MISUSE OF THE BIBLE - Dr. Henry M. Morris, Institute Of Creation Research

Earlier this week I posted a new blog on our Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries blog site, and sent it via my Friends Ministry eNewsletter.  It is titled "God Continues To Work At IBBC-Riverside!"   In my blog I shared thoughts and notes I used for the inaugural Seniors Sunday School Class at our International Bible Baptist Church in Riverside, California.  In my blog I told you:

Danny Garcia and I were asked to lead the Seniors Class and taking a lead from many successful sports coaches, it seemed right to go "back to the basics."   Why back to the basics?   Because like all successful teams we want to be so grounded in the basic teachings of our Christian faith - that no question will throw us, or confuse us when God gives us an opportunity to share His Word with the world. .  .  .  An effective Christian life and the way we view the Bible, God's Written Word, must have a solid foundation. .  .  .

We all should be able to acknowledge that there are Essential Christian Doctrines which define our salvation and which cannot be compromised. .  .  .

And there are many Non-Essential Christian Teachings which are important for us to understand how they relate to our Christian faith - which are interesting to discuss - and which are helpful in making us more mature believers and witnesses.   But they DO NOT define nor affect our salvation.

In the list of Essential Christian Doctrines I began with the Bible being our rock solid faith foundation - for our faith, our walk with the Lord, is built upon the foundation of God's Word, His Bible.  So obviously it is very important not only that we daily read and study our Bible - it is also very important as the foundation of our faith how we read our Bible.  As I said in my earlier blog, we should view the Bible as the Holy Spirit Inspired, Holy Spirit Inerrant, Holy Spirit Literal Written Word of God.  Which is the way a conservative theology church and conservative theology believers will read the Bible.

Yet on the other hand there are many churches and believers who view the Bible as only a book of metaphors, myths, and symbolisms meant only as a guideline for the Christian faith.  This is the Liberal view of the Bible, also called the Postmodernism or Liberalism.  We see Liberalism running rampant in our secular and political world today, and we see much of that Liberalism seeping into our Christian churches and denominations.

This is an excerpt from the article "The Elements of Liberalism" found at CARM (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry):

Denial of inspiration, inerrancy, and/or authority of the Bible, .  .  . Affirming experience over Scripture, . .  . Imposing secular ideals upon Scripture.  .  . Gender Neutral wording in reference to God, people, mankind, etc. .  .  .  Yes, liberalism is dangerous because it leads to a denial of biblical truth.  But denial of biblical truth usually means that things contrary to Scripture are often affirmed. 

Consider this quote:  "If we look at the denominations that approved women's ordination from 1956-1976, we find that several of them, such as the United Methodist church and the United Presbyterian Church (now called the Presbyterian Church-USA), have large contingents pressing for (a) the endorsement of homosexual conduct as morally valid and (b) the approval of homosexual ordination."   (The Elements of Liberalism, by Matt Slick - https://carm.org/elements-liberalism)

In our Sunday School Class last Sunday I emphasized that those who take a Liberal view of the Bible, God's Word, are still our Christian brethren - yet their beliefs and theologies are often built upon sand and not upon the solid rock of God's Word (Matthew 7:26-27). 

That said, when this eNewsletter from the Institute of Creation Research came today via e-mail, I knew that I have to share it with you, my Christian brothers and sisters.  For we want to build our spiritual foundation upon the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ and God's Word.

Misuse Of The Bible
By Henry M. Morris, Ph.d.  | Wednesday, November 21, 2018
https://www.icr.org/article/10944

“. . . his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16)

Bill Gray Note for clarity:  2 Peter 3:14-16, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation - as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures."

It is vitally important for every Christian to study and use the Scriptures, for they constitute our only real authority (note Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 14:26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; etc.).  In doing this, however, it is just as important that we not misuse the Scriptures, for this can be almost as dangerous as ignoring them altogether.

Many people twist the Scriptures (Eisegesis), seeking to make them fit some opinion of their own, hoping thereby to give a pseudo-biblical authority to their peculiar prejudices - instead of allowing the Lord to say what He means.  Such distortion of Scripture has generated a plethora of cults and heresies - past and present.  This was essentially Christ’s view of the Pharisees: “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

Similar - perhaps even worse - is claiming to receive new Scripture, or perhaps new (and authoritative) insight on existing Scripture.  “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2).  “Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).

Cults and heretics distort and supplement the Scriptures, but still deadlier are the liberals who try to explain away the Scriptures.  “If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life” (Revelation 22:19).  This act of distorting and then denying God’s Word (“Yea, hath God said. . . . Ye shall not surely die,” Genesis 3:1, 4) was the very lie of Satan that brought sin into the world.  No wonder the Bible warns so severely against it!

Bill Gray Note:  Underline and some parenthetical emphasis is mine.

Let me close by reminding us all that there are two ways of reading God's Word:  Read "FROM" The Bible (Exegesis)  ~  Read "INTO" The Bible (Eisegesis)

Do you want God's Word to define your theology, what you believe and what you teach(Exegesis)?

OR

Do you want create your own predetermined theology - and then cherry-pick Scripture to prove your beliefs, your comfort zone(Eisegesis)?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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