Credulity: a willingness to believe something without any inspection, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullibility.

Transcription

1 GOD DOESN T WANT YOU TO BE GUILTY OF CREDULITY Credulity: a willingness to believe something without any inspection, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullibility. 1 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley

2 Acts 17: As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. Scripture tells us, the Berean s were considered more noble ; i.e, admirable, because they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. They were not guilty of credulity. There are many of us who came to the Lord because it seemed right, because my parents went to Church, because I do believe there s a God. Going to Church is something I need in my life, etc., etc. But, never come to true and tried faith within ourselves being still guilty of credulity. As the little girl says on the cover of this Bible Study, I believe in God, not because my parents told me, not because the Church told me, but because I ve experienced His goodness and mercy myself. Here s a revelation for all us Christians, everything pertaining to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us to glory (2 Pet. 1:3). Wow! What revelation. If you want to know what God says about something, seek God s word about it. (Prov. 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.). God made man and gave man life. He knows all about living life and everything there is to know about the life of man. There is nothing new under the sun about life that God doesn t know about. Scripture tells us, (Ecc. 1:9: The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. ); and (1 Cor. 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it). What these scriptures are telling us is that God knows and understands and there is nothing about the life of man that He is unaware of. So, if you want to know what is God s will about something in or about your life, it begins with gaining knowledge of His will, which is contained in His word. You will find it there. However, many of us remain guilty of credulity. We have not a testimony of our own. You can only have a testimony by going through a test. Without the test, your only left with a mon-y. Do you know what the word mon means? It means man. (period). You have no knowing what God did, and are left to your own devices. Rom. 12:2 says, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The word prove is δοκιμάζω dokimazō; meaning to test (literally and figuratively); by implication, to approve: try it, examine it, test it out, to see whether a thing is genuine or not. God wants us to try out, test out, examine His word to see if the thing He has spoken is genuine, and once you 2 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley

3 do, you will be convinced, proving God s will for you life is true to you. Some will say, I believe God s word. But without proving God s word there is no true transformation in and to yourself that God s word works for you. See, the testing of the knowledge of God s word/will you find out in yourself by doing the things you learned. Your experience of trying and testing God s word to your life gives you the experience to know God s word is true because you test drove it. Then you will be able to say in yourself and to others, God s word is true, let me give you my testimony about it You are then transformed through the renewing of your mind and are able to prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God in that area of your life. Simply saying, I believe God s word without an inspection and testing of God s word is just being guilty of credulity, and God does not want us to be guilty of that ignorance but to come to learn through experience. I can t just hear the lesson of the preacher and say I believe without testing it. No, I need to find out for myself. That means I must put myself in position to try the Word of God to my life, which sometimes it may cause me some uncomfortability, hardship, difficulties and alike. It is the exercising of my faith. Many of us stop right there and never grow beyond quoting scripture and our minds never truly renewed because we are unwilling to be tested. We don t want the hardship, uncomfortability and difficulties of the test. Come on Now! We like to keep head knowledge and say it s faith. Most of us stay without growing spiritually because we remain ignorant! We operate and live our lives ignorant of God s truth for our lives. Why? Because we live being guilty of credulity and stay ignorant. He tells us in Rom. 12:2, if I want to know what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God for my life, then I must prove it to myself. First, I must gain knowledge of whatever it is I seek to know of God s will. If it s money, find out what God has to say about it. If it s sex, find out what God has to say about it. If it s giving, find out what God has to say about it. If it s friendship, find out whatever God has to say about it. Whatever it is, I must seek the word of God regarding the subject. Gain the knowledge of whatever it is. Then I must prove - δοκιμάζω dokimazō; test it out, try it, approve it to be so. Yet, many of us stay conformed because we stay guilty of credulity, not wanting to prove the will of God for our lives; and therefore, stay conformed and ignorant. Rom. 12:2 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The word conformed is συσχηματίζω syschēmatizō; it means to fashion alike, i.e. to be in the same pattern: fashion self-according to. Many of us get saved and stay conformed or fashioned to our same inward way of being. Why? Because of ignorance. 1 Pet 1:14 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 3 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley

