Avoiding Error
One day, Jesus had some of the religious leaders come and try to trap Him into saying something foolish or untrue. These leaders were Sadducees, who did not believe in any kind of resurrection. In fact, from what I have read, these Jewish leaders hardly believed in anything supernatural at all.
Jesus listened to their improbable story, which I won’t include here because the story really wasn’t the point. At the end, Jesus responded first of all by pointing out their error, and the root from which it sprang.
“Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)
These Sadducees had gotten into grave errors by not knowing the Scriptures, and therefore not knowing the power of God. I wonder, how often do we do just the same thing?
It is so easy to let the busyness of life crowd out our time in God’s Word, and when we are not saturating ourselves in the truth, we are vulnerable to Satan’s lies. Jesus said,
“If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
That word continue means to abide, to continue to dwell, endure, or be present. It means to be held or kept continually, to not depart. We are to be continually immersed in the Word of God. It is to be constantly with us, in our hearts and our minds. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 says,
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”
If that could be said to the nation of Israel in the wilderness, before our modern-day ease of access to God’s Word, how much more should it be true for us?
Many of us have multiple Bibles to choose from. We carry them around in our pockets or purses as apps on our phones, and yet, is God’s Word present in our hearts and minds? Does it flow out of our mouths as the overflow of a heart steeped in truth? Does it shape our responses to the events of life?
The only way to avoid error is to know the Scriptures, to know the power of God that works in and through us as we immerse ourselves in God’s Word and yield to its truth.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15