Homo IgnoRamus
Psalm:73:22
"So foolish
was I, and ignorant I was as a beast before thee"
Man sees himself
as "Homo Sapiens" which means the "wise one." Often, however, he is actually "Homo IgnoRamus."
Paul writes of
this breed of people in 1 Timothy.
I Timothy 4:1-5 Now
the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; speaking
lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be
received with thanksgiving of them who believe and know the
truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused,
if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God
and prayer.
I usually don’t
read a lot in the news, but this week a couple of items caught my
attention. An advocate for Gay marriage
was questioning the whole concept of marriage as an archaic institution which
served no real purpose in the life of modern society. Perhaps short-term contracts would be better
because the partners would be free to go their own way after it expired.
A Vegan in
another news article said they weren’t comfortable around anyone who ate meat being
afraid that the meat-eater might start eating them! When asked if they wished everyone was a vegetarian,
they were told that vegetarians were also not eating correctly and the only
true lifestyle choice was to become a Vegan.
Our country is
divided like I have never seen it before and issues like these and many more
are fueling the fires of controversy. Reading
the newspaper led me through one controversy after another. So where is the church during this time of
confusion and anger?
Some modern Bible
teachers and preachers resent any attempt by the church to discuss dangers
confronting the people around us. They
like to think only positive things. Pastors
are accused of hatred when warning others of the consequences of sin, so they
avoid the issues and stay on “safe” subjects.
But if preachers are going to fulfill their callings and their duty
towards the ones they lead, they have to warn of dangers which can destroy
people’s lives.
A pastor of a
church we attended visited a famous church well-known through its TV
program. They had printed copies of their
pastor’s sermons available. Our pastor
took a few and saw sermons about clean air, conservation, helping at homeless
shelters, fellowshipping with other Christians, and not one word about sin or
the danger of sin.
One of the
greatest dangers both in Old Testament times and to Christians from the first century
until today is ignorance. In the New Testament we see over and over
the warnings. Paul says over and over,
“I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren.” 1Corinthians 10:1, Romans 1:13,
etc. Paul was aware of the danger of
being ignorant. He wanted the Christians of his day not to be
ignorant of God’s righteousness but rather to be educated in God’s ways and
grow in knowledge of God and in His Grace.
The author of
Hebrews says - Hebrews 5:12 - For
though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to
teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come
to need milk and not solid food.
They not only
needed to be taught, they needed to be taught the basic principles of the
Gospel again! In other words, they had
to go back and learn the ABCs of the word.
Can you imagine the shock of seeing a full grown man sitting in
kindergarten reciting the ABCs and getting it wrong?
If the
pew-sitters in our churches are so ignorant of the Word, what hope is there for
the unsaved who fight over what to eat?
If we can’t recite our spiritual ABCs what hope to we have to make
people understand how marriage is actually God’s ideal for a man and a
woman?
Ignorance of the
scriptures in the United States is almost pandemic. National surveys
show that most Americans do not know who wrote the four gospels, who delivered
the Sermon on the Mount, what one must do to be saved, who the apostle Paul is
and who gave the Golden Rule. Some Americans may have heard of the Good
Samaritan and the prodigal son, but they could not tell you who they were if
their lives depended on it. This ignorance was not true in America two hundred
years ago or a hundred years ago or even in my lifetime. Jay Leno went out to the sidewalks and asked
people about the 10 Commandments. Jay: "How many commandments are
there?" Woman: "10." Jay: "Can you name any of them?"
Woman: "Freedom of speech."
The world is
brain-washing our kids and they are growing up ignorant of the Word. We need to wake up and educate ourselves and
our children and not be afraid to proclaim the truth of God’s Word. If we don’t embrace the truth, who will?
Stephen Cram May 19,
2013
Beware lest
any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition
of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with
Christ. Colossians 2:8
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