Bad Counsel in the Name of Good

“So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God.” Acts 5:38

June 21, 2022

When interpreting the Bible, especially in descriptive narratives, don’t make descriptions into prescriptions. The apostles had been called on the carpet by the Jewish leaders who wanted to kill them. The revered rabbi, Gamaliel, offered counsel to leave the apostles alone and take a wait-and-see stance. He didn’t use Scriptural wisdom but instead applied a human opinion: “If the apostles were preaching truth, the outcome would be success.” Gamaliel’s counsel was indecisive, procrastination, and unbiblical. It was a political dodge. Christians have been known to resort to such fallacious logic, namely, the validity of an idea, plan, or policy is measured by it’s “success.” We are not to use circumstances to make a decision rather than biblical truth. Pragmatism is a dead-end street. It is dangerous to judge what is right or wrong by short-term results. God’s Word is the final criteria, not an apparent good or so-called successful outcome. I was once a witness to a church official who attempted to justify denying a black Christian membership in his church based on a wait-and-see outcome, “Let’s see what the result will be if we reject our brother in Christ.” We must never resort to homemade human logic, even if it claims to have God as a cosigner. Are we assessing political and societal movements of thought by Scripture or by our flawed opinions? H

A time to pray: “Lord, where am I using foolish human viewpoint to shape my worldview?”