Biblical Tension

It has been rightly said that we should never use biblical truths in unbiblical ways. We make this costly error at times without knowing it. We may be hailing some aspect of God’s word with a resolute focus while unwittingly beginning to utilize that affirmation to deny some other forthright teaching of Scripture.

Take for instance our confidence in the sovereignty of God, which is of course a thoroughly biblical and foundational truth. But, if my championing of that specific truth leads my zeal for evangelism to wane (contra 2 Corinthians 5) or my passion for prayer to be quenched (contra Luke 18), then I am using a biblical truth (God’s sovereignty in this case) in an unbiblical way. God wants us to hold to the biblical tension of asking for God to change some present circumstance and God’s indomitable plan, without denying either.

This may be difficult as we mentally grapple with the various complexities of our transcendent God, but we must nevertheless. Always beware of how your deepening understanding of God’s truth may be inadvertently leading you to neglect or oppose some other undeniable aspect of God’s word. As you do, you will prove to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2Tim.2:15).