Thursday, February 25, 2016

Using Imperfect Patterns

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
2 Corinthians 10 2 Corinthians 11 Leviticus 26 Leviticus 27 Psalms 50

Followers of Christ must be careful that it is Christ and His teaching that they follow and not imperfect patterns. Paul recognized the danger among the Corinthian Christians and addressed it with them in chapters 10 & 11 of 2 Corinthians. The danger evolved from a good intent, for he said they were seeking a "pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3) Out of this devotion they sought to learn and grow by going to the wrong sources. False teachers were coming to them and they were accepting their teaching without question and being corrupted in the faith. Paul saw them being pulled away from the faith by these teachers and was jealous over the potential of losing them. He told them these false teachers were preaching another Jesus and a different gospel and the Corinthians "put up with it splendidly!"

Through the access of mass media and the internet we are easily exposed to an abundance of teaching regarding Christ and are even more susceptible to false teaching than were the Corinthians. While it is good to learn and grow in our faith we must be careful of the sources from which we learn. Our primary source must always be the Lord Himself. It is most dangerous if we are not spending time with the Lord in prayer and scripture reading but spending time reading or listening to various sources. This gives us no true pattern by which to measure what we read and hear. We become easily susceptible to false teaching.

We can be encouraged and challenged and enlightened by others, but our first and consistent source must be the Lord Himself. It is similar to making something from a pattern. If we keep reproducing whatever it is we are making by using the last one we made as the pattern, whatever we are making will soon be an imperfect representation of the original. We must keep using the original for each new reproduction. And so it is in following Jesus. It is Jesus we are to follow and from Whom we are to learn. Others can be an aid but must never be the primary source.

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