05/31/23 BUILD ON THE ROCK

05/31/23 BUILD ON THE ROCK
(understanding infallibility)

BUILD ON THE ROCK
(understanding infallibility)

All teachings of all Christian leaders and all Christian groups (movements, denominations, conventions, assemblies, synods, conferences) must be considered as no more than human attempts to understand God and His word. All men, their teaching, their organizations and their followers are fallible. They can and do make mistakes and sometimes deliberately promote that which is clearly contrary to God's word.

This does not mean that all men deliberately promote that which they know to be error. But all men are fallible, that is they are subject to error. This includes the Prophets and Apostles who were infallible while they were inspired, guided supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, as they communicated the revelation of God. However, these men (including Moses, David, Solomon, Matthew, John, Paul) were subject to error when they were not being infallibly guided by the Holy Spirit. Since no one (other than the Bible Prophets and Apostles), is beyond or above the possibility of error, and in fact should be expected to make error; we should not hold to them or their teachings as if they are God's infallible word. Infallibility is possible only to the all wise, all knowing God and it is communicated only to those holy men of old, at God's appointed time, for God's appointed purpose. 

None of the Church's extra Biblical leaders have ever been infallible and therefore it is expected that they have made mistakes. Entire portions of God's revelation, which had been lost or rejected by the post-Apostolic "Church," needed to be rediscovered. This has been an ongoing reality throughout the history of the Church. Many great Biblical truths were rediscovered during the Reformation, but the leaders of the Reformation were not infallible. Other Church leaders, preachers, theologians, Biblical scholars have rediscovered great truths, but it is a mistake to think they recovered and rediscovered all that had been lost, or that they articulated eternal truth infallibly.

I appreciate godly men who have focused on specific areas of truth (Theology, hamartiology, soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, linguistics, history, culture, hermeneutics, missiology, angelology, etc.), but they have only been fallible men commenting on God's infallible revelation. Seek and accept truth, but always stand on the Bible.

All other ground is sinking sand.