Ross, Could you just open your mind just this much! OK? Now, wasn’t there a time when the brightest minds in the world thought the earth was flat? And, up until like 50 years ago, you all thought the atom was the smallest thing, until you like split it open and this whole mess of crap came out. Now, are you telling me that you are so unbelievably arrogant that you can’t admit that there’s a teeny, tiny possibility that you could be wrong about this?
Ross hesitantly admits that there may be a teeny, tiny possibility. Phoebe then feigns astonishment that he caved so easily and lays a huge guilt trip on him. Classic!
Yes, it's funny and makes for great entertainment; but Phoebe's speech also holds some pretty sound wisdom. My take on modern science is that God's creation is like a giant jigsaw puzzle and mankind is like a group of toddlers with only a fraction of the total pieces. Yet, they are certain that they can put together the pieces they have to form the complete picture. Every so often, they discover another piece or two, work it into the interpretation of the picture that they have and declare once again that this is how it all works. OK, yes, I admit that this is an oversimplification and a generalization; but you get my drift.
Now, let me stop here to assure you that I'm not about to go off on creation vs. evolution. Instead, the topic of today's blog is arrogance. And my target is not the scientific community, but the religious one. Yet, I cannot help but to point out that on both sides of the creation vs. evolution chasm, there are distressingly horrendous cases of extreme pride and arrogance. I have read arguments on internet forums that put both the scientific and Christian communities to shame. That is all I have to say about that... for now.
After first seeing that episode of Friends, Phoebe's speech became my banner to fly against the arrogance of scientists who had dismissed creation. I have rattled it off many times. But, leave it to God to use a New Age TV character to teach me an enormous lesson. One little question, whispered quietly to me by the Holy Spirit, caused me to redirect my thinking:
"Hasn't the church been guilty of the same arrogance?"
Looking back through the history of the Christian church, there are countless examples of such arrogance. Martin Luther was witness to that arrogance in the church of his day and wrote against it in his Ninety-Five Theses. That same blind pride led church leaders to convict William Tyndale of heresy, strangle him and burn him at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Throughout the centuries, many so-called godly people have allowed themselves to become so ingrained in religious doctrine that they fail to see the truth of God's Word. The resulting cruelty and oppression have turned multitudes away from a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father. Even today, thousands of Christian churches hold fast to man-made doctrine that stands in direct opposition to the Word of God, denying the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. Others are so bound by the letter of the law, that they completely miss the spirit of it.
This problem of arrogance is not exclusive to the Christian church. As I mentioned earlier, the scientific community has been guilty. I believe that examples could be found in every religion, culture, race, organization and community. It is a stumbling block that is common to all mankind. In fact, it is this very attitude of pride and arrogance that sent Jesus to the cross.
The Pharisees of Jesus' time had vast knowledge of the Torah and, subsequently, of the prophecies about the coming Messiah. They, of all people on the earth, should have recognized Him when he came. Yet, many of them had interpreted the prophecies in a very personal way and developed their own expectations. Ultimately, they rejected Jesus, not because He did not fulfill the prophecies (He did), but because He did not fulfill their expectations. Most of the Pharisees pridefully chose to hold on to their own beliefs and expectations, rather than open their hearts to the truth that God had provided. The price they paid was to miss out on God's promise fulfilled. Their erroneous teaching caused many generations to miss out as well.
The attitude that Jesus held toward those arrogant Pharisees should tell us all. Jesus rebuked them many times. He called them vipers because they filled the people with the poison of false doctrine. He called them white-washed tombs because they looked so holy on the outside, but their teachings were self-serving and dead to God's truth. He told those Pharisees that they were of their father the devil. Jesus reserved such rebukes for those close-minded church leaders or for the disciples that were closest to Him that demonstrated that spirit of arrogance. When Peter pridefully boasted that he would die with Him, Jesus replied, "Get behind me Satan." When Jesus was not received by a village, John and James arrogantly offered to call down fire to consume them; but Jesus rebuked them that they did not know what spirit they were of.
Notice that Jesus associated that spirit of prideful arrogance with Satan. There is a spirit that works through mankind, particularly those with authority, to exalt their own plans above God's, to deceive the immature into following their leadership, doctrines and decisions and to resolutely hold on to man-made traditions that cause the Word of God to have no effect. It is the same satanic spirit that was cast out of heaven for attempting to exalt himself above God. It is the same spirit that deceived Eve in the garden and coerced Adam into handing over his God-given authority over the earth.
The Bible has clearly warned us to be on guard because this spirit roams about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. I challenge you to be mindful of The Phoebe Factor, the name that I used in the title to refer to wisdom and discernment making a stand in the face of prideful arrogance - which would more aptly be called The Jesus Factor. Beware those who promote themselves and are quick to point out others' faults. Submit yourself to God. Read His Word for yourself. Pray over it and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you into all truth.
One last caution... the Pharisees were promised a Messiah and eagerly awaited His coming. They read the scriptures and memorized the prophecies that foretold His coming. But many allowed their own selfish plans to twist their expectations and to override the truth of God's plan, believing all along that they were without error in their interpretation.
