13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
What is our view of Scripture? Do we really believe that it is God’s message to us, delivered without compromise, eternal truth in an age of relativism? Or do we read it like any other book, keeping what fits with our view of the world and throwing away the rest as inconvenient and convicting? If we choose to reject parts we don’t like we are fashioning a god after our own image. We become like the auto enthusiast who is rebuilding an old sports car. He chooses which intake manifold he wants to put on which block that will connect to which transmission and set of wheels. The car becomes an extension of his own personality, an extension of him. That picking and choosing changes the nature of the car. If he wanted to stay true to the car itself he would restore it to its factory settings. If we add or subtract to the Scriptures we are making god according to our idea of god, not accepting God on His own terms. If we really want to follow God, we must be returned to our factory settings. And the only way we can know what those factory settings are is to look at the owner’s manual. That manual, the Scriptures, contain all the settings that will help us perform to our optimum functioning. If the car enthusiast ignores the recommended settings for the top-dead-center adjustments, the engine will not function properly and it may even be destroyed. When we are willing to accept the Word as it is intended, then we don’t have to struggle to figure out what is expected of us in life. Things become much clearer. But they also become much more difficult because there isn’t much wiggle room. When the Scriptures say don’t desire your neighbor’s wife, it means don’t desire your neighbor’s wife. There are no exceptions for the digital age. Anonymous pictures are still off limits. Or don’t desire their stuff, still means their stuff, whether it is house or jewelry or car or clothes or skin or hair. We are not supposed to desire it. Now that is hard work, to stay focused on Jesus so that we keep His perspective at the forefront. That is following the owner’s manual. That is taking God at His word.