We hear so many different views about so many different things when it comes to obeying God. People say it is all about the way in which you interpret the Bible. Some say one opinion is just as good as another.
So, how do we know what we should do? How do we know who is right and who isn’t? Is it true that anyone can “interpret” the Bible and decide what they “want” to do or “how” they want to obey it?
I am going to make the assumption that those of you who take the time to read this article believe there is a God and truly want to do what He says. If you don’t believe in God and don’t want to follow His will, I suspect you will not waste your time reading what the scripture says.
For the rest of you, I hope you will look at these scriptures and study them for yourselves. You should be able to determine what God wants you to do based on His Word, not on your personal belief.
When we study the Bible, there are some basic principles we need to remember.
First, read the context. Read the entire story, the entire thought, that which comes before and after to be sure you understand what is going on in the text.
- Second, understand to whom and about whom the writer is speaking.
- Third, read and study with an open mind, not preconceived ideas. This is sometimes hard to do, but it is best way to properly understand the scripture. Don’t assume that what you have always believed is true unless you can back it up with scripture.
With those things in mind, let’s look at what some of the excuses people use for not obeying God and what the Bible says.
“We are living in a new generation. Things are different than they were when the Bible was written.”
- “I just don’t believe that.”
- “God just wouldn’t want me to be unhappy.”
- “My interpretation is as good as yours.”
- “We want to be like everyone else.”
My goal is not to give you specific beliefs for specific questions you may have. My goal is to help us all understand what God’s plan is for determining right from wrong. We will look at each of the excuses from the scripture to see if they will hold up against God’s word.
- We are living in a different generation, but are things really any different than they were under the Old Law or during the first century church?
Turn to Ecclesiastes 1. In this passage, Solomon spoke of several things that are common, regular in occurrence from the past, present, and future. Read through verses 4 through 8 where he talks about the sun, the wind, the rivers, and man. Then he said in verse 9, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (ESV).
This generation is different only in the sense that there are new people with new technology. They have the same struggles man has always had. There is still death. There is still pain. There is still sin. Nothing has changed and won’t as long as this world stands.
There is still lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, fornication, disrespect for authority, and all the other sins we find listed in scripture. There will continue to be the same sins and the same results for all those sins. There truly is nothing new under the sun.
- Another thing that remains the same is that are those that just don’t believe the Bible. They believe what they want to believe. Like the Children of Israel, many believe they can do what they want to do, believe what they wanted to believe, and worship whomever or whatever they chose.
Once again we turn to Solomon for some advice. In Proverbs 14:12 he said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the ways to death.”
Man thinks he has all the answers. Man likes to depend on what he thinks and feels and not on what is right in the sight of God. Read the verses following and see how Solomon lays out the feelings of man and the results of that depending on his own attitude.
- What does it really take to make us happy? Is it doing what we want, when we want to do it, and doing it in the way we want? Is God really going to let us just do what we want so we can be “happy”?
Think about this scripture found in Isaiah 55:8-9. The Lord Himself spoke these words. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (KJV).
God tells us in plain language that He doesn’t think like we do. He has a bigger and better plan. He knows everything; therefore, He can make rules and laws for us based on His knowledge and power.
Our happiness often depends on what we want, not on what is best for us. True happiness is about doing God’s will, being obedient to what He wants, and preparing for the happiness of heaven.
- Many believe that they can “interpret” the Bible the way they want. Those that want to do this tend to interpret just those things that are important to them. If the scripture says, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.” Those of us who believe in God as the creator of everything and the one and only God have no problem with this scripture. We take it for what it says. Those that want to worship someone or something else will just say the Bible is just fiction or that it is subject to man’s interpretation.
The Children of Israel did this over and over again in the Old Testament. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Thou shalt not worship any graven images.” They had the commands, but they chose to worship Baal, the sun, the moon, the planets, and many other idols. Even Solomon allowed his wives to influence his worship.
We can’t interpret the Bible the way we want to believe. We need to study the context for and determine what God wants us to do no matter what we want.
- Some people today, just as in the days of the kings, want to be like everyone else. Remember when the people begged Samuel for a king. They said they wanted to be like the nations around them, I Samuel 8:19-20.
We see this same attitude in our children who want to be accepted by their peers. They give in to the pressures of their friends rather than stand for the truth.
Adults are no different. It is the easy way. It is the path of least resistance. They just want to be like everyone else. So glorify God in your body.”
It belong to God; therefore, we have an obligation to do things God’s way. We may not agree; but God’s way is the right way, the only way.
Isaiah sums it up well when he says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)
–Sandra Oliver