Today's Scripture Reading (April 22, 2021): 1 Timothy 3 & 4
I'm scared. We live in an age of
information overload. Some of it is good, but a lot of it is pretty messed up.
The development of the internet has not only put the information superhighway
at our fingertips, but it has also put the misinformation highway just as
close. And the question is, what is it that we choose to believe. I have
friends who seem to have determined that the worst-case scenario for every
situation must be the truth. But the biggest question is this, how do we know?
And that is a tricky question to answer.
Whether we realize it or not, each
one of us has to deal with false information daily. And so, we have developed a
shorthand to deal with this information. Sometimes we have informed an opinion
on the subject, and if the information we receive doesn't match our view, it is
automatically rejected. Or maybe the data comes from a source that we don't
trust, one which has given us misinformation before, and so we reject the idea.
But both of these are shortcuts, and just because a source has given us incorrect
information before doesn't mean that the information they are sharing now is false.
In the same way, just because we have an opinion on a subject doesn't mean that
our view is correct. The whole process is a dance that we do almost without
thinking about it. And it is the way that false information is passed on, information
that we accept as accurate, even if it isn't, and so we pass it on to others in
our circle of influence. Depending on our reputation, that information is then,
again, accepted or rejected.
Paul warns Timothy that three
dangers were approaching in what he calls the "later times." The first
was apostasy; people would become disillusioned and leave the faith. Others would
be deceived. We would become the victims of general misinformation. The problem
with misinformation is that if we consistently chase after "conspiracy
theories," it doesn't take long for us to become judged to be purveyors of
lies. Then, those around us will begin to refuse to accept any of the things for
which we are arguing. And finally, in "later times," we will become
the victims of false teachings or false doctrines. This is one of the biggest struggles
for the contemporary church. It is not that we are leaving the faith entirely,
but we have forgotten that Satan knows his theology, and his demons know how to
twist the truth, even just slightly so that good Christians are deceived. One
of the ways I see this happening around me is that we seem to have begun to
major in the minor instructions of the Bible, and in the process, we are losing
what is central to Jesus's teaching.
Are we living in the "later
times?" Maybe. It is certainly much later than the time in which Paul
ministered. And it might be what we call the "end times." Either way,
we live in a time that seems to feature apostasy, deceptions, and false
doctrines. And we need to be very careful as we find our way through the vast
amounts of information at our fingertips.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 5
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