The Map

There once was a young man, many centuries ago, who held an old paper in his hand. It was indeed a legendary treasure map, passed down from generation to generation. Every man was called out by his father to follow the map to its end, wherever it should lead him. This particular young man had studied the map, attempting to understand every aspect of it. When the proper time came, he began to set out on his adventure.

Soon, he came across two other men who were along the path as well, but rather than walking, they stood around and spoke to one another and to all who passed by. Innocently, the young man strode up to them and began conversing. The conversation turned towards the map and the journey the young man was on. One of the men, who appeared a humble and wise man, asked the young man if he could hold the map. This wise man looked it over once and said, “Hmmm… do you really hold to such definite and solid black lines?” The young man nodded, for that was what his father had told him to do.

“Simply ridiculous. You know, no one actually believes this map anymore. Look at how definite and legalistic this is! There’s no room for motion or expression of personality. In fact, I don’t really think it’s trustworthy. I mean, it is only a map made by men after all.”

The second man, who was much younger, held out a piece of parchment to the young man. “Here, this is my repainted map. See, each generation has actually made out its own map to fit its own needs. You follow the map, well, as you see fit. It’s all about you, anyway.”

Confused, the young man took the repainted map and compared it to his original map: they looked nothing alike! Yet, the two men’s words seemed so convincing. Should he really trust such a dusty old relic? Obviously, these two had found something better, and in many ways, it actually appealed to him. They were laid-back and easy-going, whereas the way of the map looked much too hard for the normal man. No, this old map would never do.

Sadly, the young man never found the treasure.

Postmodernism has invaded the church at an entirely new level, especially through the emergent movement. As in centuries past, the biggest attacks have come upon the word of God, but no longer by men outside of Christendom nor even by self-proclaimed liberal theologians. These men have crept in under the banner of Christianity, yet are constantly criticizing and destroying faith in the word of God.

Proverbs 13:13 says, “Whoso despises the word shall be destroyed…” The word ‘despise’ isn’t an outright hatred, as most would think. Rather, it is simply a taking lightly of or a looking on with contempt. These men, who so tear apart the word of God, are placing themselves not just equal with the word of God, but above the Bible, because they are able to take what they feel applies best to themselves and their generation, and leave out the rest.

One of the biggest deceptions has come through The Message. What Mr. Peterson has published is not the Bible; it is his thoughts on the verses in the Bible. The problem is that people are taking his thoughts and calling it the Bible, and thusly, living by it. All the hard sayings of Jesus have been watered down or turned into heresy, and no one can truly find the narrow way through the muddy waters of The Message.

We must realize, by editing, criticizing, and thinking lightly of the Bible, we aren’t just raising ourselves above the words of godly men. The word of God is actually the word of God. Not only that, but John 1 calls Christ the Word, which was in the beginning, and which is God. The way you treat this precious book in text is how you will treat the Word incarnate. This is not something to take lightly.

As Christians, our ultimate authority is the word of God, not because the text is to be worshipped, but because it leads us to the pearl of great price: Jesus Christ. If you mess with the foundation, then you ruin the entire building. You can’t regard the Bible lightly and expect your Christian life to measure up to God’s standards. Without it, the true words, as your foundation, you might as well build a house on Jell-o.

It would seem as though no one cares about the word of God anymore. It is all about how you feel, what you think, and what appeals to you. I myself have fallen into the trap of saying, “Well, I use King James because it’s the one I like” rather than standing firmly on why I believe what I believe. The modern American church scene is sickening to my stomach. When it is all right to visualize God as a woman; when it is all right to “re-paint” all of Christendom; when it is all right to bring into question the entirety of the authenticity of the Bible, you know something is deeply wrong.

The church needs to return to the word of God. It is apparent to me why the church is in ruins, and it is simply because we have abandoned the pattern set forth in scripture. There is no other way. If you stand on the Jell-o of your own opinion, you will falter and stumble. Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Way. You either submit to Him entirely, or spit straightly into His face, saying, “I am better than you. I don’t need you to be my Lord. I don’t need you to be my Master. And thusly, I don’t need you to be my Savior.”

Oh church! When will you learn? Will you choose the way God has set before you in His word, or will you continue in the broad way that leads to hell? Choose your path, and if it seem evil unto you to serve God, than keep glorifying Satan as you are now! Otherwise, come back once more to the Word, in text and incarnate, and submit the entirety of your life unto Him! There is no other way!