The other day a young Christian influencer went live in what seemed like an awkward post. She said: “I don’t know how to say this. Ok, I’m just going to say it.” After pausing for a couple minutes, she said, “The modern state of Israel is not the same as the biblical Israel.” Well, yeah! What country or kingdom would be the same as it was centuries ago? I think what she was trying to say is this… “I don’t get what the hype is about Israel. Why should we support the modern state of Israel? It’s not the same as the biblical Israel.” Here’s the thing… God made a covenant with Israel in the Old Testament (Genesis 12:2-3). And God’s covenant still stands today. He tells us that those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3). It doesn’t matter if the modern state of Israel is anti-God, God is still pro-Israel. And Israel has future significance.
As I listened to this young girl speak for “God,” I thought… she is not backing anything up with Scripture. In fact, she probably doesn’t know Scripture very well at all. Where is the credibility in what she’s saying? And then I thought of the multitudes of others, who have huge followings, and have become popular Christian speakers. But so many of them are making claims… the Bible says this. We are told to do this. I think God would want us to do this. I’m guessing you’ve heard similar things too. Anyone who is on social media regularly knows what I’m talking about.
It’s okay if you want to share your opinions, your thoughts on something, your experiences, or your expertise on a subject. But when it comes to being a mouthpiece for God… telling people what God says through His Word, we MUST back everything up with Scripture. Why? Here are two reasons… 1) Because God’s Word gives us credibility. Our verse in Psalms says that the “Instructions of the LORD are perfect and trustworthy.” And 2) People can look up what we’ve said so they can see for themselves. I’m not saying that we should refrain from telling people what God’s Word says… in fact, we absolutely should. If we let God’s Word pour over us, then it will come bubbling out. But here’s the thing… God’s Word is righteous and holy, so if we speak for Him using His Word, then we MUST back up our claims with the Bible.
This is always my goal. I have to be accountable one day to the Lord and I cringe at the thought of Him saying, “Sheryl, you had a habit of misleading My people.” James says in James 3:1: “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Maybe James is saying that It’s a privilege to teach God’s Word, but we should be very careful to teach it accurately. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we should be careful to correctly handle the word of truth. Let this encourage you to anchor yourself in God’s Word. Because when we’re anchored in it, then we will be more careful how we handle it.