“The greatest deception of the people is the kind of zeal for God which is invested without Scripture in the interest of the salvation of souls, the honor of the church, love for the truth, good intentions, usages or custom, episcopal decrees, and the indications of reason, all of which have been begged from the light of nature. These are lethal errors, when they are not led and directed according to Scripture.”
Balthasar Hubmaier
Deception, at the core, exchanges the truth for a lie. It masks that which may gravely haunt its captor and leaves each prisoner delusional of reality. Similarly, the truth of Christianity can be translated into words and purposes that are visibly appealing yet, found unrooted. This will always leave the truth of what Christ’s purpose was and is up for interpretation and deduction. However, it is not up for debate or speculation. God’s sovereign plan throughout all of time was for Christ to die for our sins AND to restore relationship. So where did we get off and how?
Balthasar Hubmaier would conclude that the greatest deception is people whose zeal is blind of its basis. Zeal that is forthright in cause and determination, yet with no true beginning. Zeal that crusades for programs and adheres to all “usages and customs”, yet has no real authority. Then, where does the deception entreat on the people? I feel that Balthasar wanted to show that great, biblical deeds can be done in the name of Christ AND EVEN in joy, yet are lethal. Obedience is a prime indicator of a softened heart and a spirit-filled soul. Almost all the religions of the world are centralized by what the believer has to do rather than, unlike Christianity, what has already been done. The magnitude of what Balthasar is trying to convey is that at its basic level, deception tricks us of our God.
The authority of scripture over our lives only makes sense when it is given authority by an “authority-giver.” That is the only way that we can be spiritually formed by Jesus and His word. Jesus commissions us in Matthew 28 by the authority He has been given over heaven and earth. In Luke 4 (verses 31-37) the people are amazed by His “word” and “For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The authority that I walk in today must be rooted in Scripture because it comes from my God. For that is the only reason I would walk in it. When I stray from it, I start from Him and what He says.
So, if we are “in the interest of the salvation of souls, the honor of the church, love for the truth, good intentions,” it is the foundation that drives the authority. From reason, we’ll find logical, human interpretations of how to reach souls and honor others. Exempt from biblical principles, human intention will lead to a different truth and “good” will be redefined. For, “usages or custom, episcopal decrees, and the indications of reason, all of which have been begged from the light of nature,” will only lead us back to the garden. It will only lead us back to the place of control and will for the good of man. God, however, is just and right in all His action and Word. The race, in many ways, challenges each racer to realize the authority and foundation in which they walk and believe.
Every morning I am tasked with focusing my intentions to the Word of my Father. He has something for me every day and for everyone I will encounter. Again, Jesus’s call for me these nine months is leading me to a place of action that is purposed by Him and through Him. Longevity is not an inexhaustible trait, but thank GOD for the Holy Spirit and His Word. I am running to Him in my emotions because of the call upon my life for those around me and the Truth resting over them for their life. Just in the past month, I have felt my beliefs on the Bible tested by perspective and the best resource has always been His own Word. My intentions, just like that of man, lead only back to the satisfaction of myself and a very limited perspective. BUT GOD, didn’t leave us to our own perspective.
He gave us His own, in divine authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord. He gave us the Bible to see more clearly His son and purpose for our lives. There is no room for our deduction from nature for it obviously has been punctured by the flesh of our fathers. Therefore, in agreement with Balthasar, the only way I will ever make it through the race and through life itself will be on the foundation and authority of Scripture. On the Word of life’s creator I can only stand. For if I do not, and we do not as a people, then the zeal of our actions will only be in the vain pursuit of ourselves. So I contend to say that Scripture’s reason is more than the gateway to purpose and teaching, but the connection to a life that’s zeal is marked by the will and favor of the Lord. In His way, we find life.
The lethal errors are now sweet obedience by the commands of biblical intention.
