TRANSPARENCY #14

My childhood and life have been spent hearing messages to support truth with truth. How many times have we heard scripture quoted to this effect:
"Study to show thyself approved..."(II Tim. 2:15)(K.J.V.) "...all scripture is given by the inspiration of God...that the man of God may be perfect..."(II Tim. 3:16-17)(K.J.V.) "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness..."(II Pet. 1:3)(K.J.V.) Sermon after sermon were intricately pieced together by masters of the language, the method and the Book. No fact was left uncovered. The Great Bible Doctrines were skillfully attested to by great Bible scholars, rich and deep in Scriptural concepts, men of depth and immense knowledge. Thank God for men like that who were loving and caring.
But is it possible to be so filled with such acumen with respect to facts of the letter of the law and miss the Spirit of it? Jesus addressed the scholars of His day and chastised them for just that attitude. For He said they had forgotten the "...weightier matters..." such as equity, compassion, sincerity.(Mt. 23:23) So it has therefore been my experience that some of the most intelligent and well read have been the meanest people I have ever known. And they come straight out of the ranks of Biblical scholarship.
At the hands of such teachers broken folk are made to feel so unworthy, so lost, so sinful, so fallen, so guilty, so inadequate, so useless, so hopeless. Sad that in such circles "When I am broken..." "He lives to take away my sins..." "...runs to the weary, the worn, the weak..." "I know My Redeemer lives..."are impossible phrases and hidden from men by such harsh judgmentalism.
I have often wondered how a Bible genius can be so negative. How can one so intricately understand the plan without truly understanding the Man. How can a perfect church be preached while refusing the broken the right to be "called out" of brokenness? How can such great lessons be preached on forgiveness and the proclaimers be so unforgiving? How can confessional transparency hit them right between the eyes and they smugly turn away?
The Holy Spirit knew that spirit would exist among men. So He gave us an extensive list of behaviors such attitudes generate.

pi negative respones

panourgia--"...shrewdness..." "...cunning..." "...the employment of any means necessary to realize an end..."
"...the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."(panourgia)(I Cor. 3:19)(K.J.V.)
"We have renounced disgraceful ways--secret thoughts, desires and underhandedness, methods and arts that men hide through shame; we refuse to deal craftily(to practice trickery and cunning)(panourgia) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God; but we state the truth openly-clearly and candidly..."(I Cor. 4:2)(Amplified)

periergazomai--"...bustle about..." "...be a busybody..."
...we hear that some of your number are idling their time away, minding everybody's business but their own..."(periergazomenous))II Thess. 3:11)(N.E.B.)

periergos--"...people who scurry about..." "...meddling..." "...in other peoples' affairs..." ...overwrought with unnecessary care..." "...also a standard term for black arts or magic..."
"...they learn to be idle going around to the houses, not only and idle but also gossips and busybodies,(periergoi) speaking the things they ought not."(I Tim. 5:13)(Interlinear)
"A number who had practiced sorcery(perierga) brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly..."(Acts 19:19)(N.I.V.)

pleonektes--"...defrauder for gain..."
"...you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is...greedy..."(pleonektes)(I Cor. 5:11)(N.I.V.)
"...nor greedy ones(pleonektai)...the kingdom of God will inherit."(ICor.6:10)(Interlinear)
"...no...greedy person...(pleonektes) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."(Eph. 5:5)(N.I.V.)

pleonekteo--"...take advantage of someone..." "...defraud..."
"...we have exploited(epleonektesamen) no one."(II Cor. 7:2)(N.I.V.)
"For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated..." "That no man transgress, and overreach his brother and defraud(pleonektein) him in this matter or defraud his brother in business..."(I Thess. 4:3,6)(Amplified)

propetes--"...rash..." "...careless...""...headlong or out of control..."
"...in the last days..." "...people will be..." "...treacherous(betrayers), rash(propeteis) inflated with self-conceit..."(II Tim. 3:1,2,4)(Amplified)

prophasis--"...pretense..." "...outward show..." "...pretext put forth to cover one's real intent..."
"...we never resorted either to words of flattery or to any cloak to conceal greedy motives or pretexts(prophasei) for gain..."(I Thess. 2:5)(Amplified)