Only a foolish man thinks he can hide anything from the Lord. This includes his thought life. The Lord knows all man’s thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9) which includes the good (Malachi 3:16) and the bad (Psalm 94:11). David expressed this truth to the Lord when he said, “Thou knowest . . . my thought afar off. . . . For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether” (Psalm 139:2-4). The Lord Jesus Christ often exhibited this capability during His earthly ministry (Matthew 12:25; Luke 5:22; Luke 6:8; Luke 9:47; Luke 11:17). Even the written word of God reveals this ability by being “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
If asked concerning the origin of thoughts, the average person would swiftly respond with “the mind” or some similar answer. This is not, however, the emphasis of scripture. Overwhelmingly, scripture indicates that thoughts proceed from the heart. This does not mean the beating organ within one’s chest since the scriptures use “heart” in a different manner. When God brought judgment in the days of Noah, He saw that the thoughts of man’s “heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). In Matthew 15:19, the Bible says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” In Luke 24:38, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples, “why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” When one’s thoughts are not according to God’s will, it is a matter of the heart not being right with God.
Of course, God encourages man to think. This may come as a shocker to many but the Lord does not want man to blindly accept information without first giving it thought. During the Lord’s earthly ministry, He often asked men what they thought (Matthew 17:25; Matthew 18:12; Matthew 21:28). His purpose was not because He valued men’s opinions; but, rather, to cause men to think. The problem for the Lord is not that man thinks, but that man thinks and focuses upon the wrong things. God has specific things upon which He wants man to ponder. These involve things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praise (Philippians 4:8). As such, believers should focus their attention upon these righteous thoughts rather than those thoughts espoused by the world, the flesh, and the devil.
In John’s epistle to the elect lady and her children (2 John 1), he encouraged them to look to themselves so that he, and those with him, might not lose those things which they had wrought. In order for John to receive a full reward, those to whom he had ministered must take heed to their own service and their walk before the Lord. This line of thinking seems to be less emphasized today in many Bible-believing groups. However, it is a truth set forth by the scriptures. Paul reiterated this truth in Galatians 4:11 when he said, “I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.” In 1 Thessalonians 2:19, he declared that God’s people were his hope, joy, and crown of rejoicing. You might say that Paul concluded the matter when he asked, “are not ye my work in the Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1).
The Bible clearly teaches that no believer is sinless. As such, each believer experiences times when he is rebuked of the Lord. It is a natural part of the Christian life. At the same time, there will be circumstances which will bring about rebuke from other believers (Ecclesiastes 7:5). These are healthy elements of Christian growth. Yet, the goal of every believer should be one where he lives a life beyond rebuke. Paul’s desire for the Philippian believers was that they “may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” (Philippians 2:15). He then admonished Timothy to keep God’s commandment “without spot” and “unrebukeable” (1 Timothy 6:14).
The Lord never intended for a believer to consider it his duty in life to rebuke others. As the believer gains additional Bible knowledge, he begins to see the world in a far different light. He gains insights that often remain unavailable to those who ignore the truths of scripture. Sin becomes more noticeable and the individual becomes increasingly offended at the world’s corruption. His increased knowledge emboldens him to point out the errors of others. Though in and of itself there is nothing wrong with this, the Bible warns concerning the various responses when someone is rebuked. According to Proverbs 13:1, “a scorner heareth not rebuke.” In fact, a scorner rebuked will return shame and hatred (Proverbs 9:7-8). On the other hand, a believer will find great reward in rebuking the wise (Proverbs 9:8).
Far too few preachers and teachers have taken the time to consider the context of today’s passage. Paul admonished that a rebuke is sometimes unavoidable, but the context reveals that the individual receiving the rebuke is an elder (1 Timothy 5:17-19). It also appears that the rebuke only takes place under specific conditions. Paul informed Timothy that there are times a rebuke must be given in the presence of others. The purpose served to bring fear upon those who witnessed the rebuke so that they too would not repeat the errors of the elder receiving the rebuke. Though a publick rebuke is not a pleasant sight, Proverbs 27:5 says, “Open rebuke is better than secret love.”
Too many people have assumed that believers may freely rebuke in their own authority, but there exists no scriptural basis for this. The LORD gave us an excellent example when He said, “The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan.” When rebuking the Devil, the LORD emphasized the importance of authority. No believer should ever rebuke except according to the God-given authority of scripture. In Zechariah 3:2, the LORD was His own authority, but believers do not have any such authority in themselves apart from the Lord and His word. Paul spoke expressly about this when he charged Titus to “speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15). It is not sufficient to flippantly invoke the Lord’s name; one must base any rebuke upon the scripture. Henceforth, it is the Lord that rebukes, never the believer.
On the sabbath day, the Lord Jesus stood to read the scriptures. This was a common practice in New Testament times as the Jews would read the scriptures every sabbath day (Acts 13:27; Acts 15:21). Publick scripture reading was not uncommon and appears to have also been a practice of the Israelites in the Old Testament (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 31:11; 2 Kings 23:2; Nehemiah 8:3). The Bible also records that publick reading was common in the early church. Unlike today, believers did not own personal copies of the scriptures. Believers learned the scripture from publick reading (1 Thessalonians 5:27; 1 Timothy 4:13). Even now, believers should make an effort to publickly read the scriptures.
The Lord laboured to reveal, inspire, and preserve His words for man to read, learn, and study. Did He do so but then insure that no one could possibly understand? No! The Lord gave man His word with the expectation that each believer would read it and heed what it says. In Isaiah 34:16, the Lord commanded His people to “Seek . . . out of the book of the LORD, and read.” In fact, a constant theme of the Lord’s rebukes, during His earthly ministry, pertained to man’s failure to read the scriptures. In Matthew 12:3, the Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their failure to read about the exploits of David. In another place, the Lord rebuked the Sadducees by saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Lord obviously expected His people to know and heed His word.
