The Inerrant Standard Of Righteousness
Our age, as every other, is witness to the fact that most people accept God's will so far as it suits them, but ignore or even deny it when it imposes upon them responsibilities they do not wish to bear. Adam and Eve desired God's blessings in Eden but refused his prohibition against the forbidden fruit when the desire to eat it became greater than their respect for his will, (Genesis 2, 3) Saul craved God's favor toward him on the throne of Israel but refused to carry out the task given him to utterly destroy the Amalekites when such did not serve his personal designs. (1 Samuel 15) The rich man of Mark 10:17-22 desired eternal life but refused God's will concerning it because his love for material possessions was greater than his love for the word of God. Examples like these could be multiplied but these are sufficient to show the truth of the statement above. Indeed, many accept God's word when it pleases them but refuse it when it counters their personal, fleshly interests.
Many today profess to believe that God exists but nonetheless reject his will in their moral obligations wantonly marrying and divorcing, drinking, stealing, defrauding, lying, and killing. Others who would claim to be Christians nonetheless deny the will of God in refusing baptism into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27), and the fact that Jesus built one church (Matthew 16:18), and that they must be members of it to be saved. (Ephesians 5:23, 1:22-23) And many who are Christians deny God's will when they find it denies their own desires and so neglect faithfulness in giving, attendance, study, teaching, brotherly love and sometimes even conduct themselves as wantonly in their moral lives as those described above. Moreover, this is the same disposition that causes an unfaithful Christian to turn to such statements as "We do many things for which we have no Bible authority" in order to justify the many corruptions in the organization and work of the church now prevalent. When one uses a statement such as the one cited to justify the Herald of Truth, or some other such unscriptural project, he only shows that he knows that the Bible does not authorize such things and that he is willing to abide in God's will only as long as it gives him what he wants. After that he will blithely transgress it in order to have his own way.
Still there are some who love the word of God and strive to do it. David said, "Therefore, I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way." (Psalms 119:128) Notice that this expression of esteem is without reservation; ALL of God's precepts concerning ALL THINGS are right and everything out of harmony with them is hated as a false way.
This kind of attitude toward the word of God regards his moral precepts as that which enriches and beautifies one's life. It holds his commands to be wise and essential to man's good. It maintains that the life of holiness and faithful service enjoined on the Christian is the best life one can live, and is that which will prepare him to live eternally in heaven with God. Further, when one possesses such an attitude it will be manifest in his life by a rejection of everything inconsistent with the word of God on the one hand, and by humble obedience and continuance in everything that it requires on the other. (Titus 2:11-14) All of this will he do because he believes that all of God's precepts concerning all things are right. Further he knows that in conforming his life to that which is right he will be right himself, and an heir of God who rewards those who seek him by his word.
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