People sometimes say, "I have the right to say whatever I want to," or, "Every person has the right to believe what he wants to," or even, "Every man has the right to teach what he thinks is right." It is true that God gives us a freedom of will or choice. However, that by no means implies that we have the right to believe, practice and teach things that are contrary to God’s will!

I might say a lot of things, but just because I believe or say them does not make them right in God’s sight. For instance –

… I could say that God does not exist, but the Bible says, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 53:1).

… I could say that the world came about by accident, but the Bible says, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11).

… I could say that Jesus was created by God, but the Bible says, "… all things were created by him [Jesus, rdc], and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16,17).

… I could say that Jesus has not yet established His kingdom, but of the Christians in the first century the Bible says, "Who hath translated us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13).

… I could say that in the realm of religion there is no set standard of truth, but rather "truth" is simply whatever I personally feel is right or true for me. But the Bible records that Jesus said to the Father, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

… I could say that no one can know the truth, but the Bible says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

… I could say that all religious messages are good, but the Bible says, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).

… I could say that in order to attract more people we need preachers who have the talent to tell exciting stories about themselves, but the Bible says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5).

… I could say that Jesus has many churches that He counts as His own, but the Bible says, "There is one body" and Jesus "is the head of the body, the church" (Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 1:18).

… I could say that in the sight of God it is not some church that is important, the only thing that matters is a personal relationship with Jesus. But the Bible says, "… feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

… I could say that there is no connection between salvation and the church, but the Bible says that Christ "is the savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23).

… I could say that we need to keep most of our preachers in the good ole’ U.S., ‘cause we got lost people here, too, you know, but the Bible says, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

… I could say that God is concerned that we worship Him sincerely, and does not care so much about what we actually do in worship, but the Bible says, "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth" (Jn. 4:24).

… I could say that we just need to tell sinners to repent and pray to God for forgiveness, but the Bible says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins …" (Acts 2:38).

… I could say that I believe that men are justified by faith only, but the Bible says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (Jas. 2:24).

… I could say that I can’t believe that God would cause anyone to spend eternity in hell, but the Bible says, "… fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

… I could say that I do not see anything wrong with having women preach during our worship services, but the Bible says, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:11,12).

… I could say that I like the song that says, "I don’t believe that heaven waits for only those that congregate, " but the Bible says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is …" (Hebrews 10:25).

… I could say that I don’t see anything wrong with telling a little white lie now and then, especially if it can help me provide a better living for my family, but the Bible says, "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor" (Ephesians 4:25).

… I could say that it is certainly okay to hate those people who sin against us, but the Bible says, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).

… I could say that it is asking too much of a person to say that he must forgive those who have mistreated him, but the Bible says, "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:26).

… I could say that preachers who really love the souls of men will never rebuke anyone, but the Bible says, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2).

… I could say that I am 100% sure that I will never fall away, but the Bible says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).

… I could say that I have the right to divorce my mate and remarry as many times as I want to, regardless of the reason for all the divorces, but Jesus said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery" (Matthew 19:9).

… I could say that it is my own (physical) body, so I have the right to use it any way I want to, but the Bible says, "For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

… I could say that kids can’t get anything out of what the Bible says, so there is no need to waste time teaching them until they are at least young adults, but the Bible says, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).

… I could say that it is not important how much a Christian contributes on Sunday, the main thing is to do it with the right attitude. But the Bible says, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him …" (1 Corinthians 16:2).

Such a list of things that "I could say" could just go on and on, but we hope that by now the point is clear. Long ago Jehovah declared, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways … For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8,9). It is just a fact that what man thinks is often out of harmony with what God’s word teaches.

If I come to understand that my thinking on a certain matter is not the same as the Lord’s, then what can I do? I could just brush it off and say that it is not important. However, this will not help solve the problem. I could ask God to change His "position," but we know that His word lives, abides, and endures forever, so that is not going to happen (1 Peter 1:23-25). I could just tell the Lord that He is wrong, but that would be blasphemy. The Bible says, "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth" (Psalm 33:4).

Really, if I want to please God, I have only one option: if I see that my idea or concept is different from God’s, then I must change my thinking so that it will be in harmony with His. Such a change will require complete trust in Him, courage, and humility, but if I want to please Him, there’s no getting around such a change in my thinking.

-- Roger D. Campbell