So what is the difference between someone who willfully indulges in sexual pleasures while ignoring the Bible on moral purity and someone who willfully indulges in the selfish pursuit of more and more material possessions while ignoring the Bible on caring for the poor? The difference is that one involves a social taboo in the church and the other involves the social norm in the church.
We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that engaging deeply with God’s Word may challenge our current level of worship and understanding.
David Platt's quote highlights the fear many people have about truly examining the scriptures and confronting the reality of God's majesty. It suggests that such an encounter may reveal the profoundness of God's nature and the depth of reverence that is required, which might be more than what we are currently prepared to offer. This notion invites reflection on the importance of sincere engagement with spiritual texts and the worship that should accompany that understanding.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a church service, this quote can remind attendees of the importance of approaching scripture with reverence.
More from David Platt
All quotes →The price is certainly high for people who don’t know Christ and who live in a world where Christians shrink back from self-denying faith and settle into self-indulging faith. While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the Gospel remain in the dark
What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission? And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us?
A high view of God’s sovereignty fuels death-defying devotion to global missions. Maybe another way to put it, people, and more specifically pastors, who believe that God’s sovereign over all things will lead Christians to die for the sake of all peoples.
[...]there is no injustice in God. The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven't heard.
God involves us in his missions not because He needs us, but because He loves us. And in His mercy He has invited us to be involved in His sovereign design for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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My mother was truly my saving grace, because she would take me to church with her. I would see my mother smiling in the choir, and I wanted to know this God that made her so happy. If I had not had that faith in my life, I don't know where I would be right now.
The more reverence we have for the Word of God, the more joy we shall find in it.
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