Church, we have been promised that our Savior will return. Will we allow our own arrogance to deceive us with how we think it will all play out and cause us to miss that precious event? Or, will we keep God's Word pure in our hearts, submitting completely to His Truth and staying close to His ever-guiding Holy Spirit and be caught up with Him in the clouds at His return? Guard your hearts and minds, dear children.
Matthew 16:21-23; 23
Mark 7:1-23
Luke 9:51-56
John 16:13-15
James 4:6-12
1 Peter 5
Now, let me stop here to assure you that I'm not about to go off on creation vs. evolution. Instead, the topic of today's blog is arrogance. And my target is not the scientific community, but the religious one. Yet, I cannot help but to point out that on both sides of the creation vs. evolution chasm, there are distressingly horrendous cases of extreme pride and arrogance. I have read arguments on internet forums that put both the scientific and Christian communities to shame. That is all I have to say about that... for now.
After first seeing that episode of Friends, Phoebe's speech became my banner to fly against the arrogance of scientists who had dismissed creation. I have rattled it off many times. But, leave it to God to use a New Age TV character to teach me an enormous lesson. One little question, whispered quietly to me by the Holy Spirit, caused me to redirect my thinking:
"Hasn't the church been guilty of the same arrogance?"
Looking back through the history of the Christian church, there are countless examples of such arrogance. Martin Luther was witness to that arrogance in the church of his day and wrote against it in his Ninety-Five Theses. That same blind pride led church leaders to convict William Tyndale of heresy, strangle him and burn him at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Throughout the centuries, many so-called godly people have allowed themselves to become so ingrained in religious doctrine that they fail to see the truth of God's Word. The resulting cruelty and oppression have turned multitudes away from a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father. Even today, thousands of Christian churches hold fast to man-made doctrine that stands in direct opposition to the Word of God, denying the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. Others are so bound by the letter of the law, that they completely miss the spirit of it.
This problem of arrogance is not exclusive to the Christian church. As I mentioned earlier, the scientific community has been guilty. I believe that examples could be found in every religion, culture, race, organization and community. It is a stumbling block that is common to all mankind. In fact, it is this very attitude of pride and arrogance that sent Jesus to the cross.
The Pharisees of Jesus' time had vast knowledge of the Torah and, subsequently, of the prophecies about the coming Messiah. They, of all people on the earth, should have recognized Him when he came. Yet, many of them had interpreted the prophecies in a very personal way and developed their own expectations. Ultimately, they rejected Jesus, not because He did not fulfill the prophecies (He did), but because He did not fulfill their expectations. Most of the Pharisees pridefully chose to hold on to their own beliefs and expectations, rather than open their hearts to the truth that God had provided. The price they paid was to miss out on God's promise fulfilled. Their erroneous teaching caused many generations to miss out as well.
The attitude that Jesus held toward those arrogant Pharisees should tell us all. Jesus rebuked them many times. He called them vipers because they filled the people with the poison of false doctrine. He called them white-washed tombs because they looked so holy on the outside, but their teachings were self-serving and dead to God's truth. He told those Pharisees that they were of their father the devil. Jesus reserved such rebukes for those close-minded church leaders or for the disciples that were closest to Him that demonstrated that spirit of arrogance. When Peter pridefully boasted that he would die with Him, Jesus replied, "Get behind me Satan." When Jesus was not received by a village, John and James arrogantly offered to call down fire to consume them; but Jesus rebuked them that they did not know what spirit they were of.
Notice that Jesus associated that spirit of prideful arrogance with Satan. There is a spirit that works through mankind, particularly those with authority, to exalt their own plans above God's, to deceive the immature into following their leadership, doctrines and decisions and to resolutely hold on to man-made traditions that cause the Word of God to have no effect. It is the same satanic spirit that was cast out of heaven for attempting to exalt himself above God. It is the same spirit that deceived Eve in the garden and coerced Adam into handing over his God-given authority over the earth.The Bible has clearly warned us to be on guard because this spirit roams about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. I challenge you to be mindful of The Phoebe Factor, the name that I used in the title to refer to wisdom and discernment making a stand in the face of prideful arrogance - which would more aptly be called The Jesus Factor. Beware those who promote themselves and are quick to point out others' faults. Submit yourself to God. Read His Word for yourself. Pray over it and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you into all truth.
One last caution... the Pharisees were promised a Messiah and eagerly awaited His coming. They read the scriptures and memorized the prophecies that foretold His coming. But many allowed their own selfish plans to twist their expectations and to override the truth of God's plan, believing all along that they were without error in their interpretation.
Church, we have been promised that our Savior will return. Will we allow our own arrogance to deceive us with how we think it will all play out and cause us to miss that precious event? Or, will we keep God's Word pure in our hearts, submitting completely to His Truth and staying close to His ever-guiding Holy Spirit and be caught up with Him in the clouds at His return? Guard your hearts and minds, dear children.
Matthew 16:21-23; 23
Mark 7:1-23
Luke 9:51-56
John 16:13-15
James 4:6-12
1 Peter 5
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