by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
“That is just your
opinion.”
but the apostle Paul said (1 Cor. 14:37) ...
“If anyone thinks
he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize
Was this just his opinion? Did he expect us to
understand it (Eph. 3:4)? Has God not spoken to us through the scriptures (2
Tim. 3:16f)? Does the bible have no meaning for us at all? That is the
conclusions that we must draw if whatever we read in the bible is just our
opinion. This is the lazy person’s way out of intensive bible study, and shows
no desire to seek after God (Heb. 11:6).
We have no choice when it comes to determining what we
can and should bind on one another. Either we are going to use the bible to do
this or else we must depend upon some man or organization of man. If we are
not using the bible, then the comment: “that is just your opinion” is valid.
For, without depending on scripture, what else do we have except our subjective
feelings?
The New Testament is a very short collection of books.
It is the most cross-referenced book in the world, with concordances and
indexes to help us survey any subject. But even if we have to read the entire
book to discover all the truth on a given subject, this would not be too much
to ask. The most important requirement is faith. Faith that God has not left
us floating and out in the cold. Faith that God will keep His promises and
provide us with all that we need to serve Him.