The Majority View

by Bryan Gibson

Two weeks ago we looked at two things that can blind people to the truth: human reasoning and feelings of the heart. Let’s look at another one in this article. People can sometimes be blinded to the truth by what we might call “the majority view.”

Sometimes, when presented with the truth, people will respond with statements like these:

· “That’s not what the majority of people believe.”

· “That’s not what most commentators say about that passage.”

· “Most churches that I know anything about don’t teach that.”

· “Did you realize there’s just a small minority of people who believe the way you do?”

What people often fail to understand is that people in the right have always been in the minority. Think about Noah, who in the midst of an ungodly generation, “walked with God.” Think about Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve sent to spy out the land of Canaan. They stood alone in their conviction that with God’s help they could conquer the land that God had promised to them. And then there is the plain teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

God’s word says what it says, regardless of how few or how many believe it. When I teach that baptism is for the remission of sins, that it is essential for salvation, I realize I’m in the minority. But God’s word still says it (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). When I teach that divorce is forbidden, except for the cause of sexual immorality, again, I realize I’m in the minority. But that is exactly what Jesus said (Matthew 19:3-12). When I teach that we must worship God in song without instrumental music, I’m still in the minority. But I have yet to find any authority for these instruments in the New Testament. More points could be added, but you can see where we’re going with this. Study God’s word diligently and carefully, looking for the truth and nothing but the truth. When you find it, hold fast to it (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and don’t be swayed by the “majority view.”