What?
GOD's Word is dangerous!? You bet it is!! The Word of YHWH is very dangerous! It's life-altering! It's dangerous to the sinner and the believer because it is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword! And it's dangerous to the adversary, Satan, but, that is not the kind of danger I am talking about. I don't want to be misunderstood at all.
I'm talking about the danger that lurks in the propensity and possibility of allowing the STUDY of the Word, instead of the AUTHOR of the Word, to become our goal and end. The grammar, language, intent and context, past, present or future tense, prophecy, secret insight, or layers of meanings, etc... are all important. It's all interesting and amazing, but losing sight of the purpose and aim of our study of the Word WILL pose a serious threat to our relationship with The Author. We can get off-track. We can lose our way. We can get confused and go after things that society or our own wicked hearts say are important, instead of staying focused on the relationship we are trying to build and grow with our Father. Thus, it is always wise to remember that YHWH is the One we are to know and worship and strive to please and understand and obey. We are NOT in the Word to be readers and hearers only. The Scriptures warn us about this...
James 1:22, in several translations, says:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. NIV
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. NLT
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ESV
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. NASV
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. KJV
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. HCSB
Keep on being obedient to the word, and not merely being hearers who deceive themselves. ISV
It could not be any clearer. We are to listen and hear the Word.
BUT what if all we ever do is hear? What if we never ACT on what we hear? Will any of it profit us? No. It won't! If we only hear and repeat it to others and never act on what we hear and repeat to others, surely we are no better for it. In fact, they will notice that we are NOT living what we are saying. Our failure to LIVe what we SAY we BELIEVE ruins our witness for the One about whom we are to be witnessing! We become a resounding gong. A clanging cymbal. Or worse yet: hypocrites. I Corinthians 13 explains this very well in beautiful poetic language.
The warning for me, and everyone else who delves into the Word starts with James 1:22, but can be expanded with these other verses:
Romans 2:13
"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous."
Matthew 7:24
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Luke 6:46-48
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."
James 2:14
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?"
Romans 1:21
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
Romans 1:22
"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools."
Romans 1:25
"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen."
Why do I bring this up in the section called "walking it out"? Simple -- I have failed to walk this out correctly and properly. I'm human. I fail. I try and I try, but I fail.
I love research. I love studying. I love reading. I love teaching. I love learning new things and I love sharing what I learn. My exuberance and enthusiasm can sometimes be "off-putting". And, as a teacher by trade, training and Yahweh's design, I have a tendency to think that everyone should and/or does love it all as much as I do. NOT SO! Recently that lesson came home in a BIG way.
This entry is my own personal reminder about keeping that tendency within me to go too far in better check!
It's also my personal reminder that I need to act on ALL I hear and read and learn, and not just be a researcher/reader. Actions speak far louder than words! I honor or dishonor my Father with my action, and my inaction, my obedience, and my disobedience, my belief, and my unbelief. HOW I live is just as important as what I learn! The old saying "one never knows who (humanly speaking) is watching and learning how to be or not to be" is absolutely true.