In the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, there is given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, regarding God himself, man, sin, salvation, godly living, eternity and judgment to come. And embraced therein and made manifest is the will of God for the salvation of sinners; as also the whole duty of man, which is to fear God and keep His commandments (Eccles. xii. 13).
But what is man’s attitude to the truth? If the Bible makes anything abundantly clear it is this—that the carnal mind in man is enmity against God and inevitably opposed to His truth (Rom. viii. 7). What a deplorable effect of the Fall and the influence of sin it is, that reasonable and rational man should hate and oppose that which is the truth of God most pure! Those employed by God to make known His Word and the doctrines thereof and to make application of the same to men, according to their several states and circumstances and conduct, such as the prophets, apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ himself while in the world, met again and again with the hatred and opposition of men to the truth.
Man is the same today; men under the veneer of culture, learning, civilisation and human, external refinement. The same hatred abides in the hearts of men today towards the Word of God and the Word of the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Let us not forget in our reckoning that in this, there is one of the rock-bottom answers as to why widespread irreligion, immorality, crime, materialism and practical atheism and so on, are with us.
Men hate the Word of God because it exposes and reproveth their transgressions and ungodly living. When Jehoshaphat asked Ahab, “Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides that we may enquire of him?”—Ahab answered, “There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him: for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah, the son of Imla.” (See 2 Chronicles xviii). Later on Micaiah said, “As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.” Wicked, godless Ahab has many like minded with him today.
Then, when the Word of God intimates God’s just wrath against evil doers, men concerned bitterly resent and hate such pronouncements, as in Jerusalem and Judah in the days of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet of the Lord. He warned the Jews faithfully and feelingly again and again, that they were in danger of the sword, the famine and the pestilence and banishment to Babylon in the anger of the Lord because of their idolatry and other backslidings. But they boldly evidenced their rejection of and enmity to the Word of the Lord by Jeremiah, by first of all declaring that Jeremiah was worthy to die and then later by casting him into a dungeon like a common criminal to die there; although he was afterwards delivered. And those who speak the truth today, in this aspect of it, as otherwise, are striking at the inherent enmity to God himself in the hearts of sinners.
And further, opposition to even the most sublime and gracious truths of God’s Word and the Gospel of Christ on the part of men arises from their love to spiritual darkness and ignorance, intimately related to their deep attachment to evil and a course of evil conduct. As Jesus tells us in John iii, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Man by nature does not want the light of truth, although it would warn him away from the precipice, even the brink of hell; and multitudes around us everywhere in this professed Christian land, clearly declare that they deliberately prefer the darkness to the glorious light of the truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
Another consideration in this matter is the sad and deplorable fact that great numbers professing Christianity are opposed to the truth as it sets forth manifestly, that salvation is through the atoning blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ and by the Sovereign grace of God and through faith in Christ and not of works lest any man should boast. This blessed doctrine, the natural man, who may be interested in religion, will not accept, by reason of his being deluded by his own heart and the devil, that naming the name of Christ in a profession of religion along with some poor and miserable attempts at good works, is sufficient unto obtaining all that they understand by salvation.
To emphasise and enforce even in the most loving manner, that salvation can only be attained in God’s way, as set forth in the doctrine of the Bible and the pure Gospel of Christ, is to undermine completely their hope (false) and to arouse enmity and agitation in minds otherwise controlled and composed — composed in delusion of course. The Jews at Antioch of Pisidia, with their preconceived views, tied to the law of Moses, contradicted and blasphemed when Paul preached the glad tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. What a reminder this must have been to Paul himself of his own past rage and opposition against men and women because they had, by grace, embraced the truth regarding Christ Jesus. But he obtained mercy, as he tells us, and loved and proclaimed the truth thereafter.
There are many other ways by which hatred to the Word of God operates, and which are not so obvious to those who lack discernment in spiritual matters and who are devoid of soul love for, and attachment to, the authority and light of the truth. For instance, erroneous doctrine, even one in particular, held and propagated, while mingled with other sound doctrines of the Scriptures, may well be a process by which there emanates deliberately from the hearts of some, deep rooted hatred to the Word of God.
Some men who take upon themselves to be involved in the study and activities of the Christian faith, declare themselves to be wiser than God’s blessed Word in their utterances and writings. But another way of describing their attitude is to say that they entertain, in their hearts, hatred to the truth. “Lo! they have rejected the Word of the Lord: and what wisdom is in them?”
Again, another subtle evidence of opposition to the Word of God may be found in the silence of men. A godly man in the North of Scotland many years ago, after hearing a certain minister preach, was asked what he thought of him. He replied that he did not care for the minister, not because of what he said, but because of what he left unsaid. The godly man was too keen to be deceived by such as did not love the whole counsel of God.
We once read a pamphlet of considerable length, written by a minister on some of the main evangelical doctrines of the Gospel and in an ordered fashion. It dealt with salvation through Christ, repentance and faith, etc., but not even one word from beginning to end referred to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. It was of course, especially on the questions of believing and faith, out and out Arminian in teaching. And so we might amplify the subject in hand. Truly it is clear from the Word of God itself that man needs a change of heart—a new heart—by the almighty workings of the Holy Spirit through “the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever.” Then men will come to know, appreciate and love the truth; and value it more than gold, yea much fine gold. This will send them to the Bible in the quiet of their closet, this will preserve family worship daily in the home, this will cause men to be in their place in the House of God, Sabbath and weekday, where the truth is upheld. And love to God’s Word is what contributes to living in devotion to the great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus and in the fear of God, in the midst of a dark and evil world. And how much we need the Spirit of truth to bring about these so desirable ends in the hearts and lives of all classes throughout our land today.
Let us in conclusion hear what David says: “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm cxix. 97).