Submitting to the word of God

One way in which Christians can be grouped is on the basis of their attitude to the Bible. Some regard it as the inspired word of God that needs to be respected and submitted to, and others look at it as a good book with a lot of history and moral teachings. If we look deeply we can see that those who submit to the Bible as to God generally become godly in their life, while others remain more or less human even if they become Bible scholars.

The world is moving farther and farther away from God, and society considers many things in the Bible as being irrelevant and outdated. But isn't it God who defines right and wrong and isn't it our responsibility to stand on the side of God and shine as lights to this darkening world? Unfortunately many Christians seem to be more interested in being on good terms with society. Some consider that peace with society is more important than being right with God.

God's word gives light to our path, and if we walk according to it, our life will become brighter and brighter (Pr.4:18). But if we choose to ignore it when it comes to the possibility of personal loss, not being able to do what we would like or keep a friendship we value, we lose out with God! Yet for many Christians, obeying God's words seems to be an optional thing, wrongly banking on God's 'understanding' and forgiveness!

"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God" (Ro.14:12). For many Christians, this is a verse that they consider as not being applicable for them because they are 'under the blood' and God sees Jesus when He looks at them! Jesus said we are going to be held accountable even if we speak words without meaning them (Mt.12:36). So, when the Bible tells us what all God loves or hates, don't we have the commonsense to take care to stay on God's side? Or are we unwilling to displease people for the sake of God even at the risk of turning against God? Jesus said that the world would hate us just as it hated Him. But then do we imagine that we can somehow manage to keep our feet in two boats at the same time? God honours those who honour Him (1Sa.2:30). The wrong kind of people may receive honour in the world and even in churches, and the only way in which we can be right is when we follow the teachings of God's word.

What must we do when we come across something in the Bible that we are expected to do? We may immediately recognise what all can happen if we do it. It may turn some people against us, we may lose something, a job, a friendship, money, etc. And then suddenly we find ourselves looking for a way around what the Bible says, so that we don't have to do it. On the other hand, what if we examine the scriptures to verify that we have understood what God wants us to do, that we are not taking things out of context, and that we are interpreting it in the right way? Why don't we consult with some mature disciples? And if we are convinced about God's will at the end, shall we not do it?