2co 02v17 Corrupting The Word of God
CORRUPTING THE WORD OF GOD
II Cor. 2:17
"We are not as many
which corrupt the Word of God." Paul could not bring a more serious charge
upon preachers of his day than this. The word corrupt means "to deal
deceitfully with". Paul's charge was this - "Many who come in the
name of Christ deceitfully use the Word of God for their own gain '"
I am afraid that Paul's charge is as true today as it
was then. It is not the liberal and modernist which concerns
me. No one pays any attention to him, except those who are willfully ignorant.
My soul is concerned about powerful, influential religious leaders, who are
followed by the masses.
They do not deny that the Bible is the Word of God.
They do not deny the Deity of Christ, his incarnation, or his blood atonement.
But, they deceitfully use the Word of God, stripping away the very fabric of
the gospel. They deliberately say what they know men want to hear. They
deliberately avoid doctrines that men oppose. They preach about Christ, the
historic person, but they avoid his doctrine.
And these men do much harm. If they did not, Paul
would not have mentioned them. Their desire is not for the souls of men, but
for their own gain. They use the souls of men like pawns on a chess board,
manipulating them to increase their evangelistic statistics! By their success
in mass evangelism they gain fame and fortune. Money and multitudes dictate
where they go. God save our land from men who make merchandise of immortal
souls:
Paul says, "We are not like them". God's
servants are of a different mold. They are sincere. Their motives are sincere.
They do not want man's money, but his salvation. They seek not the applause of
men, but the approval of God. And their preaching is sincere. They sincerely
seek to preach the whole counsel of God truthfully, clearly, simply, and
boldly. They are keenly aware of their awesome responsibility of preaching the
Word of God "in the sight of God:" They are sincere and faithful in
declaring the message of the gospel - "We speak of Christ" - His
doctrine. The true servant of God will not hesitate to tell men who Christ is,
why he came, what he did, and where he is now. Today, as never before, the
words of the prophet are true - "How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel."