Would it surprise you that Jesus told some folks, “Do Not Think.” He wasn’t telling folks to pursue ignorance, rather it was about wrong thinking.
Jesus was addressing the root of folk’s wrong thinking; it stemmed from their ignorance about what has been revealed in scripture leading to errors in thought & actions. Here are a few examples…
“Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). The first-century Jewish leaders viewed Jesus as a rebel against the law of Moses. Their thinking was wrong.
“Do not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Folks then, and still today, wrongly think that the Messiah’s role is something it is not. Jesus emphatically states that following Him will divide even close relationships. Paul would warn Timothy that those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus would face persecution (2Tim 3:12).
“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust” (John 5:45). The error thinking of that time gave some a false sense of security, but it missed what the Old Testament was declaring (Deut 18:18-19). Being in opposition to Jesus put them in opposition to Moses, the one in whom they placed their trust. John spoke similarly addressing their thoughts of security (as seen in a lack of repentance) based on genealogical connection to Abraham. “Do not say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9; cf. Luke 13:3, 5).
The epistles also address the issue of wrong thinking. Some were thinking about men higher than they ought, and thinking too highly of themselves! (Romans 12:3; 1Corinthians 3:18; 4:6;). It’s clear that our thinking needs to be tested with scripture to avoid Wrong Thinking.
Maybe our thinking stinks because of the information we’re inputting. You’ve heard the old saying, “garbage in garbage out.” Our culture is being overwhelmed with ideas, propaganda, and false information from every direction. Any person with a smart phone and internet connection can blast out any opinion about anything without any concern for whether it’s true or not. It’s especially dangerous when people spout error about spiritual themes. Jesus addressed this once with those who thought there was no resurrection from the dead. He identified the source of their Wrong Thinking. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).
The truth sets us free from such error (John 8:31-32). God’s word is truth (John 17:17). Reading and studying God’s word equips us and shields us from error and builds up our minds in faith to think and speak aright (Romans 12:2; Proverbs 15:2). Not only do we need to test every spirit, “because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1John 4:1; 1Thess 5:21), but we also need to test our own selves. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? –unless indeed you are disqualified” (2Corinthians 13:5).
The advice of the ancients is still sound today. Let us search the scriptures daily to find out if these things being spoken are so (Acts 17:11).
Agape
spencer
