Go Back To The Source
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
Every one of us has lines from our favourite movies seared in our minds. Or at least we'd like to think we do. Did you realize many of the common lines we recite, we are actually misquoting? Let's look at a few examples.
Many of us think we're quoting the movie Field of Dreams when we say "if you build it, they will come" where the actual quote from the movie is "if you build it, he will come."
Then there's Casablanca, "play it again, Sam" is actually word for word in the movie "Play it, Sam." There's no again, we've added that along the way.
And in Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, many of us say "Luke, I am your father" in a deep Darth Vadar voice when in reality, Luke’s name was never uttered. The actual quote is "no, I am your father."
Quoting The Mistake
Why does this matter? Well if we can get lines wrong from movies we've watched over and over and over again, and if we as a society repeat them to the point where we're all quoting the mistake, not the original text, then isn't it also possible this phenomenon isn't limited to movies? What if we're doing the same with the Word of God?
It turns out, we are. Many of us are quick to say "pride goes before the fall", but the actual verse reads "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)
Others say "money is the root of all evil", while the verse in 1 Timothy 6:10 actually "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."
We often attribute the saying "this too shall pass" to the Bible, but it's not in there. Maybe we're thinking of the phrase "it came to pass", which actually appears in the Bible over 400 times in the Kings James version.
Misrepresenting The Word of God
Unfortunately the misrepresentation of God's Word doesn't stop there. Many of us would freely say Noah's ark was filled with one pair of each species of animal, but for many of those species, seven pairs were taken along for the journey.
Then there's the apple Eve ate in the garden. We're quick to spout off this, but was it an apple? We have no idea as the Bible only truly identified it was a fruit.
Or how many of us have three wise men ingrained into our minds are part of the Christmas story, yet the Bible never tells us the number of wise men who were really there.
When we pick up quotes or stories instead of going straight to the source, it's a recipe for disaster. It's entirely possible that by doing so we construct an image of God and how we should live as a Christian that's entirely of our own making and falls so far away from the very truth. This is a very dangerous road to go down. Our compass for our faith is the Bible, not what we've heard quoted on TV or the story that's been passed down in our families. Unless you and I regularly are found in the Word of God we can end up manufacturing a faith that isn't the one found in the Bible.
Some would argue the defence, well as long as deep inside I know it's right, I should be fine. But let's see what the Bible has to say about that.
"There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." Proverbs 14:12
Maybe that’s why we so often refer to God’s Word as the Word of Life. Our thoughts and feelings and even gut feelings can lead us astray, but the Word of God won't.
God's Word Is Essential
In 2 Timothy, Paul drives home just how essential the Bible is and how it is the teaching from the Scripture which needs to be our foundation. He wrote,
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
These verses show us a few things about Scripture. Namely,
1. It is the truth.
2. It can be trusted.
3. It gives us wisdom.
4. It points us to receive salvation.
5. It is inspired by God.
6. It teaches us what is right.
7. It convicts us to realize what is wrong on our lives.
8. It is used by God to prepare and equip us to do every good work.
And there is no substitute for it. As Christians we often fall into the trap of picking a favourite author or speaker and making them our main influence in the truth and in what is right and wrong. But if you are listening to an author or a speaker or a teacher more than you are reading the Word of God for yourself, there is something wrong with that picture! The Word of God alone is meant to be our foundation. Don't get me wrong, pastors and speakers are important to help guide us along the way, but they are meant to be a supplement to our faith, not the main course.
If before a loved one passed away, they gave you a book filled with specific information you needed to know in order to live life and they left behind a part of them in the words they wrote so you could connect with them long after they were gone, what would you do? Would you read a book report on it? Or maybe a synopsis that someone else wrote? I doubt it. Chances are you’d read it word for word over and over again. Should the Bible be any different?
Going Straight To The Source
It is only through returning to God's Word time and time again will we be able to recognize the difference between what is true and what is misquoted to us. It is only through reading every single word written in the Bible will we know how we are supposed to live our every single moment of our lives. And It is only through God's Word that we are drawn into a deeper relationship with the author as we learn His heart and allow Him to shape our own.
When we spend time in the Bible and continue to regularly go straight to the source, in the same way a miner instantly knows the difference between real gold and fool's gold, we will know the difference between what sounds right or catches our eye and what is actually the truth, given to us by the living God who uses His Word to draw us further into a relationship with him. And for that, there is no substitute.
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