Inoculation and the Word

There is an old saying, "familiarity breeds contempt". It is at least partially true. Familiarity without appreciation breeds contempt. And perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the gospel inoculated culture in which we live. This culture has so much sprinkling of the Word of God that it does not even recognize when it speaks the truth of God's Word… (out of context though it usually is). In fact, we are so inundated with the truth of God's word that many will attribute things to that word that it never said and which it actually says the opposite. "The Lord helps those who help themselves" is not scriptural but many would attribute it to God's word… the problem is that scripture teaches exactly the opposite. That God helps the weak, the broken the helpless… those who cry for mercy, not those who think they can do it on their own. So where does this false idea come from? It comes from a casual level of contact with the Word. With exposure to the Word without ever taking it in… it creates a level of spiritual truth that is just enough to harden the heart and mind, rather than enough to soften the soul… it is truly inoculation. It is the act of producing immunity to the truth by frequent, small doses… and it begins with tasting…