Invisible Scriptures
Did you ever think that someone was looking directly at you for you to but learn that they didn't see you at all? If you were a mind to you could wave your hand before their face, but to them you were apparently invisible. They are so absorbed in other matters that they are completely removed, in mind, from the context and objects of their environment. Certainly no harm is intended by these folks but they can be used to illustrate the way some folks are by the Bible, to them certain passages of scripture are treated as if invisible.
To be more precise, our sectarian friends, in reading the Bible even find it stimulatingly convenient to treat certain expressions, words, phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs as if they were invisible. Their theory about denominations pleasing God, makes it desirable to make as if invisible such expressions as, "one body" (Eph. 4:4), "the body, the church" (Col. 1:11), "but one body" (I Cor. 12:20) "My church" etc... This is the same treatment which our premillennial friends have to give Col. 1:13 as well as Mark 9:1. These passages, as you recall, point out that the kingdom was to come during the life time of Christ's contemporaries and that it did just that.
Modern miracle workers run across several invisible passages and words. To them the entire thought in I Cor. 13:8-10 is invisible. At least they never preach the truth of these passages as it pertains to the cessation of spiritual gifts and don't claim to see the thought. They read Heb. 13:8 with little difficulty. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever." Their application is that since Christ healed the sick, lame, blind, halt, maimed, etc. that he is doing it today. One little word keeps them from almost getting away with this perversion.
That word is "forever" which they always treat as invisible. They fail to honor the fact that if this passage is talking about healing the lame, sick, halt, blind, etc., that the Lord will be doing that forever in heaven. That little "forever" proves too much for the "faith healers" therefore they give it the invisible treatment. "The Lord just heals yesterday, and today, you see!" It has to be if you apply Heb. 13:8 to healing, or else you'll have sickness, sorrow, blindness etc. in heaven "forever."
The sectarians are not the only ones that have this disease. Some of our brethren are bothered with the invisibles. For instance, in their reading of James 1:22-27, such expressions as "he" "his" "man" "this man" "any man" "himself" etc.' all of which declare the responsibility to be individual, are simply not there, as far as they are concerned. However, to the same ones let some sectarian try to have the "he" "him" "a man" etc. of Jno. 15:5-6 invisible or apply such expressions to the church and our liberal brethren are quickly emancipated from their eye malady.
The same liberal brethren not only, conveniently, find some scriptures to be invisible but they also wistfully see mirages. They, due to certain existent conditions see things which are simply not there. For instance, when we ask our liberal brethren where the scriptures teach churches to support human institutions, they frequently reply by citing James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Now, would you please read that verbatim quote again? And again? Honestly, does that verse say or teach anything even remotely akin to "churches donating to human institutions?" To these liberal thinkers the word "church" is a mirage, so is the "donating" and "human institution." They are simply not there. But due to certain existent conditions our liberal brethren see things which are not there.
We can find brethren treating some scriptures as if they were invisible, even closer to home. Some act as if they don't see "mark and avoid" (Rom. 16:17) You never see them practice it and seldom quote it. These brethren need to open their eyes as to what they are doing when they treat false teachers as if they were not false teachers. But again, note: "deliver to Satan" (I Cor. 5) "withdraw" (II Thess. 3:6) "reject" (Titus 3:10) "restore" (Gal. 6:1) "not forsaking" (Heb. 10:25) "reprove, rebuke" (11 Tim. 4:2) "hold fast" (Heb. 10:23) and many, many others are treated by "loyal brethren" as if they were invisible.
Of course, you know and I know that these are not invisible at all. Some merely overlook these scriptures. Others simply don't want to see. While even others don't at all care - it doesn't make any difference to them what the Bible says. Then there are those who see only what they want to see. Regardless of the reason as to why some scriptures are treated as if invisible, the ones who do it need to awaken, open their eyes and deal honestly and fairly with the word of God in order that they might be with the redeemed in the judgment.
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