It Matters Not What Man Thinks But What God Has Said - You Can't Build On Two Different Foundations
You can’t build on two different foundations. Either you will build on the solid rock of God’s Word. Or, you will build on the sinking sand of man’s wisdom.
Which is it going to be? You can’t build on man’s wisdom and expect God’s results. If you build on God’s Word, man’s wisdom will not stand.
It Matters Not What Man Thinks But What God Has Said
I have been saying for years that it matters not what man thinks but what God has said. This does not mean man does not engage his mental capacities and think through things. It also does not mean that at times man uses sound judgment in an area that God’s Word may not address. It does, however, mean that the foundation upon man’s decision making and life must be built on God’s Word and not his own understanding.
5 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 LSB)
This text in Proverbs really brings out the point. We are to trust in God with all of our hearts, meaning with all that we are. Our minds, our bodies, our emotions, our spirit. Everything that makes up who we are as created beings is to trust God fully.
Notice the contrast: “do not lean on your own understanding.” This is key! If we rely on our own fallen and finite understanding, we will be dominated and enslaved to our preferences because we will be relying on what man thinks. However, if in our lives we properly acknowledge Him, meaning we know, recognize, and submit to the wisdom of what God has said, then we will find our paths to be straight because God will make them straight.
This ultimately comes down to “who is calling the shots?” Is it man? Is it you? Or, is it God? Who has control? Who is the supreme authority?
We see a similar contrast in Matthew chapter 7.
Build Your House on the Rock
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Notice that in Matthew 7, Jesus also proposes a contrast. He states that building one’s life upon the rock of God’s Word is wise and that type of life will not fall. However, the one who builds on man’s wisdom will have a great fall.
We see this sort of thing play out in Christian’s lives all the time. Part of our sanctification, our growth in Christ, our growth in spiritual maturity, and our growth in mental maturity is learning to build the foundation of our lives on God’s Word.
You can’t build on two different foundations. Either you will build on the solid rock of God’s Word. Or, you will build on the sinking sand of man’s wisdom.
We see the same error in the church. Churches that build their foundation and their decision-making on what God has said will stand and not fall. In contrast, those churches that build their foundation and decision-making on man’s wisdom and what man has said will die and fall. It is not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.” In fact, there are dying churches right now that may not be showing most of the symptoms, but they are still there. In time, they will reach the surface.
I have seen it time and time again. When man’s preferences and what man thinks and says rule, there is only time between that point and certain death. Man’s wisdom can’t and won’t be allowed to rule in Christ’s Church. If Christ does not rule your local body of believers, God will not allow that to stand forever. There will come a day of judgment on that body that has forsaken God’s Word for what man thinks.
Keep in mind, everybody has traditions. Everybody has preferences. These things, in and of themselves, are not inherently sinful unless they take the place of or stand in contradiction to God’s Word.
Anyone who claims to have no traditions is enslaved to their traditions and doesn’t know it. - Dr. James R. White
The key is not whether man has preferences and traditions. The key is whether he openly admits it and then submits those preferences and traditions to God’s Word. Churches get themselves in trouble and begin to die when Christ no longer reigns, but man’s word reigns.
We see this in the following ways:
Oh, we can’t do that! That will upset brother so-and-so. Or, that will upset sister so-and-so.
In this case, whoever the “so-and-so” is, they rule the church. If your decision-making is founded on not upsetting a particular individual or group, then they are the ones who rule, not Christ. Nobody is talking about being callous and not caring about upsetting folks in general. Anyone honest in their evaluation knows of what I speak.
Oh, we can’t do that! Some folks will be upset and stop giving their money, and we need their money!
We call this financial manipulation, and it is a serious and disgusting sin. While New Testament Christians are not commanded to tithe, ministries do need funds to operate. Thus, it is important for us all to financially support our local body of believers. So, to use money as a means to gain power, maintain control, or manipulate a church is a grossly sinful behavior that should not be tolerated.
We used to have a great choir! Now, all we have are those contemporary songs. If they don’t start singing my kind of music, I will leave!
Once again, this comes from someone assuming that their opinion and preference should reign and dominate the decision-making.
We have to do what we have to do. We don’t have time to wait. We need to grow now!
This comes from someone whose priorities are not submitted to Christ and His Word. They see numeric growth as the capstone of success or failure and do not put the need for spiritual growth in its proper place. Compromise is born out of man’s wisdom, taking the place of God’s Word.
I could go on and on with more examples. We have all seen it. In fact, many have seen it and have chosen not to do anything about it because they don’t want to “upset the apple cart,” as I have been told. I can’t find that nonsense in my Bible. This doesn’t mean we are seeking to be unkind or going around looking to stir trouble. This is about setting the proper foundation, and I don’t care what you fill in the blank with; if you choose man’s opinion over God’s Word, you will not bring glory to His name, and you will answer for it one day in front of Him.
Man easily comes up with excuses to disobey God’s Word. He is an expert at it. However, when the problems and suffering come from following what man has said, they then turn and blame everything but themselves.
Church, let’s chart a better path. Let’s chart a path founded on God’s Word. Have the courage to stand for Christ, even in the Church.
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