There are a great many people who can quote Bible scripture, but sadly, many of those people can’t really say what the passages mean, or why they’re important. In fact, a lot of people try to weaponize the Bible for their own purposes.
I recently heard the saying that a lot of people have “a mouth full of scripture, but a heart full of hate.” This belief should be of great concern to all Christians, because it is one of the reasons so many people are abandoning our faith.
People Are The Problem
We are seeing so much damage being done to the true faith by people who have nefarious intentions. The news and social media is filled with people who have arrogantly set themselves up as righteous and good, yet what comes out of their mouths is truly frightening. Too many people, particularly politicians, are twisting the Word and polluting our faith with their lies and manipulation — they’re so busy judging and condemning, because they are desperate to hide the fact that it is they who are the biggest sinners.
In some way, there are those Christians today who are like the Pharisees in the times of Jesus’s physical life on earth. Many of them were so focused on a strict adherence to the written Torah, their traditions and their obsession with following the law, that they lost any real connection to God. They sadly never really got to know Jesus and we all know what happened because of their betrayal of Jesus.
False Christians abound these days and social media has given them a platform to spread their lies and anger. They don’t preach hope and peace, but rather, spew hatred, anger and cruelty… the very things that are in complete conflict with the tenets of the Christian faith.
The passage John 5:39-40 is an ideal teaching on those who are so busy reading scripture, that they forget to actually believe in and have faith in Jesus. These are the people who can quote a Bible passage quickly, but have virtually no direct and personal relationship with Jesus — after all, if they did, they wouldn’t be so angry and filled with so much hatred.
John 5:39-40
“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
John 5:39-40 calls into the light the importance of studying Scriptures to “find” Jesus, but it also shines a light on the very real danger of focusing solely on the text, without actually coming to Jesus for eternal life. The passage is telling us to be mindful that we’re not so rigid and closed off and focused on the learning, that we forget to let it all go and surrender completely to the Will of God and the salvation that Jesus gives us.
And of course, when we do surrender and we do commit to having a personal relationship with Jesus, it means letting go of our own anger, hatred, bitterness, jealousy and judgements. In truth, once we accept that God loves us all and that Jesus teaches us and shows us the way to eternal life, there is little room left to be cruel, greedy, cold or arrogant.
What We’re Taught
I do believe its necessary to call out the negative to bring about the positive and this is true in this case. Some Christians are so focused on memorizing Scripture that they are missing the whole point — they’re talking a lot and judging a lot, but they’re not really living the faith. If we can help them see this and help them to have a personal relationship with Jesus, then we’re doing good works. We’re taught to trust the Lord, to have faith and to love and be kind. We’re taught that we should open our hearts to Jesus and let the truth and love of God flow through us. Instead of having a mouthful of scripture and a heart full of hate, we should have a heart filled with love. Even if we don’t know Biblical scripture word-for-word, if we have a passionate, living relationship with God and our Savior Jesus, we’re okay — we’re doing it right. Today, I pray that all Christians let go of their toxic emotions and in their place, take up a joyful, deep relationship with Jesus.
