By Larry Pasley
“Mister, why doesn’t this cow have any horns?” asked the young lady from a nearby city on field trip to the country.
The farmer cocked his head for a moment, then began in a patient tone, “Well, ma’am, cattle can do a powerful lot of damage with horns. Sometimes we keep’em trimmed down with a hacksaw. Other times we can fix up the young ‘uns by puttin’ a couple drops of acid where their horns would grow in, and that stops ‘em cold. Still, there are some breeds of cattle that never grow horns. But the reason this cow don’t have no horns, ma’am, is ‘cause it’s a horse.”
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The woman was obviously ignorant about farm animals. Hopefully she learned a lesson from the encounter.
The apostle Paul talks about people who are always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7
He also told the Thessalonians that some would be destroyed because they did not love the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Some people reject the truth of God because they preferred the pleasure of their righteousness.
It is a frightening thing that God will allow such people to believe “the” lie. The definite article “the” before “lie” is probably referring to the lie that Satan told Eve in the garden of Eden, “that they would not die for their disobedience.
Many today believe that lie. They think that God will overlook their sins. But, we are told that the times of ignorance, God will no longer overlook but command all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30.
It would be like the farmer allowing the woman to remain ignorant about the cow horns and allowing her to continue to believe the horse was a cow because she didn’t want to learn anything different.
The truth sets us free in many ways. It sets us free from ignorance and it sets us free from “the lie” that Satan wants us to believe; that God will not punish us for our sins but allow us to continue to live sinful lives without consequence.
Why are people lost? Some are lost because of their ignorance. Some are lost because they love sin. But all are lost because of their disobedience to the gospel.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
May we choose not to remain in ignorance but to accept God’s truth so we can be freed from our sin and live eternally with Him.
With love and concern,
“Mister, why doesn’t this cow have any horns?” asked the young lady from a nearby city on field trip to the country.
The farmer cocked his head for a moment, then began in a patient tone, “Well, ma’am, cattle can do a powerful lot of damage with horns. Sometimes we keep’em trimmed down with a hacksaw. Other times we can fix up the young ‘uns by puttin’ a couple drops of acid where their horns would grow in, and that stops ‘em cold. Still, there are some breeds of cattle that never grow horns. But the reason this cow don’t have no horns, ma’am, is ‘cause it’s a horse.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The woman was obviously ignorant about farm animals. Hopefully she learned a lesson from the encounter.
The apostle Paul talks about people who are always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7
He also told the Thessalonians that some would be destroyed because they did not love the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Some people reject the truth of God because they preferred the pleasure of their righteousness.
It is a frightening thing that God will allow such people to believe “the” lie. The definite article “the” before “lie” is probably referring to the lie that Satan told Eve in the garden of Eden, “that they would not die for their disobedience.
Many today believe that lie. They think that God will overlook their sins. But, we are told that the times of ignorance, God will no longer overlook but command all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30.
It would be like the farmer allowing the woman to remain ignorant about the cow horns and allowing her to continue to believe the horse was a cow because she didn’t want to learn anything different.
The truth sets us free in many ways. It sets us free from ignorance and it sets us free from “the lie” that Satan wants us to believe; that God will not punish us for our sins but allow us to continue to live sinful lives without consequence.
Why are people lost? Some are lost because of their ignorance. Some are lost because they love sin. But all are lost because of their disobedience to the gospel.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
May we choose not to remain in ignorance but to accept God’s truth so we can be freed from our sin and live eternally with Him.
With love and concern,
- Larry Pasley serves as a minister with the Jackson Street
Church of Christ in Alexandria, LA. He may be contacted
through the congregation's website at http://www.JacksonStAlex.com
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