There has been much effort exerted in the recent past, aimed at revising the historical past. Statues have been and are being removed, school textbooks are being revised, historical data is being altered, all in a concerted effort to reimagine and repaint the past. If the events of the past can be eradicated from sight, and somehow removed from our minds, then the past can be rewritten to say what those in control of reporting past events can literally make up as they go.

Granted, it would take much effort, and patience, and pain-staking work to pull off such an enormous task, but with enough of those qualities it could be done. And, in the estimation of this writer, it is being done. The entire landscape of American history – more specifically, United States history – is being altered with the consistent efforts of those who would have us believe that the past was vastly different than what we have been taught.

But there is a far more serious danger than that of historical revisionism: Scriptural revisionism. This is a matter of grave importance for Christians in this nation to take careful and serious note of. If we succumb to this incipient danger, then the drift toward Biblical and Scriptural liberalism will become the norm among professing believers.

This is certainly nothing new. It can actually be traced all the way back to the first book in the Bible. Read the following very familiar verse from the book of beginnings:

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?””

Genesis 3:1, NKJV

Note carefully the subtle attack of the serpent. He began by challenging the Word of God. “Has God indeed said?” This is still one of the devil’s most used tactics. I’m sure you have had it happen to you, right? You’re reading the Bible, and you hear that voice questioning the passage under consideration. Perhaps you’re reading one of the miracle stories, and that voice begins whispering how absurd it is to believe that could really happen.

And if you’re not careful, you begin entertaining thoughts of serious doubt about the passage at hand. The devil then moves to the next phase of his tactics: he moves from challenging the Word to changing the Word.

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.”

Genesis 3:2-4

The progression of this conversation teaches us how susceptible Eve was to the alluring conversation with the evil one. And notice how it all came about. Eve’s attention is drawn away from the bounty of all the other trees in the garden. The devil draws her attention, rather, to the one forbidden tree. He then calls into question the message which had been delivered by God, telling her that she would not die, but would rather become like God. And once he has her attention focused on the forbidden fruit, and has filled her mind with his deceit, he convinces her that she deserves more than God had provided.

And he still operates the same way today. He challenges the Word of God. He plants ideas and thoughts in our minds, causing us to question the validity of the Bible. He draws our attention away from the element of faith, and causes us to focus on what appears to be stories of such a fanciful and ridiculous nature that we begin to question the historicity of those events.

Then, the erosion of our faith begins to settle in. We begin to question the long-held Biblical traditions that were given by the inspiration of God. We can begin to embrace non-Biblical theologies that focus more on the wants and needs of personal preference than the commitment to the Bible.

This opens the door for a purely experiential understanding of Scripture. We can easily begin interpreting Scripture in light of our own subjective feelings and experiences rather than on the objective truth of God’s Word. A few examples will suffice to illustrate this principle.

The Bible teaches clearly the sanctity of human life. God created man in His image. The Psalmist taught that each human conceived in the womb of a woman is fearfully and wonderfully made. Therefore, each human life should be nurtured, loved, and cared for. And yet, abortion has now become just another form of birth control.

The Bible also teaches God’s design for marriage relationships to be between a man and a woman, But it is now acceptable for men to marry men, and women to marry women, and for couples to live together without ever being legally married. And the enemy whispers in our ears that this isn’t so bad. After all, they really do love each other. Why keep them from sharing that love in a marital relationship? The lines become blurred, and the desires of the flesh take precedence over the will of God.

We are further taught in the Bible that God created two sexes: male and female. These are the only two biological possibilities. But now, regardless of what anatomical “parts” one is born with, each individual is free to choose if they are male, female, neither, both, or if they change from day to day. And again, the enemy whispers that we need to leave each to his own.

These examples, along with so many others that could be discussed, show that God’s Word clearly establishes parameters within which Christians should live. These will never be embraced by the world at large since the world is antagonistic toward God and the ways of God. But for those who profess to have a relationship with God, our desire should be to live by His Word.

And this is the grave danger that I see today. The church is embracing many of these ungodly practices and behaviors. Many professing believers have begun practicing the ways of the world rather than living by the teachings of Scripture. There is a strong movement toward Scriptural revisionism, where the Bible is interpreted through the lens of culture rather than the culture being impacted by the teachings of Scripture.

For believers, everything should be filtered through the lens of faith and the pages of Scripture. We should not allow the ways of the world to change the message of Scripture. If we do, then we have fallen prey to the same tactics the devil used in the Garden of Eden. The ways of the world, and the wants of the flesh, begin to take precedence over the Word of God.

The contemporary church in the United States needs to turn back to the clear teachings of Scripture. Let’s let it begin with us.

Blessings!