Slandering The Word Of God

We don't get to say whatever we want. Sure most of us live in places where we have freedom of speech but this freedom does not mean we get to say whatever we want. We can and often do but we forget there are consequences. If I said or wrote something about you that was not true it would be called slander and most courts in the world protect people in these cases. If I claim something about you I must be prepared to defend what I said by actual proof. If not, you could successfully sue me. So we should always think twice before commenting on something of which we are not certain. The same is true about Jesus and the Word of God.

It is unfortunate that we live in an age where people prefer listening to other people's opinions on the Word of God instead of studying it for their own understanding. People's knowledge of the Word is often from scripture taken out of context, Christian songs, 3 minute video clips, sound bites from some conference. What we don't understand we make up. What blanks are left we fill in with speculation. It is amazing some of the wrong teaching people are basing their faith on and worse, teaching to others.

We have no idea what damage we are causing when we teach speculation instead of the truth, opinion instead of fact, rumour instead of knowledge. We are slandering the Word of God and destroying people's faith. Paul wrote of such an incident :

And Hymenaeus and Philetus have been talking this way by teaching that the dead have already been raised to life. This is far from the truth, and it is destroying the faith of some people. (2 Timothy 2:17-18)

There are so many false teachings permeating the Church and the faith of God's children all because the children are too lazy to see what God said for themselves. It is like when Moses came from meeting with God and the people were terrified. God wanted to have a personal relationship with all of them but they were too afraid. They told Moses to represent them. Now it isn't fear that keeps us from knowing God but laziness. We still want someone to represent God to us instead of entering into the personal intimate relationship that is ours to have.

If we want to be teachers of the Word then we must become students of the Word. But understand, students of the Word do not sit in classrooms. That is not how the Word works. It is not a document to be studied but a character to be lived. The Word does not so much tell us what to do as it explains what is happening. It gives us road signs to let us know if we are on the right path. It reveals God's heart and explains what he has done. But the Word has to be lived and we are empowered to do that by the Holy Spirit. To be a teacher of the Word means you are filled by the Spirit and are a living example of the Word of God.

Let's stop slandering the Word of God and be determined to know the truth for ourselves. Stop being taught by songs, sound bites and scriptures shared on the Internet and bathe yourself in the Word by the Holy Spirit. Open your Bible and ask the Spirit to write it on your heart. Become a student before you teach.