“PERHAPS, MAYBE AND MIGHT”
I spent some time this week reading from the “Foundation” series from the Gospel Advocate Company for the upcoming quarter. I was amazed at the use of the language of “perhaps”, “maybe” and “might”. Such writing may speak to some about the power of speculation to get people to think. However, to me it is just the opposite. Such speculation leads men away from what is revealed and, hence, does not build up one’s faith.
The origin of faith is from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God the Holy Spirit guided or moved men to write down what is the will of God (II Peter 1:20,21; II Timothy 3:16; I Corinthians 2:12,13). It was written down in such a way as to cause an honest heart to be able to come to faith in Jesus as the Christ (John 20:30,31). The words then selected by the Holy Spirit are words that could be understood and acted upon (John 8:32). Our Lord commissioned us to go into all the world for the purpose of teaching individuals what those words mean (Matthew 28:19,20).
We are sanctified or set apart by truth, which is the Word of God (John 17:17). We seek to bring all men to sanctification. That sanctification is tied to obedience to Jesus the Christ. Such obedience causes us to be washed, sanctified and justified (I Corinthians 6:11). Our task as Christians is to make the world aware of the desire of God to bring man into a saving and loving relationship with Him. We are thus given the ministry of reconciliation to be carried out with the word of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18,19). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (II Corinthians 10:4). We use our weapons to bring down strongholds. What are our weapons?
We cast down imagination and anything that exalts itself against the “knowledge of God” (II Corinthians 10:5). Where does one find the knowledge of God? If one desires to know who God is, then one must go to the Scriptures that reveal the mind of God. There is no scene in nature that can provide that kind of information. The Word of God must be opened. It may require that someone help us to understand what is being said (Acts 8:31). I, likewise, requires a right attitude as we look at what is being revealed to us as someone teaches us (Acts 17:11).
If one is seeking for truth, then the Word of God has the answers for salvation and for daily life. We are to study what God has revealed and handle in a correct manner the information we receive from study (II Timothy 2:15). Paul affirmed that they use the Word of God in a correct manner. He shows this by saying that they did not handle the Word of God, deceitfully (II Corinthians 4:2). The weapon that we use, therefore, is the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). It is this weapon that is able to bring men to spiritual life (Hebrews 4:12).
When our writing or our speaking is filled with “perhaps”, “maybe” and “might be”, the listener is moved away from what causes or brings about faith, that is the Word of God. There is certainly nothing wrong with Christians reading other material outside of the Scriptures. When you read the writings and listen to the sermons and they are filled with “outside” sources, there is a problem. Things that I read that are not Scriptures may serve as an aid to help me communicate better to a listening audience. However, that is all that it is, just an aid. When outside sources fill sermons, bulletins, articles, etc., the case exists that the author is trying to impress people with what he knows instead of what God reveals. A true scholar is one who uses all his skills in writing or speaking to convince the world that Jesus is the Christ. Is that not what John says, that the things which were written were designed to do?
In a time when so many have left the Word of God and are wandering about in the land of “feelings and emotions”, the cry of “perhaps”, “maybe’ and “might”, will not solve that existing problem. A return to a thus saith the Lord will produce faith in the heart of those who wish to serve God. The Gospel Advocate or any other publishing house need to hire those who have a deep abiding love for what God has revealed and teach it so.