Itching Ears

Reflections

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Tim. 4:3-4)

If I have been deceived, there are REASONS – there are reasons why people believe error rather than the Truth. And it is a fact that those reasons are found in our own hearts. Only through knowing Jesus Christ and giving ourselves to Him can our heart be made pure, and can it be possible for us to avoid deception, and know Truth.

God holds us responsible for the light given to us – He holds us responsible for turning to Him. There are many people who have no light; no knowledge of Christ. They are unable to believe the Truth because they have yet to be given light. These people are truly blind or ignorant. But this passage is not describing ignorant people who cannot believe. Rather, it is describing people who could believe but refuse to believe. They have enough light to at least turn to God for Truth. But instead, they turn to what satisfies something in their own heart.

God tells us, once He gives us light, to simply turn to Him – to come into the Light. That is faith; it is where anyone who has light can begin. But many have, “turned their ears from the Truth.” Refuse light and you get darkness. Refuse truth and you will live in error. You may even embrace ridiculous fables as if they are Biblical Truth.

Believing Fables

They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Tim. 4:4)

There was once a girl who had at least a foundational knowledge of the Truth in Christ. She knew enough to at least turn to God and seek Him. Then, at some point in her life, she went through a great emotional trauma. But instead of seeking God for His will; for Truth, she got entangled in the writings of false teacher. This false teacher claimed he had been visited by angels and the Lord Himself. He also claimed that he was the only source of true Christianity. His writings were complete fables at best, and right from the spirit of the enemy at worst. But his writings made this girl feel good about herself and about God. They made her seem right in her situation and everyone else wrong. Thus, no longer did she feel guilty and lost. She felt enriched and healed. She thought she found THE answer.

Can error do that to a person? Absolutely it can. No one is deceived by error unless the error satisfies something in them – error will always fill some religious void. The problem is, ANYTHING – no matter how good or bad it might seem – anything other than Jesus Christ Himself will bring us into bondage. Why? Because anything other than Christ is ERROR.

Jesus Christ promised to guide His people into all Truth – into a knowledge of Himself. But He won’t force us. He will give us enough light so we will at least know to TURN. But in the end, we are either going to turn to God and be adjusted to HIM, or we are going to adjust God to fit ourselves. It is possible to do the latter and think you are happy. But you will be living, not in Christ, but in a religious fable. We need not be deceived by fables. We can turn back to God for the Truth at any time.