“Is it even possible for you to believe in me? How can that be when you are willing to
accept affirmation from anyone but me—the one who offers the highest form of
praise—direct from God?” John 5:44 EFP
I imagine there existed a “mutual admiration society” in those days as it exists today. Religious circles are not immune from the propensity to establish a “school of thought” of like-minded thinking people. What develops as a result is the tendency to work toward perpetuating the pet idea and ensure it endures outside critique by mounting a counteroffensive aimed at minimizing the damage or eliminating the threat.
I can’t help
but feel I need to guard myself from this bent.
I have to answer only to the God who calls me to proclaim the Gospel,
and who calls me continually to honor that calling through an unending search
for a clearer understanding of the character of God. This is a risky proposition, since it is
possible to come to a conclusion that may deviate from the orthodoxy I have
held. Such is the dilemma of the
religious leaders of Jesus’ time. It is
also a lurking danger for any student of the Word and any religious body. My goal is to receive praise from God, not
from those who agree with me. I was
taught long ago, “Truth has nothing to fear from close scrutiny, it can only
reveal more truth not discovered previously.”
That is something I can cling to.
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