You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

One of my mother’s favorite sayings, when I was growing up, was, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” To me this meant things weren’t always going to be the way I liked it. I would have to give up something to have something.

I recently came across an article that disturbed my spirit. In fact, I started to instantly reply to it but thought I should probably wait and calm down a bit first. This article is so typical of the spirit of the age in which we live. It is dangerous in that it sounds so kind and unoffensive. One thing, I do not want to be offensive, yet I want to be right before God! Let me share with you the quote and let’s go from there. This is from an interview with former President Jimmy Carter who has come out with his own study Bible.

When [HuffPos's Religion Editor] Raushenbush pressed him about whether he believed the Bible is God’s word, Carter answered, “the basic principles of the Bible are taught by God, but written down by human beings deprived of modern day knowledge. So there is some fallibility in the writings of the Bible. But the basic principles are applicable to my life and I don’t find any conflict among them.”

“There are many verses in the Bible that you could interpret very rigidly,” Carter said, “and that makes you ultimately into a fundamentalist.”


My questions are simply these, who decides what is fallible and what isn’t? Which part of the Bible can I believe to be relevant for modern day man? How do I know which part I need to live by which part I can throw out? Which verses should I interpret very rigidly which ones don’t matter? Last, but not least, is there anything wrong with being a fundamentalist?

Please understand that I am not a scholar of any type. I am just a really simple man from the mountains. I like things kept really simple and have learned a few things I can trust. Water runs down the hill. Bears run in the woods. I can trust my eternity to the Word of God! These are just simple things but they are facts nonetheless.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the young man Timothy stated, in 2 Tim 3:15-17, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
KJV”

If I want to be saved, I am going to have to rely on the scripture or the Word of God. I must understand scripture, or the Word of God, or the Bible, came by inspiration of God. Which simply means that God breathed on the writers or filled them with His Spirit and thoughts as they wrote. This lets me understand that God is part of every Word and used man to speak to my heart.

Several times we are assured that the Word of God is eternal. It doesn’t change. The Word will not pass away but will out last heaven and earth. However, the deception of the enemy is to have us believe, because we live a couple thousand years since they wrote the last word of the Bible, it can’t be accurate for today. That might be true except it wasn’t man writing because he got a bright idea and decided to write it out for later generations. Again, we are told it was written as the Holy Ghost, or God’s Spirit, moved upon man to write. (2 Peter 2:20-21)

The danger of the time in which we live is men are afraid to take a stand for what the Bible teaches. They want their cake and to eat it too, which is impossible. The scripture warns us several times that men would try to teach what they think will make people happy. The scripture alerts us to a time when people will, because of their lusts, look for teachers that will teach them things they want to hear. They want to feel good rather than do right. We must be aware and alert of the dangers of those who refuse to stand for the truth of the Word of God.

Nothing is wrong with being a “Fundamentalist.” This is actually a distinction you should be proud of, if it fits you. A “Fundamentalist” is simply someone who believes the Word of God to be true, every word of it.

Several years ago a man knocked on the door of the Church I pastored then. He told me he was there to let me know that his Church was the only Church in town the baptized for the remission of sins. I chuckled and informed him there must be two Churches in town that baptized for the remission of sins because ours did as well. I went on to tell him that I actually believed all of Acts 2:38. I believe you must repent of your sins, be water baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of your sins and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

The man stuttered for a moment and then said that the Holy Ghost was just for the Apostles. However, it wasn’t for anyone else. I took my Bible and showed him where Peter preached in Acts 2 and three thousand received the Holy Ghost, after Peter assured them the promise was for them and who ever God called.

To this he assured me that this was only for those in the Book of Acts and the early Church. He said the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in tongues, wasn’t for today nor was miracles, signs and wonders. To this I replied, “Sir, you are about forty years too late to tell me that. I know it is real because I have experienced it for myself. I have spoken in tongues as the Holy Spirit of God gave me the ability. I have been miraculously healed. More than once I have laid hands on the sick and they recovered. I have seen miracles, wonders and amazing things at the hand of God! I know the Bible is true because I did what it said to do and I got what it said I would get!”

Mr. Carter and all doubters, let me assure you that I will not only base my life on the Word of God being true and relevant today. I will base my eternity on it as well. For many years I have put the Bible to the test and found it to be true. Sir, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You will either have to take a stand for truth or follow the fabrications of the enemy of your soul. Be careful who you listen to.

God bless! Love truth! Remember that it’s just a thought.