By Nature We Bend Towards That Which is False
Quoting AW Pink . . .
The Lord’s command in Mark 4:24 is “take heed what ye hear”. Corrupt nature is thoroughly in love with error and will more readily and eagerly receive false rather than true doctrine. Should any dispute this statement, we would refer them to Jeremiah 5:31: “the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so”. Said Christ unto the Jews, “because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:45): what a commentary on fallen human nature – had He preached lies they would have promptly received Him.
Alas, what is man: he will run greedily after something new and sensational, but is soon bored by the old story of the Gospel.How feeble is the Christian, how weak his faith, how fickle and unstable the moment he is left to himself. Peter, the most courageous and forward of the apostles in his profession, denied his Master when challenged by a maid. Even when given a heart to love the Truth, we still have “itching ears” for novelties and errors, as the Israelites welcomed the manna at first, but soon grew weary of it and lusted after the fleshpots of Egypt.
Real and urgent then is our need to heed this command,
“Beware of false prophets.”From: Sermon on the Mount
It makes me think of how wonderful our God is since He gave us scripture and the Holy Spirit to battle with our bent toward evil, so that we can overcome the flesh and live in the Spirit. What a stern warning to “examine yourself to see if you be in the faith”.
I think of all the people who love it when “the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so”. In Isaiah it was described as coming from the people themselves:
That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
It amazes me when you read the epistles to the churches, how many of the epistles were warnings of false doctrines that spread so quickly throughout the believers. How much more today with 2 thousand years of the imagination of men and doctrines of demons perverting the very word of God. Just as in the days of the Judges the people of God desired not to serve Him directly, but desired a king to lead them.
I see this as a call to have the light of God’s word shine in all the areas of my life. As David said:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
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