Second Hand Scripture

Have you ever missed Sunday morning church services and were brought up to date from a friend or another congregation member, only to find out later what your pastor discussed wasn't quite what you'd been relayed? Second hand scripture can be easy to ignore with the busy lives we lead. Ephesians 5:1 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Many years ago, prior to becoming saved, I'd heard a few notable pieces of scripture from the bible...or what I thought was from the bible. An often misquoted line is: "God won't give you more than you can handle." That's not how it actually reads, though.

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

"He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." is always left out. In fact, that omission drastically changes the meaning of the passage.

So... If we don't hear God's word from the source, it can become meaningless.

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."

But what happens if this is distorted by hearing it second, or even third hand? Not much good can come from it. In fact, that could very well lead you to make different decisions that you would've made had you read it for yourself. Nothing will ever take the place of your own eyes and ears.

It may take a little extra time, but there's nothing wrong with fact checking what we hear. That applies especially with hearing God's word from anywhere else other than directly from the bible.

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