4 The word ignorance in Hebrew (Old Testament) is שׁ ג ג ה šeg âg â; means a mistake or inadvertent (unintentional, inadvertent, inattentive) transgression: error, ignorance, at unawares; unwittingly. It is to sin inadvertently or by error. In the Greek (New Testament) the word ignorance is ἄγνοια agnoia; meaning lack of knowledge, not knowing, a blindness to spiritual things. Many of us, do to credulity, live to staying conformed and ignorant because of a lack of experiential truth of God s word. What does this mean? It means, experience and knowledge are two different things. Scripture commands us to grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). Growing implies action experiencing. Without experience, you only have knowledge. With knowledge only, I am still ignorant to the effects! You didn t get that. James 2:18 says, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 2:20: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? I only know faith by expressing or experiencing faith, not by just having a knowledge of faith. I act because I have faith - I test it out, I try it out because I believe. Most of us before we came to the Lord, if you asked us if we believed in God, we would have easily and boldly proclaimed we did. Yet, the Word of God tells us, the devils believe in God, so what, you are still ignorant as to the things, truths and ways of God. Living our life s fashioned to the world, living in ignorance towards God, following the ways of the evil-one. (Eph. 2:1-3: As for you, you were dead (spiritually) in your transgressions and sins 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.). We followed the prince of the power of the air, the Bible calls the evil-one. We did so out of ignorance שׁ ג ג ה) šeg âg â / ἄγνοια agnoia). Eph. 2:1-3 speaks to the influences of this world and the evil-one has on us to be like it, in the lust of the flesh, coveting, pride, etc., so that we live contrary to the truth of God, by way of ignorance we are controlled to live. Even Jesus calls the evil-one or satan the prince of this world John 12:31; John 14:30; 16:11 Ephesians 2:2. Prince (archon, meaning ruler or chief). The name is given him, not because he has any actual attributes of the creator God, but because people oppose God and our left following him who rules this worldly system. You do not have to worship him in words, yet we do so practically, by pursuing his plans, yielding to his temptations, and by submitting to his lawless rule of violating God s laws. Just like, you don t have to call Donald Trump your president, but as long as we choose to live in USA, we will follow his rule; by practicality, he s your president. Now, we can choose to leave the US, give up our citizenship or start a rebellion. But minus any of these, he is your president ruler of this society (period). Now, God s word tells us, satan is the ruler of this world and leads people astray by deceiving them, by keeping man in ignorance of the truth of God. Once he is no longer able to keep the light of the Gospel out of your life, he will then turn to keeping you in ignorance to other parts of God s 4 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley

5 truth, by deceit, causing the word of God not to take root in our heart. This is done through selfimposed credulity. Just because you re a Christian, you are not exempt from the devil blinding your mind! The devil knows that believing and living the truth of God s word is like natural sunlight that scatters the darkness of night. Truth of God s word received into the heart, enlightens the ignorance that once enveloped the soul. The evil-one knows that ignorance of God s truth is but spiritual blindness, which one will only live to a doubt or unbelief. See, when a person comes to the Divine truths of God s word, that truth will set them free from the devil s bondage of ignorance once they live it out to their lives. Spiritual ignorance is the hold of satan, where he keeps his captives in chains of darkness. See God understands our ignorance to His truths. When Jesus meet Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus, He did not tell Saul (Paul), I want you to tell these people about their sins, they must stop sinning or I will get them. No, He said he was sending him to people so that he could open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God (Acts 26:12-18). Jesus is telling Saul (Paul), the ignorance of people to the truth of God is what has them in bondage to satan! Believing and living God s truth overcomes the devil s lies, manipulation and deceptions. It s not my sin that I commit, it is my commitment to the lie of sin. Oh! I hope you got that. See ignorance is one of the main weapons the devil uses against people, even us Christian s. Not because we don t believe, but many times we re guilty of credulity; and therefore, never live to our faith. Many of times our ignorance is nothing more than looking from a practical common sense point of view from the perspective of believing God. Many of times our ignorance of the devil is overlooking what we know to be true. Look at Isa. 44:9-20: 9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. 10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? 11 People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. 12 The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. 13 The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 14 He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, Ah! I am warm; I see the fire. 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, Save me! You are my god! 18 They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is 5 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley

6 left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood? 20 Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, Is not this thing in my right hand a lie? Think about it, many of us create idols in our life without even using common sense to what we re doing, just being ignorant. A good example of this type of ignorance being controlled by the evil-one can be seen in Rom 7:7-10: 7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, You shall not covet. 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. Paul s telling us, that before he truly understood what it meant to covet he was unaware or was ignorant to his own coveting nature. But, once he came to understand God s word about coveting, he realized all the different ways he had been coveting. He was ignorant, blind to his own sinful ways, until the Word of God came alive in him about coveting. Before, he just lived like everyone else, I want this, I desire that. Oh, did you see that commercial, I want one of those. I like his car, I want one. Did you see her purse, I want one, etc. Advertisement, commercials are a big examples of influence of the evil one teaching us to covet. It s not the desire or wanting things, it s the place we put these things in us for our want Jesus, says, you can t serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:24). You must choose one or the other. Mammon is money and material things. This world says, want money and stuff. It makes us make stuff and money our god. We live to wanting money and stuff. We center our lives around wanting money and stuff. Our very thoughts are always on money and stuff. Most of us are like Snoop Dogg, whether we admit it our not, I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind. coveting. Though we may go to work and work hard, our mind is on our money and our money on our mind coveting. As written on the money In God We Trust. What god? Money is god. Most of us our blind to the truth of the world and its influence on their worship of mammon. We let money dictate our mode, behavior and actions. Once you see God s word, act upon it as true begin living it, you have no true faith in it. Your just guilty of credulity. God wants us to prove δοκιμάζω dokimazō His will for our lives. Amen! 6 God Doesn t Want Us Guilty of Credulity / by Bruce Hadley