Why do we assume contradictory information is invariably wrong?
It’s a serious question. I encounter this phenomenon on an almost daily basis. Someone learns a new piece of information that challenges a currently held belief and instantly dismisses the information as false without the slightest thought that perhaps, just perhaps, their original belief was lacking.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105 NIV
A friend of mine likes to apply this verse by saying, “We walk by the light that we have.” Simply put, we live out our faith by what we know. We walk by what we have learned through God shining the light of his Word in our lives.
But what happens when his Word shines in a new way in our life? Do we change to walk in that light, or do we dismiss the light as false or misleading?
Please don’t hear me saying that God’s Word is false or misleading. I’m saying exactly the opposite! What happens when we discover something new to us in God’s Word that challenges our currently held belief? Will we walk in this new light, or will we cling to the old path because of its comfort and familiarity?
In the past I have applied for ministry jobs where a few churches provided lists of passages and topics that were not to be taught or referenced in sermons or Bible studies. Is this viewing God’s Word as a “light on my path,” something that could illuminate and correct my walk with God? Apparently for these congregations, all Scripture was not useful for teaching (perhaps 2 Timothy 3:16-17 could shine a little light in those congregations.)
Friends, why should we ever fear the Word of God? What could possibly lead us to censor the Bible in our assemblies? Even when…especially when it contradicts our beliefs, we should never fear the Word of God. Instead, we should dig into it deeper in order to see where the light might lead!
Two quick case studies of people encountering God’s Word with new light. Luke tells us of two disciples who had given up hope that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
“…we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
Luke 24:21 NIV
Leaving town and dejected by the events of the previous week, these disciples had given up hope that Jesus was anything more than another dead prophet in a long line of dead prophets. But notice what happens. The stranger on the road with them shines some new light on the Word of God for them.
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:25-27 NIV
Notice this was not new revelation. We’re not talking about a new scripture introduced to the canon for these disciples. These were texts that these disciples likely had memorized, but no doubt had heard and studied at length. Yet somehow there was still some shadowy veil covering these texts for these disciples. It took a lifetime of Temple and Synagogue Bible studies, three years of Jesus’ ministry, a horrendous Passover experience, and a conversation with someone they didn’t recognize to shine light on these familiar texts in order for them to see the truth. In fact, they didn’t even realize who this man teaching them was until he broke bread with them (Lk. 24:30-32).
If this is what it took to shine new light on old texts for disciples that walked with Jesus, is it possible that we might have missed something too?
Luke also tells us of the ministry of Paul (another example of someone who found new light in old texts and began to walk a different path). Paul’s routine on his missionary journeys is to first go into synagogues and teach about Jesus using the Scriptures (the Old Testament in case you were wondering…more Gospel sermons coming from the first 75% of your Bible.)
Paul always went into these areas and found people who knew the Scriptures, and then proceeded to shine new light on the texts in hopes of leading them to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
Acts 17:11-12 NIV
Do you notice what made these Berean Jews “more noble”? They didn’t instantly reject anything that challenged their beliefs! Instead they studied their Bible! If Paul had said something that was incorrect, they would have found it. They didn’t feel the need to instantly dismiss Paul’s words as false when they challenged their belief. Instead, they compared this new light from Paul with the Scriptures they had read many times before and discovered a new revelation from the same old text.
If these faithful Jews who had poured over these Scriptures far more than you and I could find new light in an old text, is it possible that we might have missed something too?
You and I do not have a complete understanding of the Word of God. We never will! Scripture reveals to us the ways and mind of God, and yet reminds us that these ways and mind are simply unfathomable for you and I (Isa. 55:9).
Throughout our lives we must continue to read and study God’s Word because we will inevitably find new light in old texts ourselves. Something will leap off the page that we have never noticed before.
And when we discover that new light we must learn to walk in it.
Don’t cling to the old paths. Walk in the light, and embrace the Word of God.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 NIV
Living in the Word 