Inform Your 'Faith'

  I was conversant with two friends this morning in a local watering hole and during the course of the conversation I was reminded of a noxious mis-use of scripture. A malversation that is more common than we might like to concede. This mis-use or misrepresentation is found whenever scripture is used at the expense of violating other aspects of scripture. It goes without saying that we are all susceptible of unwittingly overlooking various verses when gravitating towards others. However, during this conversation it ostensibly appeared that the mis-use was egregiously perpetrated.  One principle of biblical import was advanced while ignoring other biblical injunctions and precepts in order to "justify" or "give credibility" to a certain action.   

  This is a common tactic when an individual is intending to divert attention from a sin or sins.  An isolated verse is mis-used to substantiate sinful actions or to blind others from our sinful intentions.  We all know when we are culpable of doing this for we know our own thoughts and motives (I Cor.2:11).  Even if we have convinced ourselves (or deceived ourselves into thinking) that our unjustifiable mis-use is in some way righteous the Holy Spirit "who searches everything" knows our thoughts and motives.

  What are we to do when the law of God or the word of God is used in such away that lawlessness is promoted? That may seem like an oxymoron at prime facie, first glance. I mean using the law unlawfully!! However, it is a pitfall we must all be conscious of when we are making application of scripture as well as when we are giving and receiving counsel. The apostle Paul alludes to this danger in his first epistle to young Timothy. He writes, "Now we know the law is good, if one uses it lawfully" (I Tim.1:8). That being true the converse is equally true. The good law can be used unlawfully. The inerrant word of God and be used erroneously. Paul was aware of this and so we should be aware of this as well.

  Christ castigated the Pharisees for employing a Mosaic allowance in a manner that violated an  explicit article of the Decalogue (Ten commandments). They advanced "Corban" to avoid fulfilling the command to honor mother and father (Mark7:9-13) Corban was a tradition or stratagem concocted to circumvent honoring parents by way of supporting them financially. This rouse was based upon the word of God relating to vows. Vows in the law precluded retraction. Once a vow was made, particularly a vow unto the Lord, it could not be broken (Lev.27, Num.30:1-2). The Pharisee's declared their possessions "Corban" and in so doing dishonored their parents.The Pharisee's utilized the law to violate the law!!

  Joseph was also in a similar quandary.  He found himself in a position to be legally right and justifiable in his actions while being veritably wrong. He was within lawful allowance, biblically, to absolve his betrothal with Mary once she was found to be with child (Matt.1:18-19). He would have been wrong in so doing for Mary had not been with another man as he supposed or better, deduced. Auspiciously, an angel appeared to him in a dream and convinced him otherwise.

  What are we to do as I posed above? We are well served to evaluate our motives in how we use scripture and depend on the Holy Spirit of truth who convicts to guard and sanctify our hearts and mind. Scripture is not ours to use according to our whim. We need to pertinaciously and doggedly guard against mis-using scripture by superimposing our purposes upon scripture for our use thereby mutilating the purposes and meanings in scripture that God has intended. We need to surround ourselves with a community of believers, the church of Christ, who reinforce a biblical  ethos.  We stand before an on looking world and an on looking church.