WORD DISEASES

"And their word will eat as doth a canker . . . " (2 Timothy 2:17)

JUST AS THERE ARE DISEASES OF THE BODY, so there are diseases of the soul. Some of these diseases are caused by words – words that are preached. These words are like a destructive spiritual virus spewed into the air. They cause a consuming cancer to break out in the hearts and minds of men. In the wake of these words thinking becomes distorted, the Scriptures are not understood, and all manner of doubts and fears begin to grow within.

OUR TEXT SPEAKS OF "profane and vain babblings" – spiritual gibberish that does nothing more than clutter the hearing. Two men are cited as examples of such speaking: Hymanaeus and Philetus, who taught that the resurrection had already occurred. Their words were like highly contagious and destructive viruses to the soul – extremely lethal. They were the first Preterists of record.

DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS, I have heard several men attempt to speak on last things. In this most critical aspect of the faith-life, clarity, power, and motivation are imperative. Those lacking acquaintance with such things as glory, heaven, the judgement, and the world to come, must not speak on them. Such do a great disservice to the people of God by ploughing in a field with which they are not familiar. As men address these subjects, they reveal the extent of their familiarity with kingdom realities. It is not possible to be weak in these areas, yet be strong in faith. Nor, indeed, is it possible to be flawed in these areas, yet sharpen the audience's perception of the things of God. It is questionable if a person who is fundamental ignorant of last things can be enlightened concerning matters pertaining to life and godliness.

WHEN SPEAKING OF "things unseen" (2 Cor 4:16-18), "the world to come" (Heb 2:5; 6:5), a "continuing city" (Heb 13:14), the "resurrection of the dead" (Acts 23:6; 24:25; 1 Cor 15:21), and "the coming of the Lord" (1 Thess 4:15; James 5:7-8), there is no room for ambiguity. The wisdom of the world has nothing to offer in these areas. These are not areas for human speculation, philosophical discussions, and sharing various opinions. To be wrong in these areas is like contracting cancer.

PURPORTED SCIENCES of interpretation, or hermeneutics, are found woefully deficient when speaking of matters transcendent to "this present evil world." Human wisdom cannot chart out the path of spiritual realities, or in any way clarify them. Etymological expertise withers when approaching these subjects. Historical brilliance cannot give us Divine perspective in these things! See if this is not true. Scholasticism falls to the ground as if smitten on the head when matters are addressed that deal with eternity. It cannot traffic in the lofty realms from which such realities are seen and comprehended.

IN RECALLING MY RECENT exposure to messages attempting to address these matters, I observed a profound consistency. Each of the presentations brought a sharp spiritual descent in the related gatherings. The sermons did not blend in with the high spiritual tone of the other presentations. That is not as simplistic as it may seem. Actually, they should have not only complemented preceding proclamations, but clarified and enhanced them. Instead, they were like the intrusions of prattling fools and dawdling infants who chose to play in the midst of the war. They were the sound of flesh in an environment of Spirit. Simply put, the speakers were out of their element, unfamiliar with the territory they presumed to present to their audience. They should have been sitting in "the room of the unlearned" (1 Cor 14:16), not speaking as though they were somebody.

I FIND MYSELF growing more intolerant of such presentations. They chafe against my spirit, producing a mixture of sorrow and indignation which is discomfiting. I know that I must be longsuffering with those possessing weaker faith, whose vision is yet blurred – who see men as trees walking. All too often, however, those who should be "teachers" in these areas, show themselves to be novices. Not only that, they have been set forth as achievers, ahead of their peers in matters pertaining to God. This is, however, a gross misrepresentation. We should not have to explain why acclaimed "leading brethren" are deficient in their presentations of key doctrines. There is no acceptable explanation for this condition. It is simply intolerable.

SOME PREACHERS ARE NOTED for their humor. Others for their scholarship. Some are organizers and administrators, but they cannot navigate in the Word of the Living God. They have eyes, but they cannot see "Him who is invisible" (Heb 11:27). Their expertise is in this world, not the one to come. They easily become engrossed in the problems of the people, but are strangely unfamiliar with the provisions of God. The psychological approach of the successful preacher is unacceptable. Placing people in categories called "boomers," "busters," and "x," may be fashionable, but it is wrong. God recognizes no such divisions among men, and neither can we.

MUCH OF THE SPIRITUAL DEFICIENCY around us is the direct result of corrupt words that have been delivered from the pulpits, media, and literature of the land. Corrupt words have set spiritual corruption in motion, leading people to wrong conclusions, and causing them to think wrongly. Such things must not be taken lightly. Pure hearts need good and pure food. Spiritual minds need regular wholesome and godly nourishment.

– Given O. Blakely