Rejection - or Acceptance

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. (Titus 3:8-11 KJV)

I’m not certain how the graphic will display on the blog page, but it tells us that originally the Greek word used in Titus 3:10 meant “choose” and eventually meant to choose an opinion that is against what is generally accepted. Ironic, I believe, is that today what is generally accepted is not was Jesus told us God accepts. As followers of Christ, we should be aware of what Jesus said, not how current society applies those words.

You see, while I fully believe:

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:35-39 KJV)

I do not believe it negates the positive plan God instituted:

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19:3-6 KJV)

The Pharisees came back with as human an argument as I’ve ever heard – and we still hear it today, without considering Jesus’ answer:

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:7-8 KJV)

Jesus is quoted as affirming God’s plan of one husband, one wife, from the beginning. However, the hardness of our hearts chooses to hold opinions against what God created.

We do make choices and live with consequences. God allows us to make those choices. Society accepts or rejects our lifestyles based on what seems good at the moment, subject to the winds of opinion. Society accepts or rejects God’s word also subject to the winds of opinion, doesn’t it?

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV)

It is much easier to be swayed by something we’d like to hear than to hear we are not doing what we’re supposed to do. It is much easier to do what we know others have done before. Moses told the Israelites:

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:8 KJV)

Yet  in just a few generations we read:

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 KJV)

That hadn’t changed for some in Solomon’s generation:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. (Proverbs 12:15 KJV)

God knows whether the way is right:

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. (Proverbs 21:2 KJV)

So, how can we possibly know what to reject? If it seems right to us and we believe our heart is right, how can we know? For me, the answer is back with the Bereans:

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10-11 KJV)

Be ready in your mind to search the scriptures.