“That Many Pastors Can’t Be Wrong”

Jeff Smelser

So asserted an advertisement for a direct mail service used by more than 1,000 churches.  One would think that even with a passing familiarity with the Bible, people would be reluctant to determine the validity of something based on the number of people who believe in it.

When the twelve spies returned to the camp of Israel to report what they had seen in Canaan, ten of them said, “We are not able to go up against the people for they are too strong for us” (Numbers 13:31) while only two said “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).  The people, evidently thinking that surely ten spies couldn’t be wrong when only two spies offered a contrary opinion, balked at trying to invade Canaan.  The ten were wrong— the two were right.

Goliath was a giant who opposed the army of Israel in the days of King Saul.  It was the prevailing opinion that Goliath could not be defeated.  “When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid” (I Samuel 17:24).  It would have been easy for a youth such as David to assume that so many trained soldiers, could not be wrong.  But you know the rest of the story.

The law of Moses warned against being swayed by a multitude:  “You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice” (Exodus 23:2).

And Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.  For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it” (Mt. 7:`13-14) And yet the stumbling block for many in obeying the pure gospel of Jesus Christ is that doing so would be an implicit denunciation of Christendom, and it seems that “millions professing Christians can’t be wrong!”  They can be and they are.  And the only way I can be right is to follow God’s word without being swayed by the multitudes.

                                                                                                         Via Gospel Power