Where Religion Went Wrong - 5 - Scripture Under Other "Authorities"

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

 -2 Timohty 3:16-17 

Many of our denominations today have placed God’s Word underneath another authority. In some cases, this “authority” is a book, in some cases it is the church/denomination itself or its leadership. In all cases, it is WRONG.

Who could be an authority over God if, as the verse above states, it is God Himself who inspires scripture? And what more could we possibly need if it causes man to be “perfect” and “thoroughly furnished unto all good works?”

Both Old and New Testaments are full of commands and exhortations to cling to God’s Word and not let others move us away from it. Neither tells us to look toward a new revelation or that there’s “more to come” sometime down the road. Even our Messiah, of whom the Old Testament prophesied, clung to the Word of God and exhorted others to do the same. Do we not know His words?

 “He answered and said unto them, ‘Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men’. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.’” – Mark 7:6-9 (condensed)

 Not only are these the words of Messiah, but He was quoting the prophet Isaiah! These are the Father’s words speaking in a former generation to a nation who had done the same thing. Yet today, though we can read these words of rebuke to both generations, in both testaments, are we not doing the same? Should our Father who does not change (Malachi 3:6) somehow judge us differently?

Notice in the words of Messiah above that when we trade His commandments for our doctrines, our worship is in vain! We simply can not lay aside scripture in favor of another standard and still worship YHWH – no matter what we may tell ourselves!

Some groups which practice this claim that scripture has been somehow defiled or ruined and now either correction or explanation is needed. Would it not make much more sense (and be much more honoring to our Father) to travel “upstream” and derive proper meaning from purer sources if we found confusion or inaccuracy in today’s versions? We can’t fix any such problem (whether real or imagined) by disregarding His admonitions against straying from His Word. It’s both illogical and ineffective.

And some groups believe that once a man reaches a certain rank or position in the organization, his word is superior to the teachings of scripture. But scripture warns us of these men – false prophets and teachers. We are told not to follow them…

 “If there arise among you a prophet…saying, ‘Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them’; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet…for the LORD your God proveth [tests] you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice…and that prophet…shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God…to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in…” –Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (condensed, brackets mine) 

We are not to follow anyone who speaks to turn us away from “the way which the LORD thy God commanded” us to walk! We are to follow His commandments, ways, and words. None other.

Notice also, that according to this passage, this is a test from YHWH! And I’m afraid it’s a test many of us today are failing.

“Thus saith the LORD, ‘The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been’, saith the LORD: ‘but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.’” – Isaiah 66:1-2 

If we want our Father’s face turned toward us, we must come again to tremble at His Word. No other word matters. No other word pleases Him.

“But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” – 1 Peter 1:25