Michael-Grams: M-G: 12.4.16 // Mistreating the Word Says a Great Deal About Our Love for God

We live in a world where ignorance of the Word, apathy to the Word, and rejection of the Word have become more prevalent and shamelessly demonstrative in our society. In spite of this spiritual decline towards the Word, believers, who claim that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice, must by their new nature in Christ live the Word-driven life: learn the Word, love the Word, and live the Word. Though this is elemental and foundational, we will soon recognize why this is such a high-powered imperative.

Did you know that how we treat the Word of God says a great deal about our love for God? We’ll get to those verses a little later that indicate this. In fact, how we treat the Bible reveals whether our love for God is real or not! Now here’s the rub; I have maintained for years that ignorance is one of our greatest threats to Christianity because it undermines the prime directive of all of Scripture,

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30; cf. Deut 6:4-5).

In short, we are to love God with the totality of our being, no half-heartedness or lukewarmness is acceptable, but let’s not miss a powerful and positive command that follows the prime directive,

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deut 6:6).

The OT and the NT believers were expected to direct their thoughts, motives, and actions (the entire person) toward the LORD God. His or her faith was to be internalized to understand and to know Him and respond out of love, not out of duty in the manner of formal legalism (cf. Jer 9:24).

Actually, you never see these worldly characteristics of half-heartedness, lukewarmness, or legalism reflected in those who maintain a mindset of obeying the prime directive; it shapes and drives their behavior as a sweet aroma to Yahweh. This premier command transcends everything on this side of eternity; on the other side, it will not present an issue.

Well, you know there is a second command that is inextricably linked to the first one, or “the first of all the commandments” (Mk 12:29a), or “the first commandment” (Mk 12:30b), or “the first and great commandment” (Mt 22:38). Here it is; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:31a; cf. Lev 19:18). Jesus elevated both of these commandments, “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk 12:31b).

Consider that there is a total of 613 commandments in the law of Moses, but these two commandments transcend all of them. Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22:40, including the Writings). Their reiteration in the New Testament would strongly suggest that they transcend New Testament truth as well. Note how the Apostle John saw them as inseparable (1 Jn 4:21). There is a new twist on that last reference cited (cf. Jn 13:34; 15:17). MacArthur noted that this new command was patterned after Jesus’ sacrificial love for us (Jn 15:13), and produced by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5; Gal 5:16, 22-23, 24-25).1

The Jews, who were experiencing a very serious love problem for God by making their Jewish traditions the rule of law over the very commandments of God (Mk 7:9), were taking it upon themselves to pick and choose who was their neighbor. Well, they decided who were not going to be their neighbors: enemies, Gentiles, Romans in particular, the Samaritans (the half-breeds), or anyone who didn’t conform to their traditions, or how they interpreted the Law. Jesus corrected this notion with the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37); your neighbor is anyone who is in need. They didn’t warm up to Jesus’ interpretation! When one fails to carry out the prime directive, do we expect they are going to be receptive to the truth?

It is important to see the distinction in the theological order of the two commandments. It sounds obvious, but it must be notated. The first command precedes the second though they are inseparable. In other words, the first takes priority over the second. We are to love God over all others, including our family and friends. This dovetails with the doctrine of preeminence or supremacy (Col 1:18).

Does He, who has been given “the name which is above every name (Php 2:9), hold the first place in our lives spiritually and materially? The first command gives reality or defines the second, not the other way around. Doing right by God enables us to do right by others. How we treat others reveals the quality of our love for God. Easier to love God than man, right? This is where Rom 5:5 helps out.

Getting back to our premise on how we treat the Word of God reveals whether our love for God is authentic or disingenuous. You can probably come up with many ways in which we mistreat the Word, but let me suggest at least five in our day without further comment.

1. Ignoring it, letting it collect “dust.”

2. Reading for information, not for transformation (cf. Rom 12:2).

3. Reading more about the Bible than from the Bible itself.

4. Picking and choosing what to obey or not, a cafeteria-styled approach.

5. Misinterpreting (or taking Scripture out of context), intentionally departing from a literal, grammatical, and historical interpretation.

Neglecting the Scriptures suggests that many things in our lifestyle are not in agreement with His Word! This love for God is predicated on knowledge of His Word; we simply cannot obey what we don’t know. Continued ignorance of the Word only serves as an enemy of the soul. Try not to get distracted and rationalize by thinking, “We are all ignorant to some degree.” Rather, focus on addressing spiritual ignorance that plagues the soul.

Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should be a lifestyle for all believers (2 Pet 3:18). As long as there are no medical issues to prevent reading, understanding, and obeying the truth of God’s Word, there really is no excuse. Intentional ignorance within the body of Christ is a self-inflicted spiritual wound that reveals our love for God is not where it needs to be. Indeed, spiritual maturity doesn’t happen overnight, any more than emotional maturity or growing old, but if we are spiritually sucking our thumb after years of claiming to be a Christian, there is definitely a spiritual problem, a love problem exists in our love for God.

Back in 2013, the Huffington Post ran an article, “Americans Love The Bible But Don’t Read It Much, Poll Shows.”2 The article goes on to say that only one in five Americans read the Bible on a regular basis. Ready for these stats? “80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, and the average household has 4.4 Bibles.” “A majority (57 percent) of those ages 18-28 read their Bibles less than three times a year, if at all.” The ramifications are clear; there is no fear or love of God for the vast majority who claim to be Christian!

Truthfully, how can we know God’s will apart from His Word? How can we obey what we don’t know? How can we discern when the truth of God is exchanged for a lie? We can’t! God views our love for Him through our obedience to His Word; it’s just that simple.

Below are some verses to help to define the nature of how we truly show our love for God in accordance with the first command. The second is a by-product of obedience to the first. All the “good” works in the world are useless if the first command is ignored (cf. Mt 7:18). Always keep the theological order in mind.

(Psa 119:11) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

(Psa 119:34) Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

(Jn 14:15) If you love Me, keep My commandments.

(Jn 14:21) He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

(Jn 14:23) Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

(Jn 14:24) He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

(Jn 15:10) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

(1Jn 2:3) Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

(1Jn 2:4) He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

(1Jn 2:5) But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

(1Jn 2:6) He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

(1Jn 5:2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

(1Jn 5:3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

People often accuse a minority of Christians of worshiping the Bible which is utter nonsense. We worship the God of the Bible. Through general revelation (creation) we learn of God’s power and Divine attributes that reveal there is a Person behind that awesome power, intelligent design (cf. Rom 1:20). Then God provided special revelation, the Word of God, over a period of 1500 years, 40 authors, and three continents. This written-down revelation reveals progressive, propositional truth about God we would never have known or discovered. It gets more specific than general revelation. We learn who God is; what He expects from us, and what is to come. It is the ruling authority in our lives, our moral compass in a dark and diabolical world (Psa 119:101, 105).

For any of us to water down or circumvent the authority of the Scriptures through intentional ignorance as a believer is unloving, disrespectful, and downright rebellious in nature. It stands to reason that we cannot know and do God’s will apart from the Bible. Mistreating the Word, however, says a great deal about our love for God whether it is real or not. The truth is, a tree is known by its fruit…. <><

(1 Cor 13:1) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

(1 Cor 13:2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Thot: A man or woman after God’s own heart learns the Word, loves the Word, and lives the Word daily.