Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Matthew 22:29
I used to be amazed at the amount of materials that lawyers would carry into the courtroom when they were preparing to argue a difficult criminal case before the judge. They would have many books and briefcases filled with documents, most of them opinions by judges and other lawyers about a particular law and how it should be applied. The judge would carefully listen to those arguments and make notes about the various references that the lawyers were making. But there was one book in that room that always seemed to take precedence over all the others, and the judge would refer to it constantly. It was called the Criminal Code of Canada (and amendments thereto). It was the law, the actual descriptions of crimes and their associated penalties. Judges loved to point out to pontificating lawyers that what the Criminal Code said was the bottom line. Statements in the code were absolute. That code is frequently changed over the years, causing some confusion. But the one great Code that God gave has never changed and never needs to be. All mistakes, as Jesus points out in today’s text, stem from not knowing the Bible and the power of God.
Do we as Christians make mistakes? Admit it, you are not that much different from me. The Bible provides wisdom on all matters of life. If we know the Word, we can apply it to all situations. If we don’t know the Word, we can look it up. If we don’t know it, and don’t take the time to look it up, we stumble through in our own ignorance, and make mistakes. It pays to know the Scriptures!
But what if we know the scriptures and go against its advice and precepts? What happens when we go directly opposite to what God says (or even off at a bit of a tangent)? We do so only when we don’t know – or stop to think about – the power of God. Do we really think we can do an end run around God’s purposes? We will fail when we go against God, because God is always right and He is sovereign. All the laws that govern the universe are directly under His control. Violating His Word is always a recipe for trouble.
You can avoid mistakes today if you learn God’s word and submit to God’s power. Have an error-free day! -Jim MacIntosh