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Morning Thoughts |
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Morning Thoughts |
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II Timothy
4:4, "And they shall turn their away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables." This morning, there remains a stark difference between active and passive. When something is active, that literally means that that thing is either completely or partially the cause of the action that is taking place. When something is passive, that literally means that that thing is completely absent from the cause of an action. I can actively raise and lower my arm, but I cannot actively tell my heart to beat or not beat. While the arms are actively controlled by my thoughts and will, the heart beats regardless of what my mind or will dictates. So, in theology, we have many things that are passive in scope, while others are active in scope. Yet, sometimes active and passive do go together, in the sense that one can lead to another. We normally associate (in our experience) the passive coming before the active - such as regeneration being imparted to the child of God (passive on our part), which then produces yearnings previously unknown to the person that can be manifested in the person's walk (active on our part). In the verse above, Paul is concluding his message to young Timothy, and shortly before bidding him farewell and happy in the Lord, he gives Timothy a moving preparation of the days that were coming. Today, we can see that these days have come, remain with us, and will continue until the morrow as well. The days are here that men do not endure sound doctrine. The days are here when men rather desire something that tickles their own lust and fancy and heap to themselves teachers that desire and promote the same. During this discussion, Paul makes a contrasting remark in our verse, in that it contains both active and passive language. Paul remarks that they turn away their ears from the truth (active verb sense), and the result of this action is that they are turned unto fables (passive verb sense). One of my English teachers once told me that there was absolutely no place in writing for the passive verb sense. Her reason for saying this was that my writings had many of them in it, and she believed that writing was "more readable, more exciting, and more punchy" with nothing but active verb sense. While the majority of my passive moods in writing could have easily been done away and replaced by the active, she went too far in declaring passive mood and verbs absolutely unnecessary. As is the case in our verse, Paul uses the mood to describe a very moving and sometimes overlooked point when we stray from our discipleship as we should. Whenever people hide behind the "can't help it" routine, they are raising an affront to Philippians 4:13. Paul unequivocally declares that we can help it by doing all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. Yet, having the where-with-all or ability to help it by the grace of Almighty God, we might fall into the other ditch by saying that I have the control over it completely. Just as we rely upon the Spirit to guide, guard, and direct us by His impression and inclination, so also do we have another inclination that pulls at us. These people that Paul describes took an active role in not obeying the truth. They actively turned away their ears from it. Yet, the consequence is not described by Paul as active. Rather, they passively were turned unto fables. Now, the obvious question, what does all this mean? Whenever we actively engage ourselves contrary to the godly walk that our Father has prescribed, we become susceptible and open to the things of the world. One of the things I heard repeatedly growing up is that our society is becoming "desensitized" to many things. How many years ago would the things promoted so freely on television today be looked upon as shocking? How many years does it take to make it more palpable to the mass audience? The sad truth is not long at all. Whenever our mind is evil affected by our hard-heartedness, we accept fables and falsities without actively choosing to receive them. Another scenario that fits within this scope of discussion is when we find ourselves "at the mercy" of an unsavoury condition. When David transgressed in the adultery/murder of Bathsheba/Uriah, he actively engaged in both of those crimes. Yet, the consequence was that he was passively at the mercy of the judgment of God in watching his sons die (restoring fourfold) for his sins. Similarly, David was at the mercy of watching 70,000 men in Israel die for his sin in numbering the people. David did not actively draw the sword to kill them, but his active role of guilt had a consequence that he could only passively observe. The prodigal son found himself at the mercy of the citizen of that far country, and this consequence was a result of his active sin in leaving his father's house. Dear ones, we may leave our Father's house pursuing after the pleasures of sin for a season and looking toward the well-watered plains of Sodom, but that active turning away from the truth can have the effect of us passively suffering something (perhaps without even knowing it). Sampson chose to actively go contrary to God and God's covenant with him by a beguiling woman. This active sin led to him passively having his head shorn and his great strength leaving him. As Sampson passively suffered these things, he did not even know that the presence of the Lord had departed from him. One of the things that is guaranteed from Biblical record is that if we leave the Father's house, our return will be marked by emptiness. (Ruth 1) When Naomi and the prodigal son left on their respective journeys, they were quite full, but both returns showed clairvoyant emptiness. If we neglect the great doctrine of salvation by free grace alone, election, predestination, eternal security, or any of the other pillars of truth from God's word, that is an active choice that we make. We, who know better, make improper judgment to neglect those things we should cleave unto. We can help that, and we can - to some degree - control ourselves in that regard. God has given us the ability to control ourselves and discipline ourselves (a sound mind). (II Timothy 1:7) Yet, this active choice, may end with us being in a condition that we did not choose. The prodigal son did not choose the pigpen, but it was thrust upon him. Sampson did not choose blindness in the prison house, but it was thrust upon him. Did both suffer these things for active sin? Yea, verily, but neither of them actively said, "This is what I want." We may choose what we neglect, but dear friends we may suffer what we then experience without choice. If my mind rejects the great doctrine of the Bible, there is no telling where I may end up. Notice that the word fables is in the plural sense. While there is only one right, there are many wrongs, evils, and pitfalls. If our ears leave THE truth, who knows what error and trap we may wind up in? I have known ministers that ended up in the very pit of error that they once so ably preached against and defended the truth against. They came to embrace what they once rejected. How is that? Many of the instances (though perhaps not all) were due to the fact that pride got in the way. Becoming full of self is a sure-fire recipe for ministerial disaster. After making that active choice of foolish pride, they became turned unto errors that pride will lead one toward. If I am really pretty good - better than anyone really gives me credit for - how far of a leap is it from there to works-based Arminianism? If I suffer tribulation and persecution and glorify the persecution instead of the one that brings me through the persecution, how far of a leap is it from there to perseverance- There are fables at every hand waiting to capture our minds and attention. May our ears, eyes, and hearts be attuned to the truth and sound (edifying) doctrine. May we rejoice only in teachers of such and put no confidence in those looking to the old flesh. In doing these things, our defenses are up and ready should the enemy try to advance. A soldier can be forced into submission and surrender when he is not prepared for the advancement of his foe. So may we passively surrender in our warfare when we actively choose not to forearm ourselves in the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. This true doctrine is the only one that can bring the contentment and peace that the new man desires as his food and nourishment. May we continue to feed our new man that food, starve and mortify that old man, and seek to go deeper into the rich and fertile fields of God's golden truths. In Hope, Bro Philip  |