The Truth Is Out There

 May 28, 2024

Tuesday

It is easier to criticize than to find out the truth. Confirmation bias is always at play when people criticize.  We see that a lot in politics. People will swallow anything their favorite politician says while they will reject those they oppose. They don't want the truth. They want whatever supports their position. This is why negative politics works. People will lean toward the negative they hear without looking for  the truth. Thus, a political opponent needs to play part of what was said rather than all of what was said. They take things out of context and rush toward condemnation.

Some very godly people have been criticized severely through social outlets as heretics and false teachers. That doesn't mean that some of those who have been criticized aren't truly heretics. They are, but some good godly preachers and teachers are lumped in with them because they don't walk the party line or they have said something taken out of context or they just made a mistake. Sometimes it is because there isn't full agreement on an interpretation of the Bible.

A young man in our church told me that his family questioned his salvation because he didn't agree with them on politics. Give me a break! Does anyone believe they have found God's party in either the Democrat or Republican party? Lots of politicians wave the Christian flag. I can't find waving the flag as a sign of salvation.

Don't you think that many of the people who rejected Jesus as the Messiah did so because of the testimony of others they trusted. These people said that He wasn't the Messiah because He ate with sinners. Of course, if He was the true Messiah He would have been eating with them. They were always trying to get Jesus on washing hands, fasting or not fulfilling their own image of what the Messiah should look like. It was just easier to criticize Him than to find out the truth.

It's funny how people will criticize when they don't know you. They may say that our church doesn't teach the Bible because we have some women teaching men in Sunday School classes. Of course, we would disagree with them on women being qualified. Since we don't agree with them, we must not believe the Bible. They aren't interested in knowing why we encourage women to teach. We do so because of what it says in the Bible.

So, before you decide that someone is a heretic, please find out why. They just may be. But the other side of the story is that they might disagree with those who claim that they have all the answers. These determine heretics as people who don't agree with them.

Read the scriptures when you hear a claim. Ask why a certain position is taken. Work to be approved rather than simply accepting the criticisms of others.

2 Timothy 2:14–16 (NASB 2020)¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and solemnly exhort them in the presence of God not to dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the listeners. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,