Experience Does Not Trump Truth

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Experience does not trump truth. The following thoughts come from Felon's Maxims of the Saints. Although I do not endorse all the doctrine

Archbishop Felon’s (or Fénelon)

portrayed in Felon's Maxims, the author does address an issue that continues to haunt Christendom even today. The false belief by many Christians that personal experience over rules the word of God. Here is what Felon says:

"In the history of inward experience, we not infrequently find accounts of individuals whose inward life may properly be characterized as extraordinary. They represent themselves as having extraordinary communications; --dreams, visions, revelations. Without stopping to inquire whether these inward results arise from an excited and disordered state of the physical system or from God, the important remark to be made here is, that these things, to whatever extent they may exist, do not constitute holiness."

"Again, the persons who have, or are supposed to have, the visions and other remarkable states to which we have referred are sometimes disposed to make their own experience, imperfect as it obviously is, the guide of their life, considered as separate from and as above the written law. Great care should be taken against such an error as this. God's word is our true rule."

To this, I can only add - Amen! -Pastor Jim

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Flying Through the Dark

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. flew his Piper Saratoga into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled the crash was caused by: "the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation."* In other words, he became confused and flew the Piper into the water.

Experienced pilots have told me that it is easy to become disoriented especially over water on a hazy night with no visual horizon.  In conditions like those, the pilot must rely on his instruments and not his senses. 

This is also true for the believer in Christ. When navigating through the dark periods of life, the Christian must trust the Word of God to guide her or him. We cannot rely on our perceptions, especially our emotions. Things may not always appear as they really are. The promised horizon may not be visible – you may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel! God’s word and God’s promises are true and there is a light of hope at the end of the darkest trial. We must trust His Word. The true foundation for our faith is the Word of God.

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Why Believe the Bible?

Join Other in Reading Through the Bible

One of the reasons you can count on the Bible being true is because of the fulfillment of prophecy. This is especially true in the fulfillment of prophecy made hundreds of years before concerning Jesus and the atonement he made for us. Perhaps the clearest of the many prophecies is the one that appears in the Isiah 53:

1 ¶  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 ¶  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 ¶  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Aurthur Pink comments on this passage are profound: "This chapter tells us at least ten things about the humiliation and suffering of the Redeemer. It declared that he should be despised and rejected of men; that he should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; that he should be wounded, bruised and chastised; that he should be led, unresistingly, to slaughter; that he should be dumb before his shearers; that he should not only suffer at the hands of man but also be bruised by the Lord; that he should pour out his soul unto death; that he should be buried in a rich man’s tomb; and then it was added, that he would be numbered with transgressors; and finally, that he should make intercession for the transgressors." (Source: Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross, The)

The Bible has an outstanding record of proofing itself to be true by revealing hundreds of prophetic verses that were made hundreds years before being fulfilled. Don't let the world undermine your faith in the Word of God.

How Is Your Approach?

How you approach any writing will reflect your understanding of it. Take for example the high school student and how he or she might approach a history textbook. If the student has been told history is boring or has experienced a poor teacher of history in their earlier years, then chances are he or she will view the current history textbook as boring before he or she reads the first page. The same is true when people approach the Bible; and perhaps, more so because when it comes to understanding the Bible, purpose matters.

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Some approach the Bible as a rule book; and, if they follow the rules, they might gain entry into heaven. Others see the Bible as a historical document or as an ancient work of literature. Although the Bible does give instructions on how to enter heaven and contains historical facts and is literature, it was not given to be a rulebook, nor a history book, nor is it to be studied as another piece of literature. None of these approaches consider the purpose of the Bible.

The Apostle John in his short epistle titled 1 John gives us the clear purpose of the Bible:

…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3 ESV)

The purpose of scripture is to restore a fellowship, a broken relationship between people and their creator that has been breached because of sin. The Bible is God reaching down to fallen man with love and hope. When approached with its right purpose in view, the Bible comes alive. Lives are changed. They are changed by the power of a personal relationship with God.

Check out these related articles: Why Believe the Bible and A Delight

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