EXALTING MAN’S WORD
OVER GOD’S WORD
How Sin Leads Men Away From the Truth
A Call to Repentance by
Gary Ray Branscome
You have made the commandment of God of no
effect by
your tradition. (Matthew 15:6.)
Have you ever wondered how you could know for
certain
what the Bible says? If so, you are not alone. Many have asked that
question, and
the answer is to be found in the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture.
Now in making
that statement I realize that the Bible says many things that are hard
to
understand. There are some passages that even the experts have trouble
understanding. However, every doctrine necessary to our salvation is
plainly
stated in passages so clear that they do not need any interpretation.
The only meaning
that God wants you to put on His words is the same meaning you are
putting on
my words as you read this, the plain meaning of the words (2Cor. 1:13).
This often leads people to ask: If the
doctrine is so
clearly stated, why is there so much disagreement? And the answer is
simple.
Because of the blindness of the human heart, men read their own ideas
into the
text of Scripture, interpret some of the passages that are harder to
understand
to agree with those ideas, and then explain away any clear statements
of
Scripture that contradict those ideas. That is the way of the world.
That is
what all of the sects and cults do. However, that is wrong. God wants
us to
believe what He plainly says, not explain it away.
For that reason, we need to first learn those
truths
that are so clearly stated in Scripture that they need no
interpretation, and
then let those truths be both the standard by which we evaluate every
human
opinion, and the light by which we interpret all of the other passages
of
Scripture.
For example: because the Bible says that
Christ, “is
the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world,” it should be obvious
that God wants us to believe and teach that Christ, “is the
propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world,” (1John 2:2). Nevertheless, there are those who
deny that Christ died for the sins of the
whole world, teaching instead that He only died for the sins of the
elect.
Hearing that, you may wonder why anyone would
reject
something the Bible plainly says. The reason they reject it is because
they
have interpreted another passage of Scripture to contradict it. And, by
doing
so they have violated two rules for interpreting Scripture: 1- No
passage of
Scripture should ever be interpreted to contradict what the Bible
plainly says
(Isaiah
They read Ephesians 1:4 which says,
“He [God] has chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the
world,” and
then assume that God first decided who He wanted to save, and then sent
Christ
to save them. On the basis of that assumption they then conclude the
God only
sent Christ to atone for the sins of those whom He wanted to save.
However, we
know that their conclusion is wrong because it contradicts the words of
1John
2:2. And, that tells us that their assumption is wrong. If it was not
wrong, it
would not lead to a conclusion that contradicts what the Bible plainly
says.
They could correct that error if they would
only stop assuming that God first chose those He wanted to save before
deciding
to send Christ, and instead reversed the order, teaching that God first
decided
to send Christ to atone “for our sins: and not for ours only, but also
for the
sins of the whole world,” (1John
2:2). And, then, because without His help no one could or would believe
(John
Because the words of 1John 2:2 assure
us of forgiveness in Christ, placing a limitation on those words calls
what
they say into doubt, thus making the Word of God of no effect.
Therefore, an assumption
which seems small can lead to a major error if it leads us to
contradict what
the Bible plainly says. And, that is why there is so much division in
the
church even though the doctrine that God wants us to believe and teach
is
clearly stated in Scripture.
Back To the Bible
The reason Christianity is on the
decline in
When Jesus condemned the Pharisees, He
was not condemning their efforts to keep the law but their hardness of
heart,
their refusal to admit their sin, and the excuses they came up with to
justify
their sin (Matthew 15:3-6 and 23:4, 14, Romans 2:23). For that reason,
all of
His condemnations apply not only to those who trust in works, but to
all who
make excuses for their sin and justify their sin, and that includes
sexual sin
(Hebrews 10:26-29).
The same Bible that says, “I restrain
my body, and bring it under control: lest there be any way that I,
after having
preached to others, might be a castaway,” (1Corinthians 9:27) also says
that
Christ, “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” (Jude 24). The first
passage
tells us why we need God’s sustaining grace, the second assures us of
that
grace. The first passage is God’s warning to all who make excuses for
sin, the
second is God’s assurance that He will keep us by His grace. The first
passage
is law, the second is gospel. Both are important! However, the way of
our
lukewarm American churches is to affirm one passage while explaining
away the
other.
Instead of using the words of
1Corinthians 9:27 to warn the unrepentant, while pointing those who
repent to
God’s sustaining grace, 1Corinthians 9:27 is used to point those who
have a
repentant heart to their own works. On the other hand, instead of using
the
words of Jude 24 to comfort those who have a repentant heart, Jude 24
is used
to give the unrepentant a false assurance of salvation by leading them
to
believe that once they have prayed the “sinners prayer” they can live
in sin
and still be saved. Both errors stem from a failure to understand that
God’s
Law is His warning to the unrepentant, while the Gospel is His word of
comfort
to those who repent (See 1Timothy 1:9).
Because Christ said the He would raise
up believers on the “last day,” those who contradict it, teaching
instead that
He will raise up believers before the last day, are exalting man’s word
over
God’s Word (John 6:39,40,44).
Because Christ said, “My kingdom is
not of this world,” (John
Because the Bible says, “No one can
say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,” (1Corinthians
12:3), those
who contradict it, teaching instead that millions will be saved after
the Holy
Spirit is withdrawn from the earth, are exalting man’s word over God’s
Word. [Note:
The Bible nowhere says that the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the
earth.
That is just something they have made up.]
The
Bible nowhere says that there will be “seven
years” of tribulation that is just something else that they have
made up.
Because the Bible plainly tells us
that both the saved and the lost will be present at the final judgment,
those
who contradict it, teaching instead that those who are saved will not
be
present, are exalting man’s word over God’s Word, (John 5:28-29,
Matthew
25:31-34, 2Corinthians 5:9-11, Revelation 20:15). [Note: They explain away what the Bible says about the final judgment because they fail to understand that the forgiveness we have in Christ not only saves us, it also makes us righteous. On the day of judgment we will not be condemned because the forgiveness we have in Christ cleanses us from all sin making us righteous in the sight of God, as it is written, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).]
Conclusion
Because the doctrine that God wants us
to believe and teach is clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture,
everything
else that the Bible says is there to support that doctrine, and nothing
that is
taught in the hard to understand passages of Scripture will contradict
what is
taught in the clear. For that reason, all of the hard to understand
passages
need to be interpreted to teach the same doctrine that is taught in the
clear
passages. “Since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to
turn
His Word in the direction you wish to go.” (Martin Luther, “What Luther Says,”
Concordia, 1959,
p. 93.)
Those who explain away something the Bible
says are
taking away from the words of Scripture (Revelation
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