“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12
How many times have you heard the mantra of those who simply “do not know?” Wait for it . . . “I just feel that . . . .” We tend to hear this most during conversations with people who claim to be spiritual when they expound upon their “feelings” about God. Mind you, they aren’t speaking on what Holy Scripture reveals because in most cases they don’t even read the bible No, their opinion originates purely and completely from what they feel about God. And there is good reason for this - they simply don’t know!
Much of the old adage - “Never talk about religion or politics,” is based fundamentally on the notion that these two subjects are quite controversial and thus should not be talked about in polite company. For our purposes here I will limit the subject of this post to religion and specifically to the nature of God. Here is a subject that impacts our lives more than any other, and we don’t want to discuss it because someone might be offended by our point of view?
Truth is not negotiable. It is insensitive. It cannot be compromised. It cannot be molded to fit our unique set of values. It is what it is and if one has a biblical understanding of the nature of God and His role in our eternal salvation then there is no need to fear offending someone with our conversation. In fact, the only reason one would be offended by such a conversation is if they held an erroneous position in this regard. And that is precisely where “feelings” places the merely “spiritual individual.” Those who do not understand the relevancy of God in our lives are blinded by their own ignorance - they simply don’t know! Ergo, “there is a way that seems right to a man.”
When we say something “seems right” we are admitting that we don’t know if it is right; it just seems or appears to be right. If we knew it was right we would be able to say without reservation that we know something to be valid and true. That then open us up to differing opinions and this is where the conflict arises. But when we say that we feel something is true who can then argue with us? After all, we may feel anyway we like. We don’t have to justify our feelings! We need no valid frame of reference to expound on our feelings. And . . . we can change the way we feel about something faster than we can change our shoes! So if we sense conflict arising from our opinion - we can simply change our opinion to please the crowd. We need neither facts nor statistics, figures or relevant evidence to support our opinion; this is relativism in the classic sense! These people exemplify the adage - “Don’t confuse me with the facts; I’ve already made up my mind.”
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” - Proverbs 28:26.
The truth about God is available to mankind. It is knowable! It has been made accessible for us through Holy Scripture: the bible! So the next time someone lamely attempts to pontificate upon their “feelings” about God, ask them one simple question: Where can I find that in the bible? And prepare yourself for a cacophony of silence.
May we all show love to one another, especially in correction.
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