Many of the excuses we have considered so far have dealt with misperceptions and misconceptions of the Word of God; but that will most often be the case when individuals offer excuses as to why they have not [or will not] obey the gospel. But some of the objections are also misconceptions of God Himself! When people do not know God, they imagine all kinds of things about Him and what He has said or how He will act. None of these imaginings, though, will change the fact of who He is, what He has done, or what He will do. Only by studying His revealed Word, the Bible, can we know Him and know what He expects of us. Only when we are willing to submit to His will can we overcome these excuses and be pleasing to Him.

    This week, let us consider another excuse that is based on both a misconception of God personal feelings, and how we should answer: ''If what you are saying is true, then millions of people are wrong, and I just can't believe so many people could be wrong!'' This objection, according to their own words, is based on personal feelings, rather than a knowledge of God's Word. But it is also a common fallacy of argument called argumentum ad misericordiam [a fancy way of saying an appeal to pity]. Those who reject the facts will then have nothing upon which they can rest their objection except pleading with others that the facts simply cannot be true, based on emotional arguments and the adverse consequences of truth. Such pleadings are fallacious, but we still must deal with the one who offered the objection that we might lead them to accept the truth, no matter how difficult it may be to accept the consequences.

Answer: First, we must make it clear that personal feelings have no place in determining spiritual truths. Many people have been deceived by their personal feelings, but their eternal fate will not change the truth. Even in the Bible, we find individuals who have been deceived, and yet it was evident their belief in error did not change the facts. From this, we should learn that if we find out that we have been deceived, it would be both fruitless and foolish to continue to argue for belief in the error once we have discovered the truth!

    For example, recall the story of Joseph being sold into slavery. In that story, Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and to hide their deeds, they took his multi-colored coat and dipped it in goat's blood and took it to their father and said, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?" (Gen. 37:32). Of course, when Jacob saw the coat, he knew it was Joseph's, but he didn't know that he was being deceived. He did not know that the brothers of Joseph had sold him into slavery and that Joseph was still alive, but the evidence that was presented to him led him to believe, erroneously, that his son had been killed by a wild animal (v. 33). It would not be until 22 years later that Jacob would discover the truth, and it caused his heart to stand still (45:26). When more evidence was brought before him to show that the story was true [that Joseph was still alive], it was only then that Jacob began to believe (v. 27).

    Let us note that Jacob did not reject the evidence that refuted the lie he had believed for 22 years, but opened his eyes to the evidence set before him, listened to the testimony, and believed! Would it not have been supremely foolish for Jacob to refuse to accept the truth and go on believing the lie when he could have rejoiced at the news? But Jacob believed, and he determined to go and see him before he died (v. 28) and he did just that (46:1-30).

    From this example, we should learn that when we discover we have been deceived, the thing to do is not hold tightly to the deception, but accept the evidence and be willing to rejoice in the blessings of finally knowing the truth! Far too many people, upon hearing the truth after so many years of being deceived, choose to continue to believe the lie rather than admit they have been deceived. Is it pride? Maybe. If so, we must see that foolish pride will not get us to heaven by holding onto falsehoods that have now been revealed for what they are.

    Then there is the story of a man named Saul, who sincerely believed that he should persecute those who followed after Jesus Christ, thinking he was doing the will of God when he did so (cf. Acts 26:9). He would also say he had done this in all good conscience before God (23:1), so we can see that he was sincere and that he believed he was doing right. But when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus [where he was going to persecute others], this man could no longer deny truth; it was staring him in the face! So how did he respond? He humbly said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" (Acts 9:6). He did not argue that he had been following his parents' traditional beliefs for all his life, he did not argue that believing in Jesus would means millions of others would be lost, and he did not argue that he would now look foolish for doing a 180º turnaround in such a short time. No, he humbly asked what he should do and he then obeyed.

    So, what should we learn from his example? First, we should learn that sincerity is not all there is to pleasing God. Yes, He wants people who are sincere in their worship (John 4:23,24), but He also wants people who do His will (Matt. 7:21). Even sincerely believing we are doing right is not enough; we must ensure we are truly obedient to Him by checking our beliefs and practices against the revealed Word of God. If we find that we are in error, change!

    Second, we must see the need to have hearts willing to do the will of God, no matter what. Saul was a rising star in the Jewish faith and he had many ties to men who could elevate him to the highest position. But when he learned the truth, he rejected all that with great sorrow for those who remained in it. But he never ceased desiring their salvation (Rom. 9:1-4; 10:1-3).

    The sad fact is, many people will be lost because they travel that broad path to destruction while few find the way to salvation (Matt. 7:13, 14). So, if you find that the road you have been traveling is the wrong road, it is imperative that you change course and start following the path of the Lord. No excuses!