But Doctor Bob Says

I Corinthians 3:18-23

Mensa is an organization for people who have higher intelligence than the rest of us. You've probably seen some of their books of puzzles in bookstores. One of them made a great deal of his I.Q. when talking to me. Having worked as a plumber and HVAC technician, I was less impressed after he told me that for three years, he'd had to live without a furnace in Michigasn because he didn't have money enough to hire someone to fix it. I kind of figured that people of normal intelligence could either earn the money, go to the library and get a book about how to do it, or ask someone how to get it fixed. Freezing didn't seem very intelligent when anyone could so easily have learned to fix most problems. It seemed to me like his pride in his intelligence was making him pretty dumb.

Most teachers will tell you that the hardest kids to teach are the ones who think they already know the answer, because they won't pay attention to what you are trying to tell them. As Paul says in I Corinthians 8:2' "And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Our idea that we know is the biggest cause of conflicts among people, because the other person also thinks he knows. As a result we do many things that are wrong, convinced that it is right. Paul advises a different approach.

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." I Corinthians 318-23)

A spiritual man will acknowledge that he may be wrong, and double check before he becomes too dogmatic. He will also recognize that even those men he admires may also be wrong. He will not be like the woman who said "If Dr. Criswell says it, I believe it, even if he hasn't said it yet." That is like the Catholic church doctrine of Papal Infallacy, or the Mormon doctrine that the prophet cannot be wrong. Recognizing human fallibility, we need to be like the Berean Christians that Acts speaks of as being greater than the ones in Thessalonica. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11)

The greatest Christian in the world says and does things that are wrong, and failure to admit it has caused most of the problems among Christians. That we put men ahead of God is evidenced by the names we call our organizations, and by the number of different groups. If we didn't, there would be no Hyles-Anderson College, Oral Roberts University, or St. Paul Baptist Church.. We would recognize that everything belongs to God, including ourselves. The glory is his alone.