Chapter 16: Myth—God Owns Solid Rock
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Myth—God Owns Solid Rock
We either don’t have the time or we don’t take the time to check whether the news or the pastor’s facts are actually true. We just assume they
are true. That is why we accept them and formulate our opinions based on that second hand knowledge. In fact, society has gotten very adept at just formulating opinions based on second hand knowledge and hearsay. So much so that people willingly go to bat and argue their positions with one
another based solely upon that second hand knowledge. I tried to explain a biblical aspect of righteousness a while ago to a 19-year old. His attitude exemplifies that of society at large. Even though he had not read the Bible and did not possess a first hand knowledge of Scripture, he argued that it
was I who did not know what I was talking about since his pastor had taught him differently. He quoted Paul who said: “No one is righteous.” It’s a common false teaching in the church that no one is righteous. Paul’s teaching is taken out of a larger Bible context. Do you remember my prior discussion on this?
I asked the young man to explain to me why the Apostle Luke taught us that Zacharias and Elizabeth “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” Besides
being able to listen and reason with one another, when an elder speaks, all should listen carefully. Do so for a variety of reasons. Wisdom dictates that much. What is the difference in our discussion? It is simple. I possess first hand knowledge of what the Scriptures actually say from over 25 years of in
depth studies and I only offer up Scriptures for you to consider. Isn’t that what Jesus did when he said: “It is written?” On the other hand, the young man was willing to argue based solely upon what another man had taught him. He did not possess first hand knowledge of Scripture to any degree.
Everything I write about in this book is based upon in depth first hand knowledge and experience. I do not write about a new theory or speculate about what the Bible says. When you come at me with your second hand
knowledge, I will respond to you by quoting Scripture. If you have some limited first hand knowledge of Scripture, it will not be good enough, as I will use all of the Scripture. It is only through the use of all of God’s Word that you can understand His character and intentions. If you have a conflict
in your mind like the one above, because you read Paul’s statement, your mind should be open to a larger dialogue from God’s Word on the subject.
Copyright 2005 Edward G. Palmer, All Rights Reserved. Book of Edward—Chapter 16