Home  Articles  Site map

Our intelligence is God's gift to us to use carefully in order to do what is pleasing to Him. Some people neglect this, and lazily choose to 'leave everything to God' and end up with spiritual blindness, deception and slavery (Ps.32:8,9). Some others recognise their ability, exercise it, but end up with too much of self-confidence, not realising that they are becoming proud. King Uzziah began well, but when he became strong, his heart became proud. He crossed into the boundary of the priests and tried to burn incense in the temple (2Ch.26:18).

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil" (Pr.3:5-7). God is the only all-wise Person, and the knowledge and understanding that He has given us do not make us self-sufficient. We are to be subject to God at all times, and not to think that at some point in time we have become mature or knowledgeable enough to make decisions by ourselves.

Look at the study of the Bible. Can we ever come to a place where we know enough of it that we are able to independently form our opinions? Even if, by human standards, we have come to be recognised as experts or authorities on different aspects of the Bible, can we afford to forget to ultimately lean on God? Isn't the Bible the word that God has given to us to reveal Himself and His ways to us, which is then to be the ultimate reference and authority for us to submit to?

But we see people going beyond the Bible, perhaps with a sincere intention of understanding the context and the culture of the times to help us to interpret different parts of the Bible. The sad thing we see happening to many experts in theology or biblical languages is that now they are reading many things apart from the Bible. They study obscure meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words, read up the writings of other religions, philosophers, etc., and begin to reinterpret the Bible with their extra-biblical knowledge. Slowly they move away from believing in the inspiration of God behind the Bible, and start thinking that Moses, Paul, etc., have written their own opinions or only what was pertinent to their own times. Instead of submitting to God by upholding His word, these people are sitting as experts and critics and judging the Bible and its teachings.

This was not how godly men of old read the Bible, some of them standing on their knees out of reverence to God while reading God's word. They used to think that once the Bible was clear in stating something, their duty was only to submit to it. But think of how things are now. Now people are becoming 'experts' to say that many parts of the Bible are not applicable to us, and that certain parts are mythological just like the other religious writings.

Scholarship is being considered as being more authoritative than godliness.

Tweet