Last week an article in Forbes Magazine said that health insurance premiums will increase by 64% to 146% for those who live in California due to Obamacare, which begins fully in January of next year (http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/05/30/rate-shock-in-california-obamacare-to-increase-individual-insurance-premiums-by-64-146/). Many of you reading this may be laughing to yourselves because you don't live in California, the land of fruits and nuts. But when I saw the headline, I had to read the article with a little more interest. The author compares different rates and draws conclusions from those comparisons. While Peter Lee, the director of the California insurance exchange, compares other rates and comes up with the relatively good news that the insurance premiums in California will go up, just not up as dramatically as some wild predictions. The bottom line for me: My premium will be going. Now it's just a matter of how much.
Here we see the classic example of trying to make figures say whatever we want them to say. This happens when we have a preset agenda or refuse to take into account the entire picture, focusing on a very narrow view. Both this write and the exchange director have an agenda in what they say, so they naturally will only utilize those figures which best suit their purpose. Politicians do this all the time. Sportscasters do this all the time. News reporters do this all the time. Husbands and wives do this all the time. Kids who are in trouble do this all the time. We want to "spin" the facts so we minimize the immediate damage.
The one place where this "spin" is the most destructive is in our view of the Bible. There are too many Christians and cults in America which like to spin the Bible to meet their particular agenda. The Watchtower has simply changed their "Bible" so that John 1:1 reads, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a god" rather than "..and the Word was God". This way, their Scripture can reinforce their theology of denying the Trinity rather than changing their theology to fit the Bible. Mormons will quote James 1:5 and then tell you that Joseph Smith did this which help him begin the Latter Day Saints church. I have heard Christians quote I Peter 2:24 to say a Christian should never have any illness and if you have any illness it is because you lack faith. I've heard Christians say, "The Bible says, 'God helps those who help themselves'", which is not from the Bible at all but from Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richards' Almanac. I have read Christians who try to legitimize sin by going into deep Biblical exegesis and taking Scripture out of context to fit their argument. In early American history, the Bible was used to promote the slave trade. These are just a few of the ways that God's Word has been misused and abused.
My purpose in this blog is to remind you to to do what Paul told Timothy to do: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Each day, as you spend time in God's Word, make sure you handle the Bible correctly. If you stumble upon a verse that seems revolutionary and you have never heard anyone have that idea before, you may want to read more of the Bible. Make sure you are taking in the whole of Scripture or we are easily led astray, even by a genuine desire to serve the Lord. It would be easy to read about the rich, young ruler and then feel like you must sell everything, give it to the poor and go on a Jesus journey through the highways and byways. Each Sunday, I try to remind you that is you take the Bible out of context, you can make it say anything you want. Time after time, I run into articles written by people who do not have a full reading of the Bible or who are tweaking the Bible to make their point seem more authoritative. With the Internet and blogging, this type of Bible-twisting is at an epidemic level. Please, be honest with Scripture. Don't approach it with a pre-set idea to prove your point, but have your heart and mind open to what God wants to say in the totality of His Word. Correctly handle the Word of Truth. Allow it to sink in every day so that the Bible truly can be a lamp unto your feet and light unto your path.
May God bless you as you study His Word each day, prepare to be utilized by Him and then radically live out your faith.
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