Someone once said all medical surgery is minor until it’s performed on you! We can smile at that and understand the point. Sadly, I think we approach biblical authority the same way. It is a minor matter until it comes to our favorite doctrine! Or, sometimes we classify a matter that we want to practice as inconsequential or as a seemingly small, unimportant matter when evidence from the scripture regarding such a practice or behavior is lacking. I am going to return to this mindset and the arguments that flow from it in a moment. I want us to consider for now the greatness of God or how big God is! I realize we cannot quantify God. It would be a waste of time to even try. It is impossible for the finite (the quantified) to quantify the infinite. The fact is, we can only talk about greatness in terms of size or distance or power, etc. and we can only do so by using numbers; but numbers imply limits. I do realize that economists and scientists use numbers that are so big that it is hard to “wrap our minds around them” (For starters — and these are simple numbers being compared — can you get your mind around 17 trillion dollars of debt or 186,000 miles a second, the speed of light?).
The Bible speaks of the greatness of God as a part of His nature. He could not be God without being great! Thus, He is incomparable. God through the prophet asks and declares, “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?...for I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done” (Isaiah 46:5-10). David acknowledges that everything God thinks and does is great “Because of your promise, and according to your own heart you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you according to all that we have heard with our ears!” (2 Samuel 7:21-22).
As much as God’s thoughts and ways are not only greater but the greatest ever, we must then ask, what about our thoughts and our ways? If we want to have great thoughts and ways, we need to know and respect the Greatness of God, acknowledging the Supremacy and Greatness of His thoughts revealed in the Scripture. It does not matter that a person has the power to move nations or sits on the board of a powerful Fortune 500 multinational company or is a genius heading up the most prestigious scientific research lab in the world because all of their thoughts, individually or collectively, by comparison are so insignificant and unimportant when compared to the Greatness of God! No one can add to or negate God’s greatness one iota – neither individually nor collectively (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)!
Man must realize he lives to praise God’s greatness, not to add to it! “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” “Praise Him for His mighty deeds, praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” (Psalms 145:3; 150:2) Man can aspire to no greater life than to praise God for His greatness!
Herein lies the point that I want to emphasize: All of man’s thoughts and ways are insignificant and unimportant if they are not governed (ruled) by the greatness of God. It doesn’t matter what the doctrinal issue is — and please listen to me carefully — all doctrinal issues contrary to the scriptures since the beginning of time have been and are minor and unimportant because they come from man who is insignificant without God! The Bible is clear we can only have God and the Son as we abide in the teaching of Christ (2 John 9-11). So yes, all of man’s thoughts and innovations are minor and unimportant when comparing them to God’s thoughts and ways! When someone argues that the use of mechanical instruments of music or the church sponsoring arrangement, etc. are such insignificant issues and are not really that important, I want to stand up and shout, “Amen! We do not worship the unimportant or the insignificant! We worship God and His Greatness! Thus, we do not and cannot use mechanical instruments of music or do anything else that is contrary to His will because such things do not reflect His greatness but rather reveal the pride of our insignificance!” Friends, we can have and live no greater life than one which God by His Greatness is ruling.
I think it is equally important to point out that God’s judgment against man’s seemingly minor and unimportant issues does have major consequences! God does not need us – we need God! But we only “get” (understand) God when we acknowledge and submit to His Greatness because we know that we have no significance or dignity without Him. Respecting the authority of God has everything to do with how we view His greatness and our position to Him. “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on the earth…” (Ecclesiastes 5:2)!
With regards to what the Bible teaches on any matter, the next time someone challenges the scriptures saying, “But that just doesn’t seem all that important,” agree with them and remind them that we are NOT called to worship the unimportant but the Greatness of God! “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever” (Psalms 111:2-3). May all of our lives and thoughts be great because we truly know and praise the Great I Am!
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