by Terry Wane Benton<\/p>\n
The debate over the Constitution illustrates some of the same problems in agreeing over the Bible. The problem does not come\u00a0from<\/strong> these documents. It comes from the agenda of those who approach either one. Some are intent on making laws to fit their own will and so they are not interested in following the Constitution or the Bible. They decided what they want the law to be, and so, there is not enough respect for what is written to have any meaningful diligence in studying to find out what it says and how to use it properly to guide your life.<\/p>\n Some approach the Constitution and the Bible with prejudice. They think it is too old to be relevant to the Modern American or the Modern Christian. It is like they think they can improve the Constitution or the Bible. So, they seek to impose their will upon either of these documents.<\/p>\n In our modern concern about the next Supreme Court justice, there are those who do not want a judge who respects the Constitution and will work only to properly interpret it and apply it properly and carefully. They cringe and protest that very idea. The problem is not in the Constitution but in the agenda that seeks to overrule the Constitution.<\/p>\n Likewise, the multiple divisions and denominations do not exist because of the Bible but because of the agenda men bring to the Bible. If your purpose is to seek the will of God even if it requires great changes and adjustments in your attitude and behavior, you can know the truth that can set you free from sin and condemnation. But, if you just want to select from the Bible only the things that agree with you, and you feel that you can ignore other things or overrule other things and impose your desires upon the Bible, then you will come out with a church that looks nothing like the churches of Christ that we read about in the New Testament.<\/p>\n The problem is in the approach to the document, not in the documents themselves. I hope for a Supreme Court Justice that respects the Constitution and will be careful to interpret how it is upheld and applied to the modern American, and I hope people will return to giving the Bible even greater respect, and be careful to submit their own will to the will of God, and handle aright the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). In both cases there would then be more unity.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Terry Wane Benton The debate over the Constitution illustrates some of the same problems in agreeing over the Bible. The problem does not come\u00a0from these documents. It comes from the agenda of those who approach either one. Some are intent on making laws to fit their own will and so they are not interested…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[761,456],"class_list":["post-53650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-understanding","tag-unity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67932,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/constitution-and-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":0},"title":"Constitution and the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Unknown (SMH?) Want to know why, increasingly, the church is welcoming easy divorce, women in leadership roles, cohabiting couples, practicing homosexuals, and transgenderism? Perhaps surprisingly, just ask former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer-not that he is a theologian or commentator on church matters, but he might as well be.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30620,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-bible-in-english\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":1},"title":"The Bible in English","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant One of the great blessings we have is that we have the Bible, God's Word, in the language of the common people -- English. And we are thankful for those who provided this for us at a high cost. The story behind the translation is an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40312,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-an-organization-formed-to-meet-the-governments-requirements-have-any-say-over-congregations\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":2},"title":"Does an organization formed to meet the government’s requirements have any say over congregations?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings to you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. How are the brethren over there? I want to thank you for the support you gave me whenever I come to you. I have always had it in mind that I will do my best to change things\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68351,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/just-what-exactly-are-the-standards\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":3},"title":"Just What Exactly Are the Standards?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton I got a notice from the powers that be that I would not be able to do anything for one hour because I did something (like publish a good post with biblical and godly standards) that did not comport with their \"community standards.\" They didn't say\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-christians-choose-not-to-pay-an-income-tax\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":4},"title":"Can Christians choose not to pay an income tax?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently, a man teaching a Bible class made the\u00a0comment that \"We as Christians can choose not to pay our income taxes with a clear conscience as it was an unconstitutional act when these taxes were brought into law\" I disagree because\u00a0my understanding is that\u00a0Romans 13\u00a0and \"rendering to Caesar what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94507,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-separation-of-church-and-state-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":53650,"position":5},"title":"The Separation of Church and State","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by David New via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, December 1994 [David is a member of the Annandale church of Christ and, as a lawyer, represents clients who are trying to restore prayer to the public schools.] On June 25, 1962, Justice Hugo Black, writing for the Supreme Court in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53650\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}