Yesterday, we noted this point is very underscored in the area of leadership. We naturally seek after ministers we will respect and follow. —we come across some whose lives are excellent, whose leadership looks to be sanctified of The Lord God, and whose instruction is biblical, sensible, and dynamic. Everything’s great till one such individual teaches something that is not the same as another minister who is similarly admired. That never fails to leave groupies in a confused tailspin. This is a nice time to think about the sage counsel of Bernard Ramm:. How can we settle the truth when 2 folks of equal piety and attention have different opinions? Does the Lord God tell one individual the Rapture is pre-tribulation, and another that it is post-tribulation? The fact that spiritually minded interpreters come to different conclusions about these matters distresses many folk’s minds. They have presumed that if a person is yielded to the Lord, his interpretations must be correct.

2nd , piety is a help to interpretation, but it isn’t an alternative to information or study or intelligence. 3rd , all of us are still in the body and subject to its constraints and frailties. We screw up of interpretation in Scripture as well as mistakes in judgment in the affairs of life. It’s the present enticement of at least Yank evangelicalism to substitute a class of devout Bible teachers for the Catholic Pope. To such folks themeaning of Scripture is that which their fave Bible teacher teaches.

But the Protestant principle must be this : The truest interpretations are those with the best reason. I could just as simply have used an illustration relating to a consultant’s diagnosis or a therapist’s counsel. The difficulty is matching, and it brings us back to where we started yesterday.

If I could change a term and put it in the language of a famous historic document : all males are made fallible.

If you remember that, you will have less surprises and disappointments, bigger knowledge, and a ton better viewpoint in life. Instead of slumping into cynicism because your hero showed feet of clay, you may maintain a healthy and clever objectivity.

You are going to be able to show respect without worshiping her. And when you actually need to understand the truth, you may turn to the Scriptures with firsthand confidence.

Ever since I was knee-high to a gnat, I’ve been taught about and have believed in the infallibility of Scripture. Among the higher levels of doctrinal truths, this one ranks next to the Godhead, the deity of Christ, and deliverance by grace.

We may fuss around with a couple of the events in The Lord God’s eschatological calendar or leave respiring room for differing opinions relating to angels and local church state. But when the topic turns to the infallibility and inerrancy of Holy Writ, I am convinced there isn’t any wobble room. Take away that comprehensive and you have opened a hole in your theological dike that can’t be plugged. Given sufficient time and pressure, it would not be long before everything around you would get damp and greasy.

Make no mistake about it ; the infallibility of Scripture is a dividing line issue.

Let’s stop right there when it comes to infallibility. Before I make my point, let me quote Webster’s definition:.

Not responsible to mislead, cheat, or disappoint. While that’s definitely true for Scripture, it isn’t true for people. When it comes to humanity, fallibility is the order of the day. Meaning what? Just this : there’s not one soul on this earth who is incapable of blunder, who is free from fault, who isn’t able to screw up, who is absolutely and equivocally trustworthy. Just as biblical infallibility assures us that each page is incapable of blunder or deception, fallibility reminds us that each individual is capable of both. When it comes to the Bible, keep trusting. I haven’t got space enough to finish a list, so I should be painfully general and mention one group. I select this group just because it is the one we tend to not query : those executives whom we trust with our bodies, minds, and souls—namely, doctors, psychologists, and priests. Many of us, if asked to name ten folks we admire and appreciate the most, would include 2 or 3 from this class.

How gracious of the Lord God to give us such superb people to help us thru this vale of tears. Yet every one has something in common with everybody else—fallibility. Those whom we most admire remind us of that from time to time ; nonetheless, everything in us cries out to fight such reminders. Of the 3, I believe it’s the minister whom folks incline most to put on a pedestal. The Berean followers are commended for listening to Paul then “examining the Scriptures daily to determine if these things were so” ( Acts 17:11 ).

Apollos and Paul are referred to only as “servants thru whom you believed”. So then neither the one that plants nor the one that waters is anything, but God who causes the expansion. It is simple to forget all that, particularly in a day when we hunger for religious leaders whom we are able to respect and follow. Put defective humans on a pedestal and they’re sure to topple, fail, and disappoint, but God’s Word is holy, inerrant, and fully trustworthy.

Yesterday, I mentioned my disgust with the existing concept in numerous evangelical churches that magnificence and class have no place in the landscape of spirituality. But even the traditional places of worship were superbly gorgeous.

The church was a undoubted golden tent that had inside it fantastic artworks : stitching, tapestry, woodworking, and workmanship. Take a look at it for yourself in Exodus 25-40. And the church that Solomon had built? One of the legendary wonders of the planet. Stones quarried to such an accurate size they slipped into place on site. Actually, while the church was being built, no sound of a hammer or ax or any other iron tool was heard in the place ( 1 Kings 6:7 ). Wall beams were dovetailed and “inserted” together, and every bit of furniture was a choice carving, a blinding and unduplicated work of original art.

Centuries later, Paul spoke of having to learn the way to abound. And there’s no clumsy humiliation in his tone or any effort to excuse himself.

Why should there be? It was not till much later the scene modified. That Christians picked up the fallacious concept that it’s excellent to look righteous and non-creatively plain. Of course, you do not have to do so much explaining. And you can forget justifying yourself if you picked up almost all of your stuff from either a garage sale or the bargain basement. You look more non secular whether or not you are or not. As Elbert Hubbard once declared, “To mediocrity, genius is unforgivable.”. Remember, now, I revealed yesterday that some glorious exceptions exist. On occassion, I suspect I am getting a little impatient about there being so few classy and chic swans to beautify the landscape and make Lake Evangelicalism more exciting.

If there were, I think we’d find ourselves with more visitors and travellers than we’d know what to do with.