“How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21
Baal can be simply defined as unscriptural religion; that which is according to human concept and opinion, rather than by the authority of God. It is very possible for man to know and benefit from the truth of God in every way. The problem being, however, man’s failure to respond to the truth of God made known, and/or available to him. It is a natural thing for light to dispel darkness, for knowledge to void ignorance. But spiritually, our human natures are at enmity with God. Therefore, when Christ, the Divine Son of God, was made flesh and dwelt among us, manifesting the grace and truth of God, man received him not, but despised and sought out Christ’s death.
Today, when man is shown the difference between religious truth and error, he responds not to the truth. Likewise, as he did toward Christ, rather than acknowledge the truth, his reaction is one of enmity. Just as this accounted for man crying out for the crucifixion of Christ in his day, it accounts for aggressiveness against the ministry of truth today.
No one is free from the depravity of our fleshly nature, until we put off the natural man, either in death or with the coming rapture, the resurrection and glorification of the saved. Thus, the element of enmity, that nature of spiritual insensitivity, is the essence of our fleshly being’s response, or shall we say, lack of response to the truth of God, but rather fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Thus, a world lost in sin. There is absolutely no hope apart from man repenting, which is God’s command to every person.
But Christian, do you respond to the truth? We cannot expect to lead the lost to do so, if we do not so ourselves. Christ warned of “having ears to hear and hearing not; eyes to see and seeing not.” We choose our state of mind, either to go with the wisdom and way of the fleshly mind, or to be cleansed and up righted by the Word of God. If one is not seeking to purify their mind before God, their mind remains estranged from spiritual vision and priority. The only time the truth gains access to their thinking is when someone else reproves, rebukes, and exhorts them concerning the truth. But being unfamiliar with taking hold of God’s Word, it just seems natural to let God’s Word pass out and through the mind, without changing either our way of thinking or doing. This faithless and spiritually bankrupt position makes way for our walking in unbelief and eventual rebellion.
Hearing, without doing, is personal consent to our being deceived, with us initiating the condition, James 1:22. When we elect to be deceived, rather than cleave to God’s Word, we seal ourselves to Satan’s processes. There is nothing any more important than to rightly respond to the truth.
SHARING
