Give Me The Bible

Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path.”

PART V

…Not a Green Light!

by Christopher Mentzer

Silence is Golden! Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Tim. 3: 16-17) Everything that man needs is right in the Bible and yet some people complain that not ALL answers are given in the scriptures and thereby creating answers themselves. For example, people say Adam and Eve ate an apple in the Garden of Eden. What does the Bible say? “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Gen. 3:6) In Chapters 2 and 3, no actual mention of the type of fruit, other than forbidden, is given. Why? Because it’s not really important. And it would not affect our salvation one way or another.

People go on to say that there is no mention of drinking alcohol outside of drunkenness. This is very true but it’s not permission to drink. The one defense for this is saying, “I know my limit.” My response to this is, “You can’t get drunk unless you take the first sip.” Who’s limit does one go by? Previous consumption? 1 drink? A few? Or do you go by the average and consider weight and food consumption? Too many variables to consider and an individual’s tolerance level changes constantly with continued consumption of alcohol. One thing to go by which never changes is: Don’t start!! Consider these scriptures: “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:10) “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” (Luke 1: 15) “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.” (Rom. 14: 21)

Another example is trying to justify is gambling. Again the word is not mentioned in the Bible therefore, they give it a “Green Light” to practice as such. Consider this passage, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 6: 9-10) Money itself is not an evil for one needs it to pay for the necessities of life: Food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc. Putting money in a slot machine is money you may never see again. It’s “playing the odds” as they call it. Day after day, people put money into frivolous investments: Betting on sporting events, lottery tickets, even a game of cards. Activities like these are considerate wastes of money especially that which could be saved for other important uses. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (Luke 12:15) Simply put, money does not grow on trees or flow freely like a fountain. Every cent should be spent wisely.

There are many other examples that people try to justify that the bible does not specifically mention and to give answer or reason for it is going outside of the scriptures (1 Cor. 4:6). “Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.” (Col. 3:2) If you keep your focus on the matters in the scriptures, abide by the things that are in there and do not attempt to justify something that isn’t specific, then you will not stray from the path of righteous.