thing in my opinion is how do we know that we’re doing what’s right?

And I honestly think that’s the sticking point. Right and wrong. The Bible is adamantly clear about what is righteous and what is evil, and honestly, I don’t think people can stomach it anymore. I don’t think our modern weakness can abide with the unyielding truth that Scripture gives us. We can’t find it in our hearts to live our lives according to what the Bible says because it’s hard, it’s limited, it’s controlled, it’s serious, and it’s real. And we’ve gone too far down this road of making our own choices and following our own desires and never once considering the consequences of doing so.

Our society has literally forgotten how to handle being rebuked and corrected. We’ve chosen to stop letting God lead the way and settled for twisting things around in our foolish minds to the point that people literally think they can do this without His help, His wisdom, His guidance. Apparently there are many “Christians” who have developed an idea of faith that demands no faith yet still offers the same reward for living by faith they don’t actually have. They’re living under this assumption that they can find their way through Heaven’s gates without the map we’ve been given that leads there. They think they can ignore God’s word yet still receive His blessing.

Friends, again I ask, what are we doing here? Are we all in or not? Are we walking by faith or simply by some path that we’ve plotted out to the same destination just with more convenient stops along the way that give us the chance to still do what we want and idolize worldly things in the process? Do we believe in God or in our ability to figure it out without Him? Are we willing to humble ourselves and let Him lead the way or are we sticking to our guns and remaining adamant that we can figure out the way by ourselves?

I guess what I don’t understand is without Scripture, how do we learn? How do we grow if we’re not consuming the lessons and wisdom in those pages? How do we find the things that we need to work on if we only think happy thoughts and never consider the possibility that we don’t know it all? How is an easy, simple, comfortable, and selfish religion supposed to help us? What do we get out of faith if we’re not changed by it? What do we benefit if we don’t step out of our comfort zones? How can we claim to have faith if we don’t actually believe in one of the main parts of a Christian faith?

I mean is it laziness? Do folks just not want to read the Bible? Are we so busy that we can’t find time to read the Bible? Are we so complacent that we don’t want to be rebuked by the parts that tell us what we’re doing wrong? Are we afraid of looking foolish to the rest of world for believing in something that the vast majority don’t believe in? Are we unwilling to admit that we don’t know everything? Are we unwilling to admit that we need help? Are we so concerned about our feelings that we can’t risk them being hurt when we read something that tells us that we’re doing wrong? Are we so stuck in our ways that we’re really not willing to change?

Friends, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days now and I’m literally at a loss for words. I just honestly don’t get it! It seems that many are trying to take the sting and truth out of Christianity in this effort to make it easier and more comfortable and more appealing to the brokenness that we claim to want to leave behind yet aren’t willing to face and repent of. In this lovey-dovey, sunshine and happiness, weak and pathetic world we live in, sadly, faith is being dragged down that same road and people aren’t even aware of the damage they’re doing in the process.

We don’t need to be comfortable, because as long as we’re comfortable we will not change a thing. That’s why God gave us Scripture and the truths it holds. It’s to help us learn the difference between right and wrong. It’s to rebuke us when we do something we shouldn’t. It’s to help guide us when we’re lost and confused. It’s to build us up by leading us to the soul-searching and repentance that our faith demands. It’s to point us to Jesus, and help us understand the reason why He came to this earth and died on that cross. It’s to be a lamp for our feet as we continue on through this darkening world. It’s to be a light on our path that continually leads us in the right direction.

My whole point is that like it or not, and many apparently don’t, we can’t do this on our own. Much of our society has become convinced that we’re smart enough, strong enough, and good enough to find our own way without needing any outside help or guidance. But we’re not. Friends, listen to me on this: Our best is worthless. Our best efforts still fall short. Our best intentions still lead to hell. Our best ideas are nothing without God and His Word there to help us ensure that they’re right. We cannot make this trip alone, and thinking we can means that our faith is in ourselves and not in Christ.

A faith that lacks humility is simply a religion built upon the premise that we can do enough good or avoid enough bad to earn a ticket into Heaven’s gates. But the truth is that if we don’t humble ourselves at the foot of the cross and live our lives craving the wisdom God has given us in the Bible then we’ll never be able to grow in our faith as we need to. We’ll simple remain happily oblivious to the reality that we’re trusting in a religion built on human ability rather than a faith reliant upon God’s mercy made perfect in the gift of Christ’s atonement.

We may love this idea that we can figure it out, but as long as we’re the ones trying to find the way, we’ll simply be lost without the ability to realize it. Friends, we need help. We need guidance. We need to be tested. We need to be pushed. We need to be corrected. We need to be able to see what we’re doing wrong so that we can turn and repent and do better. We need to spend our lives humbly following the path laid out for us in Scripture because that path points to the Way. And without the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we’ll never taste what God has promised to those who live by faith and not by sight.

We cannot do this alone, and thinking we can is one of the biggest, and apparently most commonly believed lies there is. God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light on this path, and without it, we’re lost in the dark and will never find our way home. That’s just the truth, and I don’t really care who doesn’t like it. We don’t have to like it. But we’d better realize just how badly we need it!

#LeaveNoSoulUntold